Jasper pictures

I typed out stories and lessons learned to share on my laptop, but can't get them transferred onto the public computer here in Jasper. There is no wireless or Internet connection here for computers. So pictures will have to suffice for now!

These first two photos are of Patricia Lake, which is where we are staying here in Jasper. Tyler, my son, braved the water and jumped into the lake tonight. He said, "This is warm Dad. You should do it!" I passed...

We headed up to Maligne Lake this morning. And so did everyone else... It's fourteen miles long, a truly awesome body of water.

More of Pyramid mountain, I believe...

We're heading back to the States tomorrow, Monday. It's been an awe-inspiring trip, to say the least. A time to reflect on greater things than oneself and a reminder that we live in a super huge universe with infinite sights to explore and learn from.

Jasper pictures

Here are a few more pictures taken while up in Jasper. The sun came out and heavenly glory became visible everywhere.


Above, is Patricia Lake on the edge of the property where we lodged while in Jasper. A truly peaceful, inspiring place to be.

We hiked up a long trail to view this glacier, above, on the backside of a high mountain. While bundled in our jackets to brave the cold wind, another hiker came up behind us with no shirt at all. A truly hardy soul.

Bear sightings

Friday was a bonus day for bear sightings. We happened upon this mother brown bear with her cubs. What a joy to sit only feet away in our car and watch as she shephered her cubs across the road, yet kept a watchful eye on any possible danger toward her precious ones. We kept our distance...



Another bear we happened upon during the evening hours. He, or she, not sure which, was out scavenging for food. We watched as she ate berries, overturned logs and looked here and there for whatever happened to please her.

More Banff and Jasper pictures

We headed north yesterday to Jasper. On the way, we passed mountain peak after mountain peak after mountain peak and countless lakes in between. It is so much beauty and magfnicence to take in at one time one just can't possibly absorb it all. It's awesome beyond words.

To see such glory and wonder all about, and through no power of man, is very humbling. It certainly points to a greater creative power in the universe than the paltry human mind.

God is mighty.

Banff pictures

Hey, we finally had a good weather day. The sun came out! And what a spectacular view of the Rocky mountains we were able to see.

If you've never been to Banff National Forest, this has to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth. The magnficient glory of God is apparent everywhere you look. And for miles and miles and miles up and down the Park.

Banff Park scenery

Here are some of the views we took in yesterday. Quite magnificent!

Mt. Temple

Trust God more

For all you experienced horse women and men, you’re going to laugh when I make this confession.

Yesterday was the first time I’d ever ridden a horse for any length of time. As our guide took us into the woods, and eventually on a side hill where the path sloped steeply down to Lake Louise on the left, I started to worry about the footing of my horse.

Many times, Moslin, my ride, walked on the very edge of the path which was very muddy and slick and seemed like a dangerous place to be.

My imagination went momentarily a bit wild. With one little slip, kapooey, I could see the two of us tumbling off the brink, head over heels down into the cold lake.

Now logic and reason said horses were experienced and knew about these things. I had nothing to worry about. And that fact did bring comfort. But when I looked down to the ground to see where Moslin was putting his feet, I couldn’t see a thing. His tummy was too wide and got in the way of my line of sight. Plus, horses have eyes in their head, which happen to be at the front of their body—way up front. How they could see where they placed their hind feet was becoming a significant worry for me.

I tried looking around Moslin’s bulging middle a couple of times, but it was useless. There was no way I could check on Moslin’s feet to see if he knew what he was doing. I was totally at his mercy! Hmmmm….

I decided I had to trust more.

I didn’t have to see his feet. I didn’t have to know all the what’s, whys and wherefores of how horses plodded on a tricky trail. God is All. God expresses intelligence. Therefore, everything in God’s kingdom, including His horses, expresses intelligence--including Moslin. I reasoned. This truth brought me great comfort.

Every footprint, every footstep, was guided by the all-seeing divine Mind that manifested itself through all of God’s creation. I felt reassured.

In my prayers, I saw that I needed to drop the belief that my horse could err, misstep or be ignorant of how to trek safely without slipping over the edge. Fear of accident was a false view of God’s creation, and I didn’t want to be fallible to it.

I quickly gained a greater appreciation for the seamless relationship that exists between God, horse and man. I didn’t have to know everything. God knew, and my horse reflected what God was doing for the benefit of both of us.

The all-knowing Mind planted Moslin’s every hoof firmly in a safe place on that trail, and I didn’t have a single thing to be worried about. I enjoyed the ride very much.

And I'm happy to report that we did not slip off the edge of the trail and go wildly tumbling into the lake.

Looking back, I doubt Moslin was worried one little bit.

I've heard that animals often appear to be very close to God... We can probably all learn from them.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Look up and out

My daughter loves to ride horses, so yesterday we found a corral and hired a guide to take the family on a trail ride around the Lake Louise area.


I have almost no experience riding horses, so I was quite preoccupied for a while learning how to ride a horse proper and give it the right commands.


Aside from Moslin, my gilding, wanting to eat green grass which he was strictly forbidden to do, all went well.

