Category: Nature

  • Tangled Opinions

    Tangled Opinions

    The string holder that had always tethered my kite into the sky landed on the floor in a broken tangled web. I’m still deciding whether to untangle the mess or just toss it into the garbage. Untangling a web of kite string can be as hard as sorting through opinions to get to the truth of a matter.

    My sister sent me an amusing quote about God, the Bible, and our opinions:

    “You know what God left out of the Bible? Your opinions.”

    Miriam Webster defines the word “opinion” as, an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge.1 When it comes down to the important things of life, I want to base my decisions on more than an idea. I need knowledge and understanding based on truth that leads to wisdom, and the courage to act on what I know. Some of you will recall how my orphan grandfather challenged me to put halting, incremental confidence in God following a crisis of faith. My grandpa based his security on more than an opinion, and his trust had deepened for over seventy years. Whether we have seventy years or seventy minutes, our foundation of faith in God is equally sure. And as I stretch toward the age my grandfather was that day, I too, have come to stake my life and my eternity on the truth that God is good and can be fully trusted with my life. Check out the video below.

    1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opinion

    The Treasure: God weaves our personal and generational past into the fabric of our stories, even the [tangled] seasons we don’t like and want to forget. (from Rediscover the Dance, p56)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    I don’t think I’ve welcomed you inside Pilgrim before. But here we are and maybe at some point I’ll take you on a tour, on another blog. It won’t take long; believe me. But here I am. I haven’t untangled the web of the kite string, but I do have a couple of thoughts to share with you (or maybe just one). I’ve had plenty of opinions in my life, even for God. I just knew that I could remind Him of things He hadn’t thought of to make my life a bit easier and have the outcome look a lot prettier than it did now and then. But at this age as I look back, I’m so impressed with His wisdom and understanding and that He didn’t need my counsel at all. In fact, in Romans chapter eleven it says, “Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgements and his ways beyond tracing out. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? But of him and through him and to him are all things, to him be the glory forever, Amen. So when I need wisdom, I know I can go to God who’s not going to give me an opinion. He’s going to give me some rock-solid good wisdom. And He says, if you lack wisdom come to me and ask, and I’ll give it to you liberally. I’ll give all you need. But ask in faith. Don’t waver, because if you waver, you’re like the wave of the sea, driven with the waves and tossed. So, I’m just so excited—I don’t know, maybe not excited—I guess I’m humbled that the God of the universe would be so attentive to me and that I could ask Him for wisdom and know that I’m going to get more than an opinion. (from, Romans 11:33-36 and James 1:5)

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  • Island of Refuge

    Island of Refuge

    A spontaneous drive to the island of Chincoteague became a time of wonder on an unplanned boat ride at sunset. Thousands of birds flew past the boat for a night of rest and refuge on a small out-island. As full as the island got, there was still room for another flock to land. Like the birds, my soul seeks refuge some days. Refuge is a safe place—a haven for the soul where God prepares us to keep investing in the difficult chapters of our stories. It’s more than a passive place. Refuge is also a place of opportunity to trust, hope, pray, and (sometimes) mourn. We take refuge so that what happens to us does not become our identity, blinding us to treasure that is born out of trouble.

    The Treasure:
    Refuge is a sanctuary that becomes a launchpad. It transforms us to transcend stuck places, and to walk through thresholds with God into new seasons.
    (From Rediscover the Dance, page 108)

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  • A Time to Heal

    A Time to Heal

    The surgeon told me, “Knee replacement surgery is an investment in your future.” So, I smiled and signed on the line. But I did not prepare for how the follow-up pain would scare me. I said to my physical therapist, “Please talk to me about pain and fear.” And this is the wisdom he gave: We fear physical pain because we associate it with damage or danger. That’s bad pain. Agreed. But the pain of physical therapy is not about damage or danger. It’s about deliverance—about removing the old that causes us to limp and replacing with new that empowers us to thrive. This good pain still hurts, but it is achieving something better. So, in physical therapy I find a focal point and breathe as the therapist takes my leg to an “impossible” bend.

