August Blog

Get Outside & Be Grateful - Pt 1

Hi. I’m Bruce, leader of The Widows Project’s outreach to widowed men. I’m here, far out on the Mount Baker Highway, to talk with you about a new series. I call it “Get Outside and Be Grateful.” Behind me, you’ll see Table Mountain, and it’s in one of my favorite places in the world. Hopefully, in this series, I’ll show you some of my other favorites.

Recently, I read a study – actually a digest of a study – that said that 93% of our time as North Americans is spent in an artificial environment – either in a building, or in some kind of transportation, going – probably – to a building. That shocked me because our original home as humans was outside, in a garden, naked. And, we had intimacy with God like at no other time since.

Outside, we find the touch of the Creator – beauty. Look at that mountain. Look at the clouds behind it. What an Artist created that! And, you know what? He created it for me. He led me here to this place, showed me this place, and He showed me His love for me. I remember that in James it says, ‘every good and perfect gift is from God.’ This is a good and perfect gift for Bruce. It feeds my heart – it feeds my soul – and that’s a close connect with my God. That’s why I get outside.

When I begin to be grateful and express that verbally to Him, I lock the connection. It can go something like this: “Dear God, I know You led me here. This place so feeds my soul and my connection with You! Oh, Lord, thanks! I love you. You’ve proved Your love in countless ways, just like this – bringing me here.” You see, I can’t practice or perform this. It’s just too real. And it locks that connection. So, my challenge to you is, “get outside and be grateful”. Express it verbally to God.

I’ll see you next time for “Get Outside and Be Grateful Part 2.”