Most of us enjoy serenity. Yeah, I love the adrenaline rush of hitting 112 in a Lamborghini Gallardo 550 just before a 170-degree turn, or riding 1,080 miles in one day on the bike, but I also need the times to relax, to just sit, to enjoy God’s creation. Today was an example—after awesome worship and a great Mexican lunch, we headed to our winery to chill. This pic shows my wineglass and the view. Serenity. I also love Facebook…
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Strange Goals
Early on a cold and rainy morning, Rich and I rode our bikes from Stewart, British Columbia over the bridge into the thriving metropolis of Hyder, Alaska. Population 87 in 2010. An American city who uses Canadian money and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for law enforcement. “Alaska’s Friendliest Ghost Town,” as locals call it. But then, we saw no locals. One nice feature: travelers need no passports to go from Canada to Alaska…only to return…
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image from Harry How, Getty Images
Kobe Lessons
Laker fans first became aware of him when the team traded All Star center Vlade Divac for the right to draft this high school kid as the 13th pick in 1996. I must admit, as much as I admired his basketball skills and drive to excel, his brashness and perceived arrogance put me off. But…
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A Revealing Life
What is Unconventional all about? It’s purpose? To see God in the details of life. To let our faith touch each dimension. Here’s some wise advice from a friend on how to do that.
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image from flexjobs
Juggling Life
A year after Dad retired, he semi-jokingly said he couldn’t understand how he used to do all his daily duties in addition to a full-time job. I didn’t get it then. Now in retirement myself, I finally do. Life tumbles in. We all juggle so many demands that we get stressed, we get short-tempered, we get rushed. I still have to craft a weekly schedule of needed tasks that go beyond daily duties. This week features 22 tasks and 9 major appointments. This is retirement? 😉
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image from mirror.co.uk
An Unholy Comfort
I’m a strange cocktail of belief and unbelief. Of stunning spiritual successes and just as stunning descents and stretches of unholy comfort. From decades of ministry and hundreds of conversations, I suspect the father and I…
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image from Kevin Wing
Friendly Fire
Rich began riding bikes a few years before me, on a Honda 350. I soon bought a similar one, then Rich moved up to a larger ride, the Harley Super Glide. Yeah, a few decades back. We’d rag on each other’s bikes—Rich defending Harleys, me defending Hondas. Once his wife thought we were ready to break out the fists, but it was a friendly rivalry. Much like the comparison in the pic above of a Harley and a Honda. So when he T-boned me in Blythe, CA, it was accidental, right? We’d…
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Painting by Leilani Strong Smith
Desert Oasis
The bad news arrived in Grants NM, nighttime. Appropriate. In the midst of a two-week bike trip with friends, Jerry and I received word that key family friends and church members had passed. Totally separate events and people, but we each had to abort the ride. The next AM we left Mick and Tom behind and headed the over 700 miles to SoCal across the desert, with temps nearing 118. Beaten by the heat, we stopped for gas in Needles, after 455 miles, with 270 left. I remember …
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