Day 54 “A Year of Thoughts”: Stronger Inside and out

“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”. –1 Timothy 4:7-16

 

These verses were the topic of the message today in chapel, however, it wasn’t until this evening while working out that it became clear to me. I often hate training. I have all these goals and things that I know will make me stronger in one area or another but I don’t like disciplining myself enough to do them, to go beyond where I am. I had given up on working out really unless I felt like it from time to time, until my best friend challenged me in a way to do it again. We try to work out three times a week now. We have to be intentional about that time and work at it. Sometimes we get distracted but thats part of the learning to train that I need to work on.

I also have a goal of reading at least one book a months and I am behind on that. I have to be more intentional about planning time for that and making my mind stronger outside of the classroom. But when it comes down to it my strength and training must begin with the heart. I want to be a man after God’s own heart. So I have to be intentional and train myself daily in my walk with God. This is what I’ve been thinking on.

 

-Caleb Ross Hunter

Day 36 “A Year of Thoughts”: Notes on Walking Faith

A common place and path…

He was walking and talking with God…

Walk out of ungodliness into holiness….

God gives you every moment to find worship…God lives outside of time…

What is it like with all the fear we have, when we walk through life knowing death has lost it’s sting…

To walk is more than knowing, it’s going with them…
Fellowship…
Live life with God….

Life span…
Let the relationship rub off on you…

There is hope…

I know over the past week I’ve had a few posts about taking walks and living faith. So today I wanted to share a few of my notes from the sermon today over Hebrews 11:5-6 which covers the story of Enoch and how he walked with God.

-Caleb Ross Hunter

Day 32 “A Year of Thoughts”: Observe. Ask Questions.

How often do we stop and observe the world around us? While on a walk today with my best friend we talked a lot about a number of things but we came to this point where we stopped on this dirt road that runs between two fields, in that moment we just took in the view. A pheasant spooked us a little when it flew out of the tall grass on the side of the road. Some birds were thought were orioles sung from their perches, the sky was bright blue and the moon stood out though the sun was clearly in the western sky. With each slow in take of breathe I tried to see something new and beyond what I saw I imagined what might be there.

 

In that moment there were four questions I asked my friend.

 

 

 

What do you hear?

What do you see?

What do you feel?

What is troubling your soul?

Ask these questions everyday. Observe the world around you. Take a deep look into your soul, what is troubling you? What we see, hear, touch, and feel, forces us to be honest with ourselves and our world. What are we observing? What are we experiencing?

Observe.

Ask Questions.

-Caleb Ross Hunter

Day 30 “A Year of Thoughts”: Take a Walk

“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more because God took him away.” – Genesis 5:24

“Before he was taken, he was commend as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God’ because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” – Hebrews 11:5-6

On many nice sunny days and warm evenings I really enjoy taking walks through town and down the country roads. But those walks are best when I can share them with someone else. My best friend and I like to get out of town and walk through the fields.

The wind whistling in every direction, the tall dried grass clapping as if a parade were in line, the clouds making shapes like dragons or horses in the sky and the sun slowly setting to the west. The walk is full of adventure, excitement, long conversations and meaningful silence. The birds catch our eyes as they float and turn like synchronized areal swimmers. Our shoes kick up the dirt with each step we take.

Sometimes when we walk we don’t have a certain place to we have to go or anywhere to be. We are simply taking the time to walk together, to experience the day together, to get away and see that there is to see. On those walks we learn a lot about each other, we learn how ti slowdown, to skip together, to run, to sit, to stand and to pause to take in each moment like it might be our very last.

It’s walks like this with my best friend that I picture Enoch walking with God. As if they are best friends experiencing each step together. Seeing the world, God created, together. Each step of theit walk more intimate, God learning how Enoch sees the world and Enoch experiencing little by little the presence of God. A walk hardly a walk without a little conversation, the ones with Enoch and God are long and meaningful but not without pauses and silence that carry just as much meaning.

Enoch lived his faith, he walked with

God, he didn’t just practice the presence of God he got to experience it.

I long for me life to be like Enoch’s. For my faith to move me to daily walk with God, daily grow to know his presence more, to learn him, to be intimate with him, to hear and listen and have long conversations.

