March 2008 In this issue... A Rock you can Trust One of "The Monuments"...Learn more on The Lake Trail at this website. Previous Newsletters    (Archives)  Website Home Page  (Trailheads) * Contact  Hiking the Trail of Truth,  Mark's Trail Phone # 909-549-0068,  or e-mail   hikemark@hotmail.com Page 2 From The Editor... Hello, and Welcome to the March 2008 HTTOT Newsletter!  We here at Hiking the Trail of Truth sincerely hope this year that you have allowed the Spirit of God to be active within your heart, and that you are perhaps able to get out for a hike and consider many of the wonders He has made. We are uniquely drawn to these wonders because we were formed from the very dust of the earth, and, because of that relationship, we have the ability to develop the understanding that will allow us to discover our unique balance with nature. Come along with us on a most profound adventure of learning... WEBSITE NEWS: Knowing God is first seeing Him through the things He has made (Romans 1:20).  Hiking the Trail of Truth is here to help you along in your journey of discovery and sharing. If you have been or are presently unable to get out this season for a physical hike, just visit our website's feature trail for this month; The Lake Trail . Your mental trek there can take you where you may be unable to journey physically. The eye-opening education, inspiration and lasting encouragement which you can find along the Lake Trail will be well worth your time... Just click on the Lake Trail link on the bottom of this newsletter, or click on that trailmarker on the left side of the website's Home page, or you can locate the marker on the website's Hiking Maps and Trailheads page as well.— We sincerely hope that you will hike all of our devotional and educational trails at the website this year. Again, we are here to help you in any way we can and, as always, look forward to hearing from you. Hiking the Trail of Truth is currently one of the most, if not the most, truthfully informative Christian sites on the web. Please, be our guest; explore this truth for yourself and discover! The most important way to begin your day is with a short reading from the Bible. Today is indeed a good time to begin that resolve. For this purpose, the Mountain and Valley Trail was built. There you will find daily Bible readings for the entire year, with accompanying photos, created especially for you. To locate this picture/Scripture calendar, simply click on the Mountain and Valley Trail. You will find a compass there that will lead you to the calendar of months, and you can then choose a month to begin your day-by-day readings. Your daily journey through life is sure to begin in the right direction!  After all, we live only one day at a time, right?— Why don't you then take the opportunity now and begin a one-year hike along the Mountain and Valley Trail. You will not be disappointed, in fact, your journey will be full of enlightening, life-changing insights! Don't forget that HTTOT offers FREE COUNSELING to anyone who wants it (Lord knows we all need it). Your varied questions are also important, and are given the utmost consideration in answering them. For you to be aware of the truth, in a world where falsehood abounds, is very important to us. Your spiritual struggles are of our utmost concern—we can help!  So just phone or e-mail any time. Contact information is listed at the bottom of the cover page of this Newsletter, or you can visit Questions and Answers Trail Camp at the website, where a ''submit a question" link is provided... March's Letter From the Editor :  A Rock you can Trust...   Someone once asked me, "How do we lose the madness of this life?"  I told him that the only escape from the madness of this life is to trust in The Rock. "The Rock?" he replied. I told him that conflict was a part of living. Everyone has troubles, no matter who they are or where they live. Mountains, deserts, within the forests or on the ocean, and certainly within the cities; there's just no physical place you can go to get away from the troubles of life or the madness of men. But there is a spiritual place. You can go to The Rock, and that Rock is Christ. You can approach this Rock through trust, and only trust will allow you to touch it, and continue to benefit from it... I've touched the rocks pictured in this month's Newsletter many times. I've touched various rocks on the trails I have hiked. In fact, I have even picked up the pebbles under my hiking boots, just to touch them. Why?—Because I know the hand that formed them. It is the hand of the God in whom my spirit trusts. I see Him in all the wonders of the earth. I am honored to touch the things He has made. He is my anchor in the high wind and storms of life. He is there when all my attempts to seek peace in a human way are exhausted. He lifts my spirit up and sets it upon Himself. I have learned that He is the only true rock of refuge. He is a towering rock, and I can find rest in the height of His protection.