After 30 minutes or so, I looked up from the trail and realized there was a gorgeous lake view to take in plus a multi-layered and brilliantly colored jettison of rock bulging out of the earth on the other side of the water to admire. I had been so engrossed in riding that horse that I had become oblivious to my surroundings.

Aha! I exclaimed. How often does this happen in our travels through the highways of life? How often do we get so focused on what we’re doing that we fail to see incredible and beautiful sights whizzing by us? And they are gone without us even realizing they existed!

I pondered some of the states of mortal thought that are wrapped up in a narrow view of things and miss out on much good.

For instance, take self-absorption. A mindset absorbed with self interest doesn’t appreciate and see all the good going on in their neighbor’s life. It doesn’t matter to them. Or take gluttony. It doesn’t consider the long term implications of over consumption because it doesn’t care. It wants to consume and does so with indifference to the benefits that come from moderation, discipline, and finding contentment outside of food. Or the pursuit of money! Greed and lust race through life with laser focus on financial accumulation often to the detriment of moral and spiritual growth.

There are many other narrow limited views of existence I could enumerate that keep the human mind preoccupied and ignorant of a greater good to be seen and acknowledged.

And then there are the bigger errors of “I am mortal, I am sick, I am poor.” These constrained views of reality would really limit experience to a confined sense of things and have one spend day after day missing out on immortal blessings, health and satisfying wealth.

I decided that believing “I am mortal,” would be like me watching the mud on the trail ahead of my horse and ignoring all the beautiful flowers, forest, lake and mountains around me. A mortal mindset would ignore eternal life, permanent health and ever-present riches of Love. There is huge physical, moral and spiritual freedom that comes from acknowledging eternal life, no matter how mortal one might feel temporarily.

I committed myself to not watching the muddy trail of mortal belief so much and holding onto the greater more inspiring view of spiritual reality.

The widest view is the spiritual view. The best view is the heavenly view. The grandest view is God’s view.

For the rest of the ride, I declared, “No more getting mesmerized by the trail ahead of me. Look up and out to the glorious sights around me.” And I took the inspiration even higher to behold the glorious creation of God in divine Mind that could be discerned only with spiritual sense.

A feeling of peace took over, and the strain and stress that accompanied worry about the path underfoot faded into nothing.

The family had a fun time, even though a bit wet when finished, and I was better spiritually for the adventure.

On a trail ride beside Lake Louise

Wild animals

We've seen a lot of animals here in Banff. The area is teeming with wildlife. As we drive through thousands of acres of forest and deer appear in one place, a gray wolf crosses the road in another, and a bear meanders through the woods elsewhere, I can't help but think of all the animals in the woods that we can't see! There must be huge numbers of four-legged creatures wandering about undetected by the human eye!

God's universe is wide and varied, and it's a joy to be part of it. We all have so much to see, learn and discover to even partially glimpse what God already knows about.

Here's a couple of our sightings yesterday...

A trip to Banff

My family has planned a road trip to Banff National Park in Canada for several months. We left last Sunday after church for Sandpoint, and made our way up to the Lake Louise area on Monday.

Before we left, a friend said to me, “Oh, it must be nice to have a vacation.” I replied, “I’m not sure exactly what a vacation is, but it will be nice to spend long periods of devoted time with my wife and teenagers!”

My family is incredibly understanding of the work I do in praying for others and helping them spiritually. They give me time in the early morning and periodically throughout the day to step aside and answer calls from people in need and keep up with my practice. I know some practitioners will turn off their phone and stop answering emails for several days, or even weeks, in order to get away from their daily routine. And I can see why they do. We all need our “wilderness” time, like Jesus spent in solitude, quietly communing with God and recharging the spiritual batteries, one might say.

I find that I can recharge my spiritual batteries very fast though, generally, in a few hours if necessary. So, for me, getting away from the office is for the purpose of spending more time with my family, which is what we’re doing right now. And I seek a balance on these trips that blesses all.

I find great strength in helping others, which for me, is done most effectively through my healing practice. If I stay on top of things metaphysically, I’m much more fun to be around! And that makes for a happier vacation. So, my wife and I have worked out a mutual kind of understanding that allows me to keep my practice going, but also allows me consecrated time with her and the kids.

I like to think of my whole life as a vacation from mortal mind.

I know from experience that when I pray for someone, I stay strong and well myself. If I get self-absorbed in an activity that is only for me, I can quickly go downhill in spirit, energy, and joy. This is one reason I write these blogs. A tremendous amount of spiritual energy and strength comes to me when I share inspiration with others. It’s an amazing thing to experience. I’m sure many of you can attest to the same.

A self-absorbed life is like a death-spiral into a dark pit. A spiritually outward and expressive life is a path upward that brings heavenly and lasting joy.

So, we’re having a grand time up here in Banff this week. My practice goes on, but the family is growing stronger than ever as we travel together, hike together, talk together, pray together, plan together and stay together. God is good, and there’s plenty of that goodness to go around for everyone.

Here's a couple of pictures...

Looking down on Banff and nearby scenery

Evan and Kathy at Lake Louise