    Likewise, we need a spiritual focal point when the troubles of life unsettle us. We breathe our requests to God. We allow doubt to drive us to find deeper answers for our faith. And we take heart that suffering is achieving something of eternal value that we would otherwise miss and may never see in this life.

    The Treasure:
    Therefore we do not lost heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving four us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.
    (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    It’s been said that there’s a time for every purpose under heaven—a time for war, a time for peace, a time to be born, a time to die. In my own words, a time to go forth and have fun, and a time to stay home and heal. This is a time of recovery for me, a time of waiting for healing from total knee replacement surgery. I’ve been rather impatient, wondering if I will ever get full range of motions. The professionals say, “No worries. Just keep doing your exercises. Keep doing what you’re supposed to do.” This morning I’ve been thinking: What if this time of waiting is not just about the knee? What if it’s about listening … to God, listening to friends. What if it’s about rest. What if it’s about asking God for next steps, a time of personal inventory. If this is a time of waiting for you, I pray that you will have a gentle day and that God will give you peace.

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  • Renewal Within the Fence

    Renewal Within the Fence

    Several years ago I posted a video with my camper (affectionately named, “Pilgrim”) within the fence adjacent to my home. You’ll remember how steep the learning curve felt and how hesitant I was to take Pilgrim beyond the fence. Click here if you want to see that message entitled “Meet Pilgrim:” https://blog.dawnlinton.com/

    By now Pilgrim and I have been on some exciting treks together. But a recent surprise reminded me that protected time back within the fence is important too (see 30 second video below). In the relaxed interior of soul care God delights to bring new life to our spirits in preparation for enjoying next steps.

    The Treasure: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:26-27 NIV)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    Look at this. My propane heater, right within the fence where Pilgrim is was covered with a tarp that rotted. The weather just took it down and it kind of fell right down to the middle here and a mama bird took opportunity to lay her eggs right in this safe spot within the fence. It’s so fun to see new life right here – and she’s covered by the cover of the propane top. I can’t wait to see the babies.

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  • Balancing Act

    Balancing Act

    Unicycle riding has never interested me. I prefer two wheels under me, feet on the pedals, and hands on the handlebars. Even so, the unicyclist pedaling down a mountain road in Montana fascinated me and sparked enough interest to google a few details. Coaches instruct unicyclists to sit high in the saddle, use arms for balance, look ahead (not down), pedal continuously, and try to land on their feet by falling forward if they lose their balance. I’ll stick to my traditional bike, thank you. But when I catch sight of a unicyclist, I’ll admire all the practice and technique it took to equip him/her with such remarkable talent and endurance (see video). Albert Einstein spoke wisdom when he said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein)

    The Treasure: For spiritual flourishing we do well to sit solid on the seat of God’s love, balance truth with grace toward others, continuously lean forward into His plans, and keep moving in step with the adventure of God’s Spirit in us. (John 3:16, John 1:14, Proverbs 29:11, Galatians 5:25)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    This is a unicycle rider riding a unicycle down off of a mountain from Red Lodge. That’s crazy. One wheel. That’s an example of doing familiar things in different ways. Sorry I’m rocking this around because I’m driving my car just to keep up with him a little bit. He has to keep pedaling; he can’t coast on a unicycle. Look at the view he’s got though, coming down off of the mountain. That’s not one of my goals – to ride a unicycle. I wouldn’t mind coasting on my bicycle down off the mountain but … that’s crazy—crazy fun.

