We purchased our three year old Temecula house back in ’88, with a pathetic patio cover put in the back yard by the previous owner. A landscape guy, not a builder. Oh, it looked nice, but the 4x4 posts soon rotted from being in contact with the dirt, and the header and rafters were much too flimsy and far apart to support anything. Insert “hammock” here. So when we replaced it we had a contractor build a covered patio, to code, and I watched how he did it. Our next step—put in a lattice patio cover and pavers for the ground level in the front for evening sunsets. So I checked out ...
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by Van Gogh
A Holy Consumption
This shouldn’t happen at 68, but the fresh result of combining existing concepts still amazes me. One word from this week’s sermon and taking the Lord’s Supper combined with my mind’s semi-misuse of a word to amaze me. Here’s what happened. Our pastor used the word “holy,” fairly briefly, that we all should be set apart for God. My mind then transposed that word “holy” into a completely different word, “whole,” which is the meaning of the word “salvation.” Soon after ...
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Feasting
My dad ate to live. I lean in the opposite direction—I live to eat. So much, I wonder if it’s not my greatest spiritual gift. Logic can support that—I allow those with the gift of hospitality to exercise that gift! My gift, or curse, makes it hard to resist the buffets at our two local casinos (the one above is the best-- the Pala buffet). For just $23.24, you encounter over 200 choices to entice you to commit gluttony. And I do! Shrimp, New York steak, mussels, crab legs, custom omelets, prime rib—if I went on the saliva dripping down my chin would short out my keyboard. To avoid the recurring sin of gluttony, I limit myself to once a year. About time for a return. But a recent message by our pastor...
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Appearances Deceive
Looking down from 50 feet away, the above hole at McGee Creek looked promising. Deep enough for a nice sized trout, with enough movement of water to bring plenty of food to hungry fish. I carefully worked my way down through the scrub brush and rocks and loose dirt, but at 10 feet away, the hole lost its great appearance. Up close, the shallow water moved too fast and held little promise. Appearances deceive. But ...
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Who Is This Jesus?
This last Sunday, we celebrated a baby’s birth. We love the baby, who has a touching story. That’s Christmas, and it’s true. We also love that first aspect of his nature—grace. Forgiveness, healing, restoration, and hope that our pasts won’t be held against us. That also is true. Yet we sometimes struggle with another truth...
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Rock Stack by Juan Cisneros
When Rocks Talk
Signs of Christmas abound. “Silent Night” to “Jingle Bell Rock.” Manger scenes to those of Santa at the North Pole with his elves. But the pic above, which I put up earlier last week on its own, takes me to a deeper level on getting into the “Christmas spirit,” a level beyond our typical cultural Christmas. And may I suggest that the spiritual signs dominate the cultural ones. The pic of stacked rocks prompted ...
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Lessons from Vietnam
The jet above, actually one like it, would have been my bird. Back in college, I signed up for the Navy ROTC, to fly as the backseat RIO in an F-4. They approved my app, sent the paperwork to DC for final signatures, and somehow lost it. By the time they discovered their mistake and asked me to resubmit, life changed and I declined. But I toured the Palm Springs Air Museum last week, and seeing this jet resurrected some memories, along with a lesson for the church in a now secular society
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Awaiting the Seasons
Ever look back on the “good old days?” Were yours as good as you remember, or has time improved them? Or were your good old days something you impatiently awaited, and they came so slowly? Sometimes the best seasons of our lives still lie before us, but how can we tell?
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