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 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 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 MoreIn Need of Repair?
Not long after we moved to Temecula in 1988, the neighbor above us installed a cedar fence at the top of our slope on the property line. A pretty nice job too! As it aged over the years, we did some minor repairs—putting in supports for some posts, laying new 2X4s above some broken rails, and replacing some pickets. But about a year ago I realized it needed more major repairs. Three of the seven posts had rotted out, more rails needed replacing, and 40 of the 120 pickets had to be replaced. A fairly normal job, until…
Read MoreSuckers
Word on the streets around the cafes and sporting goods stores of Bishop was that big trout were biting on the Owens River near Big Pine. So for one day Dad and I abandoned our beloved streams for the slow-moving Owens, in our never-ending search for more and bigger trout…and newer waters. We followed the landmarks and walked along the eastern bank to a promising bend with the river about five feet below us, and threw our lines in. Not too many casts and I tied into a big one, likely bigger than anything I’d seen Dad catch. I nursed the hog closer, fearing he could flop free in raising him with the limber fly rod. Gently yet swiftly I landed him on the bank—the…
Read MoreBack to Worship
About 2 months ago, our church re-opened with outside worship. That first week in the tent brought me to tears as we sang “All my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so, so good” with 100s of fellow followers and our family taking up an entire row. This is what we were made for: gathering to praise God with one another. Two weeks ago we moved inside, and…
Read MoreBad News
Bad news has abounded of late, hasn’t it? COVID: with over one-half million deaths. Political division: where Christians question the faith of fellow followers who disagree on political issues. An armed mob at the Capitol. Immigrant families being separated at the border, still. Persecution for people of faith: with Christians and adherents of other faiths being imprisoned or killed for their beliefs worldwide. A culture that has abandoned a common morality. Hope for a better future seems pretty dim. So how do we respond? Some…
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