— There are many reasons why I trust Him, but the way to that trust was not an easy one... The trail to trusting in God is difficult because it is only human nature to trust in ourselves. People for the most part let us down, so we soon learn that we should only trust ourselves. However, the Scriptures teach us that we cannot trust ourselves, for our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. They teach us that we cannot lean upon our own understanding. They teach us that when we follow our own paths we are doomed to failure. Educating ourselves in the ideas, concepts or philosophies of the world will not help us, for they are eventually found to be only madness. Therefore, only trust in God will give us understanding. To respect Him is the beginning of knowledge. For most it's a difficult path—this route to knowledge and the realm of trust in someone that we cannot see—or can we?   Need some guidance in this area of thought?  Here are some facts that should help you to see God and to establish your trust in Him... The world and the universe that surrounds it was formed by God—the physical evidence is quite obvious—enough to convince some folks—and even the "scientific" evidence is overwhelming. God formed you as an individual, therefore, only He can be trusted in any matter regarding you. Faith in God is the only thing you can count on to get you through life successfully. The Bible is your instruction manual and a gift to you from God. The Bible is actually the mind of God in human language. According to God, only His word can be trusted, and He has entrusted it to you. You can therefore learn to trust in God through His word, which will also give you deeper understanding regarding the things He has made. You will establish more trust in God as you begin to apply His word to your life. Most Christians understand this concept, yet many have difficulty making it work for themselves. Next month we will continue examining the Rock you can Trust. We'll look at why you may have difficulty in learning to trust in God. We'll help you to overcome those difficulties and discuss thoughts and activities that will allow you to develop unwavering trust in God. Your life will indeed be richer for it, so please, join us again next month as we continue to hike this trail to the Rock we can Trust. Sincerely, Mark...I'll see you in April with another Letter From the Editor. Encouraging Gods' Children... Here is this months' list of those who need encouragement through your prayers and letters. I hope you will take the time to encourage them... Some of their problems are personal and we will respect their privacy; leaving it up to those individuals to share at their discretion. Please pray for them and write to them (I can provide addresses for you. Please call or E-mail me for that information). Encouragement is a noble thing and a profound way to honor God through lifting up His children... Please inform me if you would like to add anyone to our prayer list. Also, please check Newsletter Archives for folks and their situations previously on the prayer list. Let us this month encourage and pray for... Please remember all of the homeless, the poor, and the hungry of this world as you go about your daily routine this Year. Try to locate a homeless, poor, or hungry person and help them in any way that you can... Continue to pray for all of those "in need" of any type, and please pray earnestly for all the people of the world in which we live—in every country—that men and women will desire to find wisdom, that they will turn and seek God's face as their true need in this world full of spiritual blindness, rebellion and increasing depravity. The Lord's coming will not be delayed much longer. Endeavor to encourage others to seek Him, in truth, while there is still time. Father, grant us the humility to seek Your face for the well being of others. Help us to reach out to them, in all seasons, with kindness in word and in deed. May our actions reflect Your character. We are, each one of us, in need of Your guidance in the use of possessions, our prosperity, our tongues and our talents. Though we are quite unworthy, we ask you to bless our efforts... In the name of your glorious Son, Jesus, we pray. Thank you so much for hiking with us through the March 2008 issue of the Hiking the Trail of Truth Newsletter. Until April then, may the grace of our Lord Jesus be upon you... Sincerely, Mark S Taylor [Home] [Hiking Maps & Trailheads] [Discovery Trail] [Bible Map] [Trail of Time] [New Birth Trail] [Mountain & Valley Trail] [Desert Trail] [Lake Trail] [High Sierra Trail] [Wilderness Trail] [A Hawk's Trail] [False Trail] [Monthly Newsletter] [Newsletter Archives] [Questions & Answers] HIKING THE TRAIL OF TRUTH Mark S. Taylor (909) 549-0068