The two of us were riding horses back to our camp in the remote mountains of Wyoming. The last glimpses of the sun had disappeared leaving a glow on the low clouds. The horses were tired. We had been exploring creeks and ridges most of the day. We were about a mile from camp when I heard a scream. It sounded like a woman in great distress.

“What was that?” Every sense was immediately heightened. It was eerie. Another scream! Even the horses were nervous with their ears pointed forward. As we moved closer, the next scream sounded like it was from within our camp. “Is a woman in our camp? Has something terrible happened?” These questions were running through my mind. Whoever it was screaming, they were in fear and it was not good.

Darkness increased as we rode nearer camp. I was getting scared. I thoroughly expected to find people at our camp and someone would be dead or severely wounded. We turned the bend in the trail riding through the trees into camp. Nothing. Nobody around. Who was screaming and where were they? We had heard that a mountain lion can sometimes sound like a woman screaming. After checking things around camp, we came to the conclusion that must have been what we heard. It was the first time we had heard a mountain lion do that. It made for an interesting ride that evening.

Sometimes we have fear of things we cannot identify. Many times the fears are unfounded. I remember as a boy, taking the garbage out to the burn barrel in the dark. The barrel was away from the house on the side with no light. It was all I could do to walk out there, grope around, and start the trash on fire in the barrel, finally getting some light. I would then look around, not seeing too far with the light of the fire. I still had to go back to the house. Looking at the fire, my eyes had become accustom to the light. Then turning to back to the house, it was really dark. I had to leave the security of the firelight and get back around to the front of the house where there was light from the porch. It was a long ways or so it seemed in the dark.

I remember on one occasion, running so fast to the house that only the tips of my toes touched the ground. That fear of the dark sounds silly now. Just like the ride into camp hearing the screaming, fear produces interesting responses in us. What fears do you have? Have you ever been fearful only to find out later, there was no need to be? Fears are real and evoke real responses in us. The best fear we can have is of the Lord for that fear is the beginning of wisdom.

Good or bad, which is it? Being alone can be both. We first looked at the experience itself, then on the good of being alone. There is a negative side to being alone. Most people experience this more than the good. The dark side is what makes people afraid of isolation.

We know what it means to be lonely. There are stages in our lives where loneliness is a major characteristic. Those times can either be good or very negative. Here are some bad sides to being alone:

1. Being alone will show the discipline of your mind, heart, and soul. An undisciplined life will take alone time selfishly, lazily, and often times, sinfully. Without godly character, people can become worldly while being alone. What you do in your alone time will show your personal discipline and character. You may find out how bad you really are. I encourage people to have accountability in their life until they learn the godly disciplines of the mind, heart, and soul. Being alone can be bad for the undisciplined life.

2. Being alone is hard on the emotions. Sometimes we are thrown into isolation because of the loss of a loved one or loss of a friendship. This is when we feel the loneliness. Loneliness can be depressing. If we allow those thoughts and emotions to continue, it can affect our health. This is when we need to grab onto our Lord with our whole being. Left to itself, loneliness can bring deep depression and increased isolation. Reach out to others during these times. Allow them to minister God’s love to you. Being alone can be hard on the emotions.

3. Being alone is harmful when we get hurt. I try not to hike alone these days even though I enjoy it very much. I never know when I may fall and get injured. We need each other in life. To know we have the Lord when trouble comes is good. But to have someone come alongside with a helping hand can be a God-send. We need to reach out to others for their help, encouragement, and comfort when we are hurting. It is not good to be alone when you get hurt.

We have all experienced these things, some more than others. No matter if we are alone or not, we need to walk with the Lord. He will never leave us or forsake us. We are never truly alone. He will also help us to live a disciplined life full of good works. We will be fruitful especially in our alone time. May we use the time God gives us wisely.

There are times when I want to be like a turtle. I want to retreat into my shell and be left alone. There are other times when I want to be around people and enjoy them greatly. Most of us have experienced both feelings. The hard part is when we want one and have the other. To be alone when we desire to be with friends or family can be crushing. It is the same with being with people when we desire to be alone. Embrace the time God gives you to be alone. Enjoy the people God puts into your life. Both are important.

To be alone has become as precious as my time with people. Here are some reasons:

1. My alone time allows me to be refreshed. I rest when I am alone. For me, when I am with people, I want to give of myself for their benefit. I want to do things for them. I desire to make their lives better for me being a part of it. That takes energy and effort. Sometimes I just need to be refreshed. God gives me time to be alone for the refreshing my soul.

2. My alone time allows me to meditate. I often meditate on Scripture and doctrine. We all deal with complex issues. I find my alone time is when I evaluate, compare, study, and think through them. With the busyness of schedules, family, work, and life itself, meditation is often the last thing we do. But, it is so needed and necessary. To be a deep thinker, alone time must be priority. I like my alone time for meditation.

