When we moved back to our Temecula house that had been rented out for six years, we discovered that neglect had left much of it overgrown or dead. One of the many tasks: remove the back lawn and replace it with a brick pavers to create a backyard oasis with a waterfall and firepit. Then, semi-miraculously for SoCal in June, over 1" of rain fell over one weekend, which softened the turf enough to remove easily. Well, easier than if it were hard and dry, typical for SoCal summers. So I eagerly started in with a shovel and old muscles and fairly quickly excavated 3/4 of the 600 sq.ft., only to realize…
Read MoreSeek the Light
Last May, while I was away on a bike trip, my wife and her sister did play. Spell that shopping, and they each bought a small succulent plant, Northern Lights, or sempervivum for any xerophile enthusiasts out there (the rest will have to look it up, like I did). It loves light, so Sheila placed it behind our kitchen sink, with windows on both sides. Soon came her concern, “Something is wrong with this plant, it’s not growing right. Small “chicks” had grown out from the center “hen,” but only on one side. The poor plant lost its balance. Fortunately…
Read MoreJeremiah Johnson
I get tired physically, although I feel fine until I do “too much,” which is much less too much than a year ago. I get tired emotionally from disappointments and the wounds of life. I get tired of not growing in my closeness to God in the same areas. But the film Jeremiah Johnson touched me. Johnson arrived in the trapping era knowing little, but was mentored by an experienced trapper. They met again at the end with a conversation that gave me some tips. Just below, the first two and last two lines are…
Read MoreAspen Lessons
On a hillside in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah sits Pando, a massive, single aspen tree that spreads its roots and grows, covering over 100 acres, typical for aspen trees (Populus Tremuloides), which primarily propagate not by dropping seeds, but by spreading out their root structures to send new saplings skyward. Allow me to suggest that this grove gives a delightful lesson for all of who follow Jesus. Here’s how…
Read MoreReaching Unbelievers
Call this a coincidence, call it a divine hint. Frankly, I’m not sure which, although I lean to the latter. But this topic arose twice in one day, both hitting me hard, and the repetition seemed to multiply the impact. At our North Coast Men’s Conference last Saturday, Rickie Jenkins, pastor of Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, spoke on “The Missing Fruit,” referring to two facets of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 that we often ignore. We focus on love and joy, but our energy seems to run out by the time we get to kindness and gentleness. They’re important because they…
Read MoreLife...Relentless and Valuable
When moving back to our home we had rented out, we discovered some huge pampas grass clumps. Three days ago before this pi, the small tan clump in the foreground looked like the abundant and green tower of pampas grass in the background. Then two days later, it got shaved to a significantly smaller “stump.” But by the next day, it had begun to grow again. Look carefully, six inch pale green shoots demonstrate the relentlessness of life. I hope the generous application of Round Up will kill the roots, but several doses might be required. Why? Life persistently…
Read MoreWorshipping Worship: The Ultimate Adultery
A while back, a Facebook friend and fellow writer, Steve Hutson, posted an article that critiqued much of modern worship. Some valid points, some not. The resulting discussion motivated me to further explore worship. If we are to follow Jesus, what we worship and how we worship will drive the depth of our faith. At its core, worship celebrates the reality that…
Read MoreFollowers Hate Family: Challenge 5
God designed the family as a linchpin of his creation. Adam came first, but didn’t care for the loneliness so God brought Eve to the
dance, so the two could become one. Then he helped Eve conceive a child. Yeah, check out Genesis 4:1. 😉 And in his guidelines for people that we call the Big Ten, honoring your parents took the middle ground, the only one with a promise: of long life. And when some religious leaders tried to avoid honoring their parents, Jesus proclaimed they abandoned the word of God. Families count, so in another challenge to deepen our faith, why did Jesus tell us to hate them?
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