Near the end of my frosh year in college, I wrecked my dad’s car. A cherry 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL, with a 352 cubic inch, high compression V8. A friend had just been married, and we all decided to follow the new couple to their honeymoon location. The others, especially in my car, wanted us to be right behind, so I peeled out of the church’s parking lot, and even edged out a friend’s Corvette. But that 500 was a heavy beast, and when
Read MoreWhen - = +
In confessing, not bragging, I’m pretty good at rationalizing what I do. I enjoy some of the more simple computer games: Solitaire, Minesweeper, Sudoku. They give my mind a break or are easy to do when I’m tired…OK, you see what I mean. But a recent Solitaire game gave me a spiritual lesson that might benefit you (see, another rationalization!). The game seemed at an end with no moves left. But…
Read MoreSex, Lies, and Thieves
I hesitated to share this poem, for it reveals the shallowness of my early experiences with God. I condensed God’s rules to a few I could keep. Mostly. Maybe you do the same. Maybe, like me, you might consider getting deeper with Him.
Read MoreAn Era Has Ended
Every so often, just for fun, I look back at old posts to see if I still agree with them. Sometimes, they have become even more relevant, as did one of the first “Unconventional” posts from 2014. So, let’s revisit the topic but with a new material, examining how America has become a post-Christian nation, and what it might mean. America was founded with the concept of religious liberty for all, and with…
Read MoreUnnoticed Nudges
Ruth. Quite a lady! Only one other biblical book is named after a woman. David, the pre-eminent King of Israel, was her great grandson (Ruth 4:13-22). Several more generations later, another of her descendants was this well-known character we call Jesus (Matthew 1:1,5). She played a key role in our redemption history, and her life gives us a lesson on how God nudges events in our lives for a good goal. But she began…
Read MoreBalancing Risks
Life. No one gets out alive—at least on the physical level. And we can choose a life of safety and little change like the moon, or go out early in a meteor’s blaze of glory. But most of us live in between, so how do we maximize the time we have in a manner that makes God smile? Let’s explore that.
Read MoreNo Masks!
For over a year now, we’ve battled COVID, with a variety of strategies. One of the more controversial one deals with wearing masks, should we or shouldn’t we? If we’ve been fully vaccinated or not? Yeah, it’s partisan and often judgmental. But perhaps we can use COVID masking, which many of us disagree on, as a metaphor for a deeper spiritual truth. One I suspect we may also disagree on. However, this one…
Read MoreGear Up!
My body regularly tells me I’ve played a lot of football. Pickup tackle games in HS and college and later, wearing just T shirts and shorts. Intramural in college, even in a competitive flag league into my mid-50s. But the pic above depicts a different way to play football. In my mid-40s, Temecula had the Over the Hill Pigskin Shoot Out, where guys over 30 strapped on pads and played for charity. The pic above was the first game—and the first time I ever put on pads to play tackle. In that first game I played tight end, and while going out on a pass route I got…
Read More