The face and name of a one-time date in my single days has faded, but a line she used seared itself into my memory. I mentioned that I wanted to do something, but wasn’t able to. She responded, “My big brother says we all do what we want.” I’ve pondered that, and concluded…
Read MoreJesus Revolution
Viewing the new movie “The Jesus Revolution” refreshed many memories. I returned to God then, attended the Calvary Chapel Saturday nights in the tent, passed out Jesus flyers at the 1971 Rose Parade, even led a Christian coffee house at my church. But more deeply, the Jesus freaks speak to us today. First, in both eras, Jesus intrigued people, but…
Read MorePeople Care for People
Yes, social media can often come across as unsocial, or even anti, but it enables us to establish new relationships and rekindle some from earlier days. Facebook taught me a great spiritual lesson not long ago. Two good friends faced serious health issues at the same time, one with COVID, the other with cancer, and I asked if I could share their need on Facebook. The former agreed and wanted to stay anonymous, with good reason; John Prothero, the latter, allowed the use of his name and picture. At least ten times as many responded with an emoticon or comment for…
Read MoreWhy Worship Together?
Some lies have more truth than falsehood, which merely increases their danger. Such as, “I love God, but I can worship him just as well at the beach or the mountains.” I tend to agree, mountain trips often provide some of my best worship. Immersed in the transcendent beauty of God’s creation, away from the overpowering touch of man, my ego shrinks as I get lost in God. But if the truth in that quote becomes an excuse for not being in gathered weekly worship, then it becomes a dangerous lie. We eliminate part of what God designed worship to be. We decrease our godliness. Our preferences have more value…
Read MoreRoads Less Traveled
Those who follow my trips realize part of me loves to go fast, to cover a lot of miles in a day. That desire highlighted by an Iron Butt Ride, 1,080 miles in 16.3 hours, at 70 years. A trip like that maximizes the vastness and variety of the landscape in a short time. And yes, it’s a metaphor of destination, of accomplishment. But another part of me is…
Read MoreChoosing Our Response
Our world seems to be growing in harshness. Language has become more coarse and abusive, just look at much of social media. Road rage is frequently on the local news, and mass shootings have increased from 269 in 2014 to 647 in 2022 (four or more shot or killed, https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/). My mantra in earlier years was “don’t get mad, just get even.” I suspect many others share that. When wounded, we strike back: verbally or physically or economically or socially. Our search for “justice” merely increases bad behavior. And yes, that has
Read MoreTotal
A pastor friend embarked on preaching through the entire book of Matthew. Usually, he handles a chapter at a time, hinting at over half a year just on this one admittedly fine book of 28 chapters. But one day he examined only six verses of chapter six, covering just one topic in the Sermon on the Mount, composed of chapters five through seven. I hopped on a rabbit trail, wondering…
Read MoreLike...
I like metaphors, a comparison that helps us understand something we may not yet fully know with something we already know something about. And although I’ve followed God for 52 years, many aspects of him remain hazy, uncertain, even unknowable. But what’s around us can give us some hints, like…
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