3. My alone time gives me opportunity to do what I enjoy. When I was a teenager in Wyoming, I would often take hikes by myself. Those were some precious times. Being alone allowed me time to think, investigate, consider and reflect. I would go places most people would not even consider going. It was during those quiet times that God worked in my heart to point me in the right directions. Being in God’s creation is a good place to meditate. I still enjoy my time alone in God’s creation.

4. My alone time gives me opportunity to study and write. Read a book. Listen to books. Study something important. It is best done without interruption. I enjoy writing too. Alone time gives you opportunity to focus on something important to you.

Does all this mean that I do not enjoy people? No, I love being with family, friends, and people. It does mean that I enjoy people and being alone. Maybe this could be an application of this verse. I have learned in whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content, Philippians 4:11b.

Yes, it is good to be alone, sometimes.

Thousands of people around you but yet, you are alone. You have no one to walk and talk with you. Some people understand what it is to be alone more than others. I grew up in Wyoming. It is the ninth largest state with the lowest population of all fifty states. It was easy to be alone. I even told someone that I may have been 10 miles from anyone in any direction of me. Yes, in Wyoming that is possible. I learned that being alone is a part of life.

Sometimes in life we are confronted with loneliness. There are periods we are alone. During these times, the promise of God becomes a great encouragement. He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. No matter where we are, God is there.

There is comfort in knowing the nearness of God. The little girl was not afraid of the lightning storm because she thought it was God taking pictures of her. God’s presence was in the storm for her. His is a presence we shall never escape in this life. We will never be separated from His love in this life. The comfort we receive from the truth of God’s nearness is the lofty experience of life. If friends or family are not close, we have our Lord. The loss of a loved one brings loneliness to our lives. We miss their presence. We all have occasions where we can feel alone, even in a crowd.

People do not like to be alone. They will seek some way to occupy themselves so they do not feel the loneliness of being alone. Whether it is being with family, friends, or entertainment of some sort, they will not allow that feeling into their life. God says to be still and know that I am God. To do that, you truly have to know what it is to be alone – to be alone with God.

Jeneen wrote a post about caregiving.  She has the gift of mercy and gives of herself for others. I asked her for permission to post it here.  I know you will enjoy her thoughts.

“Jeneen- a thought: Caregiving isn’t for sissies. You focus on your loved one. Then you are divided between the many other things and the other people in your lives. You ask the Lord for strength. You wonder if you have it in you and tempted to complain. I am reminded of our Savior who came as a servant for us. Look at what He left in Heaven even if it was temporary. He set aside the Glory in Heaven, became flesh like us, felt pain, and so much more. Do you see Him grumbling and complaining about what He gave up? He totally became a servant in love and gave up His life for you and for me. Well, that hits you right where our priorities needs to be. Sometimes we are torn between many things. There are the losses of what we once had or wished we had or want now or later, but this is only temporary. That’s life, unpredictable and sometimes hard. But it’s the way we look at it with our attitude. Letting God guide us and show us that life is about love for others. Look to Jesus, He’s been there.”

Tall tales get passed from one generation to another. In the West, several have a similar theme. Maybe you have heard the story. It usually goes like this. During the Old West era, some outlaws robbed a stagecoach. They took the strong box full of gold or gold bars. No matter what was in the box, it was a treasure. The story then goes on to tell of a posse that chased them. The outlaws were soon overtaken. There was a gun battle. The thieves were killed but they did not have the strong box or the gold.

According to the tale, one outlaw lives long enough to tell the posse that they buried the treasure. Tt was heavy and was slowing their getaway. They were going to come back to retrieve it. Before the location is revealed, the outlaw dies. Or, sometimes he just refuses to tell anyone because he still hopes to live and to retrieve it himself. He then dies before anyone can get the location from him. The posse searches for the strong box. According to the legend, it has never been found.

I know of three particular stories that follow this plotline. I have been in all three areas where the gold is rumored to be buried. I have hiked them with keen interest in the terrain. No, I have not found any of the treasure but if I have the chance to look again, I will.

There are many stories from around the world of buried, sunken, hidden, and lost treasures. Sometimes we read or hear of someone finding a cache of gold. It sparks new interest in the legends. People have spent lifetimes seeking an earthly treasure. Jesus said to lay up treasure in heaven. How many people spend a lifetime seeking heavenly treasure?

By the way, I think I have narrowed down the location one of the strong boxes. Anyone interested in hunting with me? I also know how to lay up treasure in heaven. Anyone interested?

“So Monte, I am going to put in a shameless plug for your disciple book, Steadfast and Stable. I have had several opportunities to work through this study with ladies. Some have been Christians for a long time and others are quite new believers. Everyone has learned and grown through being brought to the truths of God’s Word. Thank you for writing it. Now you need to have it translated into Spanish and German! I need them both!” – Debbie

This is one of the comments I have received lately about the discipleship book I wrote. I am so glad that discipleship is happening. Churches are sometimes characterized by shallow believers. They do not have stability or security in their relationship with the Lord. I am concerned that we get past the first things and move on to maturity.

