Saturday is Guest Blogger Day - Emily Spangler

Saturdays are NBFamilies guest blog day.

If you have a story that will inform, inspire, instruct, or is just plain entertaining about NBFamilies please notify one of the NBFamilies pastoral staff to inquire about making a submission. New Beginnings Church NBFamilies Staff:
Phil Sallee
Terry Langenberg
Jeff Berg
Matt Fowler
Travis Young

We will help you post it.

Thanks to Genesis Parenting classes, we have been doing family fun nights, short devotions, and faith walks for several months now. One of my favorite events occurred earlier this school year when an unplanned, after-school hike turned into a wonderful faith walk experience.

It was a gorgeous fall day. I took the girls to Turkey Mountain so that we could enjoy each other, enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and talk about the pretty fall colors and leaves that God gives us. On the way up Turkey Mountain, we decided to look for neat treasures…pretty leaves, lost trinkets, etc.

Our absolute favorite treasure awaited us near the top of the trail. Propped against a tree was a long rock with Psalm 23 written on it. We couldn’t believe it - it was so neat! We read the verse and talked about it. We also discussed how God puts wonderful things in our lives; we just have to be aware of Him and keep our eyes open to what He wants to show us.

The way up the trail was a wonderful experience, but the hike down became a little scary for the girls when we realized we were in a race to beat the sunset. I wasn’t too concerned because I knew that we were on the correct path and would make it to the van while it was still light. However, the girls weren’t familiar with this trail…they had no prior experience to compare with this. Then, Kaylee stopped and said, “we need to pray that God helps us to not get lost and make it down before the sun sets.” So that’s what we did….we prayed for God’s guidance.

Though we were in a hurry, it was more important to stop and bring our concerns to God. After that, we soon finished our hike. God even provided some fellow hikers along the way, and that helped the girls feel more secure.

When we finished our hike, the sun was still lighting the sky. As I reflected on the hike, I was amazed at how much of God I and my girls got to experience that day. That faith walk also brought to light just how much my daughters have learned, that they trust God, and that they look to Him for guidance. Emily Spangler