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  • Lasting As Snow

    Lasting As Snow

    In the small New England town I grew up in, winters brought an abundance of snow. I loved digging out an igloo from piles of snow left at the end of our driveway left by snowplows or packing snow for a sledding trail on the hills of our neighborhood. But this year, an international snow sculpting competition in Breckinridge, Colorado, took snow art to a stunning level. Each sculpting team worked with a 25-ton block of pressed snow that measured 12’x12’x15’ high. Teams worked for 92 continuous hours to complete the one-week display, not only for global recognition, but also to maximize ideal snow conditions in the cold climate of Breckinridge Ski Resort. The faces of many who lingered to watch and vote were full of wonder and joy. Snow takes on many forms—snow for skiing, snow for sledding, snow for sculpting (like the corn cob above sculpted by India), snow for watching … and the metaphor of snow that represents how God’s love and purpose is directed to our lives as delivered by His word (see video).

    The Treasure: As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish …so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    Snow travelled in a one-way direction from heaven to earth and settled here along the Arkansas River in Buena Vista, Colorado. Like snow, God’s Word travels in a one-way direction too and settles in our hearts causing us to flourish. It’s alive and has power to accomplish His purpose to transform us so rivers of life can flow from us. That sounds like real abundance to me.

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  • Inverted Mountain

    Inverted Mountain

    Even a steep descent to the lowest place can transform the trajectory of our lives when we take the difficult journey with God. The premise of my book entitled Rediscover the Dance is that valleys of weeping yield tears that can become replenishing springs and a catalyst for post-traumatic growth (Psalm 84:5-6). In Chapter 9 entitled “Valley Momentum” we explore how putting Three Rs into action can keep us from getting stuck in valleys of weeping.

    1. Relinquish self-dependence for God dependence
    2. Remember God’s words
    3. Rely on God for outcome.

    Riding a gondola over the steepest part of a mountain in Colorado reminded me to thank God on the joyful heights and to trust Him in the scary chasms.

    The Treasure: When life feels impossible we may think, It’s over, But God says, We’ve only just begun.1

    1. Dawn Linton, Rediscover the Dance (Koehler Books, 2025), 138

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    I’m on one of the ski slopes at Beaver Creek in Colorado. The interesting thing about this mountain is that some people call it an inverted mountain which means the easier slopes (called green slopes) are at the top and the most difficult slopes are at the bottom. So, those of us who are more cautious skiers like myself take a gondola halfway up the mountain over the difficult slopes. Then we ski over to another chair lift and take that chair lift out of sight over to the top of the mountain which is about nine thousand feet. And so, we ski around on the top half of the mountain as long as we want to – just up and down the most beautiful and gentle green slopes. Then we get back on the gondola and come back into the valley over the difficult parts. As in life, it’s a lot easier to be at a higher elevation emotionally, spiritually, physically and to just be able to really enjoy the ease of life. Thank God we have ways to come down and tools for us to be in the valley as well. But thankfully today I don’t have to ski down a black diamond slope to get to the bottom where I head home in just a little while.

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  • Lift Up Your Eyes

    Lift Up Your Eyes

    Laughter of children sparked by chipmunks made me smile. I had hardly noticed the four-legged critters, as a vast expanse filled my heart with wonder (see video). Creation is like that—a kaleidoscope of beauty that changes with each turn, and with abundant interest for every age.

    The Treasure: Let the power of God in creation take our breath away, open us up to receive His generosity, and remind us to set our hope in Him.

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    I’m at 9600 feet on the Beartooth Highway in Montana. I’m in this beautiful spot overlooking incredible mountains and valleys. But the children up here don’t even see the mountains. Do you know why? They are looking right down here at these little holes where the chipmunks come out. The chipmunks come out and they get up and they scurry along, and they’re just watching the chipmunks, so excited. But they’re missing the beautiful view.

    Well, reality is, I have chipmunks in my life too—things like pride, worry, and performance that scurry around and pull my attention away from what’s important. These critters narrow my vision to the amazing scope of God’s power and the grand scale of what He is doing. But the writer of Psalm 121 invites us to lift our eyes to the hills and let creation remind us that our help comes from God who made all of it. How stunning to know our Creator never slumbers as He watches over us.

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  • Do It Different

    Do It Different

    I didn’t expect to feel the downward spiral of sorrow in the days following Christmas this year. Even knowing the reason for my downcast soul didn’t help. I couldn’t fix it, and I just couldn’t shake it. I knew if Steve were still alive that his compassion and wisdom would lift much of my burden. If you relate, let me tell you what I did to stop the downward spiral.