If you are looking for a study of the foundations of the Christian life, I would encourage you to check out “Steadfast and Stable.” It has been used by individuals, one on one, Bible study groups, Sunday school classes, whole church meetings, discipleship seminars, and several other ways too. It is written from the perspective of the love-based relationship with the Lord.

The publisher, JourneyForth has printed more copies recently. Discipleship is happening. Journeyforth is a division of BJU Press. I pray the Lord will continue to use the book to impact people’s lives. Of course, the only reason it does is because it a based upon the Word of God. By the time a person is through the book, they will have looked up many passages. It is a workbook, commentary, and encompasses the biblical foundations of our faith.

“Many Christians have been taught how to look and act like Christians but not how to have an intimate relationship with God. They may do the right things but are often shallow in their understanding of what it truly means to be a Christian and how to have an active and personal walk with God.” – “Steadfast and Stable,” page 16; by Monte Leavell; JourneyForth, a division of BJU Press 2014.

The book is available from the BJU Press, Amazon, and Christian Book Distributers.

If we look for God’s directive hand in our lives, we will see it. God does orchestrate. Sometimes His direction is easily seen. Yesterday was one of those days for Jeneen and me.

As we were leaving California, I called a friend to see if he was still in Arizona where he and his wife stay during the winter. Yes, they were still there. He was waiting for a part to come in for their motorhome. It had not come in yet. If they had received it the week before, they would have left yesterday and we would have missed them. So that was number one in the details. Because the part was delayed, they stayed for extra time. This enabled Jeneen and me to stop for a visit on our way to Phoenix.

While we were there, we talked about the travel of other friends we have in common. Sometimes they travel together but this winter everyone had different itineraries. Some had already headed back to Idaho. While getting ready to go eat, our friend received a phone call from one of the couples. We thought they were headed home. Sure enough, they were. But they had just pulled into town and were a couple of blocks from us. Their travels put them there at the same time as Jeneen and me. They met us at the restaurant for lunch. What was set up to be a visit with one couple, ended up to be so much more. God put it together. What a great time.

It was great to see our friends. It was too obvious how the Lord put it together that we could not miss it. Sometimes we need to be reminded. As we walk with God, He does direct our paths. Yesterday was a unique example. It is impossible to say, “It just happened.”

I needed the reminder. When we look closely, we will see the hand of God directing the affairs of our lives. Sometimes it is so obvious that we cannot help but see Him. Even when it is not evident, He is still in control. Walk with the Lord. Look for His orchestration of your day.

May we hold to sound doctrine. It is the basis of our sweetest fellowship.

“I am offended by what you said to me about our fellowship.” This statement was made by a friend I worked with at UPS. He was a Christian but we had doctrinal differences. He was from a charismatic church background. We had been discussing the differences in our view of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. As we talked, it became more obvious the depth of differences. I made the observation that our fellowship would never be as close as it would be if we agreed on these areas of doctrine. The differences would keep us from certain levels of fellowship. He came to me later and said that had offended him. Of course, I apologized but the truth is the truth.

The problem had nothing to do with friendship or love for one another. Those things were there in our relationship. He is a brother in Christ and I believe we will be together with the Lord forever. I enjoyed working with him. But I found when we talked of spiritual things, there was something preventing us from getting deep. It was different that the friendships I had at my home church. There we agreed on a deeper level of doctrine.

I have found my sweetest fellowship to be with those who hold the same doctrine. Yes, I have learned and changed in some small areas; such as my interpretation of Hebrews 6 and Romans 7. I still enjoy discussing those passages with close friends. But the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is a major teaching. Differences there definitely limit fellowship.

Which doctrines are important? When someone new comes into the church with a different view of the rapture or election and freewill, we watch them. It seems the first thing they want to do is find people who agree with their particular view. They will even try to convince others. They feel it is important. If they find someone in agreement, they become close friends. We have closer fellowship with those whom we agree.

Some say we should give grace. I agree and seek to do that. But I realize, when they have differing view of doctrine, my fellowship will not be as close. They realize that too and that is why they seek to get others to agree with them. Of course, they say they are just trying to teach others what they have learned. Sometimes these people have caused much difficulty in churches. It is especially troubling to the church when a pastor suddenly changes his doctrine to something outside the long standing position of the church.

I like having discussions about doctrine when people do not let the flesh take over the conversation. I have seen people get angry or so passionate that the veins bulge in their necks. When we are serious students of the Word, we should be able to have these conversations. We should be able to look at Scripture and ask, “What does God teach about that?” If we do not come to an agreement then, there will be an issue with our fellowship about that area. Can we acknowledge that? Our closest and sweetest fellowship will come with those we agree. Yes, let’s minister grace.

Wisdom comes when we understand the importance of a particular doctrine and the levels of fellowship that result from differences. That is why the “Fundamentals” we established. They were seeking the important doctrines and determining the levels of fellowship or separation that resulted.

We understand this issue because churches have articles of faith. Those doctrines are the basis of their fellowship. If you want to be a part, you must agree to the doctrine.

May we hold to sound doctrine. It is the basis of our sweetest fellowship.