How close are we to things we love? Cars. Boats. A house. Activities, and more. The stuff of life. Reality caught up with me in 2020. The bike I’d loved and ridden all over the West was no longer the right bike at 72. My ST1300 sport tourer was fast, comfortable, and suited me like a fitted suit. But my balance and reactions had noticeably gotten worse, and I couldn’t help but ride the bike as always, but that was unsafe now. Time to say goodbye. So the day before the buyer would bring cash and take my bike, I took it out…
Read MoreRide Relaxed
On our second Last Trip (a story for another time), Jerry and I planned to meet in Ogden on Sunday, May 19, 2024, so the day before at 7 AM I pulled out of Temecula on I-15 heading north with reservations in Richfield, Utah, about 560 miles away. An easy jaunt for my Honda CTX1300, and doable on the 76-year-old body. A brief gas stop in Barstow led to lunch in Vegas…a decent sandwich shop next to the gas station. Double dipping, I guess. A lot of deserts until I passed St. George at 400 miles, with just over two hours to go. But after Cedar City the clouds began rolling in, some white, some pretty dark. From some I could see the rain slapping the ground, then the road turned away for ten miles, and I thought…
Read MoreWhen Tenacity Pays Off
A week last fall, relaxing at a timeshare in Palm Desert. A day, Wednesday, kicking back at the pool, as I read while Sheila floated. A nap in the room completed the laziness, but we anticipated Happy Hour at our favored Trilussa. But when we found it jammed, another disappointed diner suggested nearby Enzo, so off we went. Suspiciously the parking lot had just one car, and the worker who came out if the closed café recommended O’Caines Irish Pub. A longer journey, but this third time was a charm, and we enjoyed a tasty burger and Guinness’ stout. Several pictures of John Jameson, the founder of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, the world’s best seller, graced the place and intrigued me. He’s a relative…
Read MoreHow Big is Your God?
Each bike trip seems to develop its own spiritual impact. One year my prayer and worship led to some conclusions about continuing a ministry. Another astounded me with the beauty of the northwest and Glacier National Park. Some deliver great times with long time friends and fellow followers of Jesus. But one year challenged the pattern. We rode 3800 miles in eight states, from near sea level to over 10,000 ft. What most struck me was what creation reveals about the Creator, and I still struggle to integrate it. Here’s why…
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Me? Make a Mistake? No Way!
Not too long ago, a good friend and fellow follower of Jesus, Kim Pinnell, pointed out a mistake in an Unconventional post. He did it in an email rather than hold me up to public ridicule, which I appreciated, and he copied and pasted the error in the email—no way to avoid what I rather would not face. He nailed me. I had…
Read MoreA Proffered Hand
Not long ago, a high school friend, Barbara Ocon Hulziger, posted about her start in ballroom dancing, over twenty years earlier. I asked her if I could share this, she agreed and sent a picture of her and Anthony. Here’s Barbara’s story!
“In August 2002 my friend literally dragged me to a ballroom studio for ‘just one visit.’ Totally competent and confident in my professional life, I was mortified by my clumsiness…
Read MoreA Time to Leave?
“A perfect God has chosen to use imperfect churches to bring imperfect people to the perfect God.” So, how do we handle imperfect churches? And trust me, all are imperfect. I’ve been on staff at 5 churches, one that I planted, and none of them were all I yearned for. So let’s look at two questions: when might it be time to consider leaving a church, and how should we do it?
Read MoreThe Evil in Here
Got up this Sunday AM, fried an egg, grabbed my coffee and opened up the AP news on my laptop, to find a random attack at a Detroit area splash pool. A 42 year old man randomly walked up, fired at least 28 rounds, wounding nine with one in critical condition. He calmly left for home, where police soon found him—killed by his own hand.Since 2001, terrorism and random shootings, international and domestic. seem to fill our news. We call that evil, as we should. Yet…
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