Journey to the High Places: Altars

By Ginger O'Brien

While I was reading the book Hinds' Feet on High Places with a friend, God spoke to me. He showed me as Christians we don't build altars to remind us of his work in our lives. In the book, the main character, Much Afraid, decides to follow the Shepherd to the Kingdom of Love. On her journey she has to continually lay down her will to accept the path the Shepherd has chosen for her. Every time she lays down her will, she builds an altar. She picks up a stone to remind her of the lesson she learned.

When was the last time you built an altar to remember a special moment when God spoke very clearly to you or worked in your life? If you are like me, your answer is probably "Not recently" or "Never." If you want to grow closer to God by revisiting your past and reflecting on all God has done for you, this book is for you! If you are facing difficult trials to your faith, this book is for you! If you desire to be a blessing to your children, grandchildren, or friends, this book is for you! We are embarking on a very special journey together. My prayer is that through my journey you will begin to see more clearly how God has been working in your life. I pray you will be inspired to create your own unique visuals to remind you of what a mighty God we serve. Also, you will be able to share your visuals with family and others to encourage them to follow God too.

gingerobrienauthor.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685266202

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Appendix

About the Author

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Journey to the High Places

Altars

Ginger O'Brien

ISBN 978-1-68526-619-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68526-620-2 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Ginger O’Brien

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

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Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Dedication

Iwant to thank the love of my life, Curtis, for all his help, support, and encouragement over the past 40 years of marriage.

I want to thank Sue Cannon for reading Hinds' Feet on High Places, which God used to give me the inspiration for this journey.

I want to thank Lisa Horner for her encouragement and help editing the manuscript before it was submitted.

I want to thank God for His amazing love and grace. I'm grateful to be His child and servant. This book is our story!

Introduction

When was the last time you built an altar to remember a special moment when God clearly spoke to you, or worked in your life? If you are like me, your answer is probably Not recently or Never. If you want to grow closer to God by revisiting your past and reflecting on all God has done for you, this book is for you! If you are facing difficult trials to your faith, this book is for you! If you desire to be a blessing to your children, grandchildren, or friends, this book is for you! We are embarking on a very special journey together. My prayer is that through my journey you will begin to see more clearly how God has been working in your life. You will be encouraged and have the opportunity to bless others.

In the Old Testament, altars were built in response to a person experiencing God's presence in a unique encounter. Noah built an altar after leaving the ark after the flood (Gen. 8:20). Abram built an altar after the Lord appeared to him (Gen. 22:9). Isaac built an altar after God appeared to him (Gen. 26:25). These are only a few of the altars built.

Why build an altar? Altars served as a reminder of the activity of God in their lives individually as well as for the nation. These altars became a significant opportunity to share with their children and grandchildren the stories of God's faithfulness and his almighty power.

While I was meeting with a friend to discuss a chapter from the book Hinds' Feet on High Places, I realized as Christians we don't build altars to remind us of how God has worked in our lives. In the book, Much Afraid, the main character, decides to follow the Shepherd to the Kingdom of Love. On her journey she has to continually lay down her will to accept the path the Shepherd has chosen for her. Every time she lays down her will, she builds an altar. She picks up a stone to remind her of the lessons she has learned.

Almost twenty-five years ago, I remember going to a retreat and picking up a blue disk and a rock that had great significance at the time, but over the years I forgot why I even had them. God spoke to my heart and showed me we still need altars. This book is a result of God's challenge to me. I will share different segments of my life and some of the lessons or moments I encountered God in a special way. At the end of each chapter, I ask questions to get you to reflect on your life and your journey. Try to at least find one question that strikes a chord with you.

I also realize you may be thinking that altars in the Old Testament were usually a pile of rocks. How does this translate past a yard of rocks? When I refer to an altar, I am talking about creating a visual, or more than one visual to capture these special moments. I decided to use cookie cutters attached to a wreath as a visual to capture some of these special moments when I knew God had spoken to me. I also attached Bible verses or something that would spur my memory of why the different cookie cutters were placed on the wreath. Another idea is to use a family tree paper by writing in important verses and events (For examples of a tree map go to gingerobrienauthor.com). I will provide some ideas and where I purchased my supplies in the appendix at the end of the book. I want to stress the importance of what you create being hung up or placed where you can see them and others can see them and inquire.

As I have pondered this, God has given me three reasons to consider as I embark on this journey.

First, I don't know about you, but I seem to forget more than I remember how God has worked in my life. To make matters a bit more challenging, I received drugs for cancer that robbed me of many memories. Since I started working on my story, God has graciously brought back what he intended for me to share. My challenge is how to turn these stories or lessons into a visual I can see every day so I don't forget.

Second, when we remember all God has done for us and his faithfulness in the past, we are encouraged to have faith to meet the new challenges. He will get us through whatever comes our way.

Third, our visual becomes a tool to strike up a conversation with our children, grandchildren, and friends. It becomes the opportunity to encourage them to follow God because he is living and active in our lives. You could begin a family wreath and use your own symbols to show how God is working in your family. Kids can start their own wreath and use symbols to celebrate important moments. Your imagination is the limit.

Initially, the first three reasons for writing this book were very clear. But, as I have labored over these chapters for a year of my life, a fourth reason has become obvious. If you are wise enough to learn from my experiences and mistakes, you will be way ahead of me.

I pray you will go back to reflect on when you received Christ into your life. If you are unsure of your relationship with Christ, 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. Ask God to reveal himself to you, and he will.

In Jeremiah 33:3, God was talking to Jeremiah. He said, Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. This promise is still for us today. As I share my journey with you, I pray God will bring back to your mind and heart your defining moments. Then, you will decide what kind of tools will enable you to make a visual of moments you desire to share. These should remind you and your family of what a mighty God we serve. A word of caution: Memories can bring back tears of joy and pain. Don't quit because of the painful tears. Ask Jesus to show you the good only he can bring from these trials. A couple of years ago, a friend had me listen to Laura Story's song Blessings. As I wrote this manuscript, some days I shed tears, but I'm glad I didn't quit. This song helped me realize how trials can be God's mercies in disguise. God has shown me how he has guided me in ways I never realized.

By the way, until you are dead, this will be a work in progress. So leave room to add to the