The story of Enoch is one of hope. Hope that through the weariness of our souls longing to walk with God, that God is already walking with us. Sometimes we have to wake up, open our eyes and see that God is right there, Maybe you should take a walk, get out of town and talk to God, he’s right there.

-Caleb Ross Hunter

Day 25 “A Year of Thoughts” Claim, Walk, Live Christ

 

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”- 1 John 2:5-6

 

This verses are a few of many that are written as a part of three pieces of paper that hang over my bed that I call my manhood plan. It’s really a declaration of who I am, my goals, gifts, and passions and a list of verses that I would hope to apply to my life. During the men’s book study at church tonight I got to thinking of my manhood plan, when one of the guys said he just wanted to be. To be who God wants him to be and not get caught up in trying to be someone he’s not or comparing himself to others. My goal, my quest and reason for even writing a manhood plan goes back to my desire to know myself for who God created me to be and to live that out.

 

To know myself for who God created me to be.

 

To Live that out.

Next to these two verses on my manhood plan I wrote “claim, walk, live Christ”. First I have to claim Christ. I have to claim the incredible crazy love that he has for me. I can’t claim something and then simply live like it is irrelevant to my life. Claiming Christ, obedience, disciples and cultivating that relationship is a daily thing. To claim Christ is a huge deal. In the first century to claim Christ might mean death so if you are going to claim Christ make the most of that claim.

 

I am not a greek scholar and honestly I do not have a grasp on any language including english most of the time, so in order to understand what claim means I looked it up in my bedside dictionary. In some-sense the word means to call for or ask for property, but I think in this sense it means “to state as a fact or to maintain”. How do we maintain things? How do you maintain your room? Your relationships? Your skills? I know Christ and I claim him but how do I move to maintaining that claim.

 

In this book study we are reading a book titled “Disciplines of a Godly Man” by R. Kent Hughes, the author talks about training and how we need to train ourselves. When we were talking about this training I was thinking over the years that I played basketball. I lived and breathed basketball. I trained in and out of team practices. I maintained my shooting form. I maintained my health. I maintained the bench pretty well, but I worked at it everyday. This maintaining the training is part of claiming Christ, but God doesn’t just train us to warm the bench.

 

Obeying Christ is great but it should move us to more. I think what John is getting at is that when we obey Christ, we allow him to train us and make his love complete in us by understanding who he has made us to be we are better able to move to living that out and walking as Christ did. This means daily letting God shape us and mold us. Daily intentionally maintaining that relationship through prayer and reading. Daily finding ways to be intentionally you who God made you to be and living as Jesus did in the context of where you are and what you are doing.

 

Claim Christ

Live like you have Claimed Christ in the full of the freedom, forgiveness and love that he offers.

Walk with Christ and others through life.

Maintain, Maintain, Maintain so when it comes down to the last seconds of the game you can come in an hit the game winning free-throws. Maintain, Maintain, Maintain so that God’s love might be made complete in you so that you can better love those around you. Maintain, Maintain, Maintain the truth.

 

As I am writing this I’m struck by the fact that even before I claimed Jesus he claimed me. He maintained his promises. He loved me before I loved him. He lived the way that he calls us to live. He walked the road we are walking and He is walking it again with us.

 

My manhood plan has a lot of really big claims and goals that I have written in order to challenge myself to maintain them, live them, and allow God to walk me through learning how to be me. I want my life to reflect my claim. I want to live in Christ and walk in the way that he did. Everyday is a challenge to live so claim life one step at a time.

 

-Caleb Ross Hunter

Day 14 “A Year of Thoughts”: The Mountains Await…

 

 

The mountains are majestic and breathe taking as we have spent the last few days in New Mexico under the shadow of them rising out from under our feet. I went out for a walk today and found myself staring at them as they rose above the trees, to the shining snowy peaks. As I walked through the snow it soaked through my shoes as I dodged the cactuses poking through.

 

I think I like it here.

 

The culture of the west excites me and the open wilderness breathes

 

ADVENTURE

 

GO West

 

 

 

 

The Mountains Await..

 

– Caleb Ross Hunter