Mundane. Among the worse choices of how we live. To follow all the expectations of others, when our nature doesn’t match that. To live such a safe life we rarely risk, we rarely let our adrenal glands work. Maybe we can learn to soar from the eagles…
Read MoreChristmas Freedom
Distractions come easy for me, especially this time of year. The joy of picking and giving gifts. The beauty of houses extravagantly lit. The comfort of getting with family so often scattered in needed pursuit of separate lives. Congenial gatherings with friends and coworkers. All so focused on the fun of Christmas that I, at least, sometimes miss deeper truths. Not about the birth of Jesus, the wise men, the shepherds, and all. They get ample attention. But this year, another Christmas thought captivates me…
Read MoreGates and Fences
A very good friend, Jeff Boyer, put up something on Facebook (never tell me it’s ALL garbage), and our interaction resulted in me asking him to do the post this week. Yes, he’s a real cowboy, not just a cowboy poet, an archeologist, and a very perceptive thinker. I think you’ll all be blessed! Oh yeah, we met in Taos. 😉
The boys are trailin’ the boss’s cows
from winter pastures to summer meadows ‘n’ grass,
talkin’ `bout nothin’ `cross the sage flats
on a thin trail toward the old Spanish Pass….
Read MoreExulting in Guilt
I don’t get sin. Oh, I do it. And I like the classic definition of missing the mark. Not hitting the center of the target may not please God, but it doesn’t end the world. So why does God view sin as so…well, sinful? Worthy of death? Separation? He’s always required a life for us to gain forgiveness, either the earlier annual animal sacrifice, or that of his Son, Jesus. He doesn’t…
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Rock Creek Campsite
Father's Day
Guess it’s not too late to keep celebrating Father’s Day. About two weeks earlier, COVID-19 forced us to scrub a timeshare trip to Phoenix that would have begun on Father’s Day, and since the week was blocked out already, I decided to take a restorative trip to Rock Creek in the Sierras, my favorite trout stream. Driving up on Highway 395, I decided to dedicate the trip to Dad. Here’s why…
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image from beerboard.tv.jpg
Home Brew
I realize some of my socially conservative readers may not fully agree with the topic of this post, but I encourage you to read on. Beer brewing provides a metaphor for how spiritual formation, or following Jesus, gets sidetracked so easily, often without our knowledge. Enjoy the message even as you avoid the brew. For those who make home brew, you’ll quickly get the point! For those who imbibe but don’t brew, you’ll like it too!
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image from museyci.io
Jump into the Flames
God and I have an unusual approach/avoidance issue. I love him and am drawn to him, yet simultaneously draw back. I see the threat he represents to my complacency and self will, and resist those changes. Ironically, unless I resolve that paradox, I’ll be torn, stuck in the middle, and will never receive the best he offers. Worst of all, I know that. Deeply…
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Picture of NYC by Arcaid Images
A Humbling Trip
When surrounded by works of mankind, we can easily impress ourselves—with ourselves. Last fall Sheila and I make an east coast trek, and the skyscrapers of New York City astounded me. Towering buildings based on solid bedrock. Every square inch seeming used. Honestly, I felt pretty proud to be part of the human race that could craft such a place. But pride…
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