    I did everything I didn’t want to do. I slogged through bike rides, joined friends for a walk or a meal, and connected (sort of) with God through reading Scripture. I said “yes” (with a dull spirit) to every invitation. I prayed … and waited. The result? More loss of sleep and lethargy. Until … those strategies began to put a spring in my step. I first noticed my sorrow had lifted as I filled my gas tank at Wawa yesterday. Mundane? Not so much! My perspective is still shifting upward with gratitude and with intentionality to keep my hand God’s. (See video and meet me on the Rimrocks in Montana.)

    The Treasure: I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand, and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    Well hey there! Hello again from Montana. Today I’m up on the Rimrocks; it’s a beautiful spot overlooking the city of Billings. I just want to pipe in because I’m going home tomorrow and I want to share one last thought with you: Sometimes when we need to muster up courage to move beyond fear and loss in order to find a new sweet spot, it means that we need to do familiar things in a different way. So there are trails all around up here. Sometimes they’re hard to see, but the difference is sometimes we’ve walked a trail with our hand in someone hand that we love. And finding a new sweet spot beyond the fence can mean, instead of holding our friend’s hand, or our companion’s hand or our lover’s hand that we take the hand of God (we talked about that last time) and walk with Him. And I have experienced that in beautiful ways these two weeks. I’ve been to beautiful places, but instead of being with the person I love, I’ve been with God who loves me, and unexpected surprises of beauty and relationships and conversations with family. So I encourage you to take risk and do familiar things in different ways so that you don’t get stuck. I’m with you; I don’t want to get stuck either, so we can do this together. So long for now.

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  • Strategic Withdrawal

    Strategic Withdrawal

    In her book, Invitation to Retreat, Ruth Haley Barton defines retreat as a “strategic withdrawal” from whatever is not working in our lives—to “gain perspective and set new strategies.”1 Last week I drove my Jeep in search of “someplace quiet” and pulled off at the sign to a monastery pictured above. A sign on the door welcomed “dear friends who wish to enter in silence.” So, I considered myself to be a “dear friend”, and sat in the solitude of that place for over an hour. For decades I have found solitary places for reflection at the end of each calendar year. There, I gain perspective by remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, and I seek new strategies for wholehearted living in the future. Don’t be misled. I am not ultra spiritual. That’s why I need times of reorientation. The value of “retreat” is this: there is an unseen battle for our allegiance where the busyness of life, culture, and expectations of others (and self) make for weary travelling. But in times of strategic withdrawal we remember that taking God’s hand at the gate of the year is better than light and safer than a known way. This is beautifully written in a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins (see video clip).

    1 Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Retreat (Intervarsity Press, 2018), 11.

      The Treasure: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6, NKJV)

      If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

      Greetings from Montana. I certainly have left Pilgrim, the camper, back in Virginia in that locked in paddock but I’ve gone beyond the fence and I’m actually way off the beaten path today hiking a trail south of Livingston, Montana. It’s beautiful here; it’s cold. There’s actually snow on the trail – and I just wanted to pipe in and remember at the beginning of the year this great saying called The Gate of the Year. It goes like this:

      And I said to the man that stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light that I may travel safely into the unknown.” And he said, “Go out into the dark and put your hand into the hand into the hand of God. That shall be better to you than light and safer than a known way.”

      Well, when we get off the beaten path like I am today, sometimes it can be a great place of reorientation, of reflection, of seeing where the real path for our lives is going to lead. So I encourage you at the beginning of the year (with me as well); we don’t know what lies ahead but we know we have a great God who says, “You don’t need to get stuck looking back at things in the past. Learn from them … but look! Don’t you see? I’m doing a new thing. Don’t you perceive it?” So, I hope you find many new things that are wonderful and match the beauty of the Creator who created all of this. Happy New Year to you.

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