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Photo by Josh Garcia
Big Pine Creek in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada certainly ranks among the prettiest streams I’ve ever fished--shaded by big pines (duh!) with large pools and abundant trout. I came around a bend, and found one of those signature holes.
A five-foot waterfall dropped into a green pool, a good eight feet deep. Shallow and slow water along the banks framed a strong current that went deep and swift through the center. Just where big trout feed.
I threw in ...
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image by Brothers of the Book
In the quiet before official worship began today, I intentionally opened my Bible to Psalms, randomly to 86. As a poet (no poems today, sorry!) I appreciated the variety of structures that enhanced the meaning. But verse 8 touched my soul on two requirements of growing in Christ. Both flow from how I see our typical and fallen human nature. Guess that makes sense, since God made us and best knows how we operate.
The first prayer by David to God is ...
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Image by waysideweb.org
One of my closest lifetime friendships was forged in high school and college. Ken and I then both followed Jesus, both left, only I returned. Now living in Paris, Ken has trekked the world. His innate curiosity and hunger for knowledge has led him to many worship events, in many faiths. During one of our conversations on his yearly trip back to the states, he offered, “Worship is funny. I visit my parents’ evangelical Christian worship, or that of my Muslim friends, and they all look the same.”
I’ve pondered that a lot, and believe Ken both saw something significant, an outer similarity, but missed on ...
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From Ted's Sports Center
A good friend and fellow teacher who struggles with anemia posted this on Facebook over the weekend, “Why am I so exhausted after only teaching two days? Oh boy.” 2 down, MANY to go, and tiredness has already hit. I understand; I teach also. But a more pervasive issue comes from the spiritual anemia that so infects American Christianity. We lack energy and motivation for the things of God. We care, but not deeply. We serve, but not joyfully. We give, but not sacrificially.
The antidote may be found in a fishing story, and not a tall tail. The above photo may be...
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Photo by Stephen Bay
In light of how relatively small events coupled with overconfidence can run us off the road, leading at least to embarrassment, I offer the following true confession. Just last June, our Gray Hogs group pulled into Las Vegas with the temp at 109 (this part of the story can be found in “450 Miles of Misery” from June 23 2014), needing food and gas. In & Out cared for the former, Chevron the latter.
Our next stop, Cedar City, lay 180 miles north, then another 130 would take us to Richfield UT to meet the rest of our group. With my ST1300’s tank holding 7.7 gallons and easily averaging 45 mpg, I felt confident I could go 350 miles, and we just had 310. So I passed on gassing up in Cedar...
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Photo by Houghs-The Tour
That day riding along the Oregon combined breath-taking scenery with bone-chilling cold. We’d headed west from Salem to the coast at Pacific City, then we turned north to Tillamook where we had lunch and sampled their world famous cheeses. Well, famous anyplace west of Wisconsin anyway. The beauty of one stretch forced me to shout for joy, with ocean flats on our left as trees formed a canopy over our two lane road. Clouds blocked the sun enough to give a gauzy sense of beauty, but with enough light to see it well.
In all the years of the Gray Hog touring, this road neared the top of the list. But when we turned south, the sun took a nap as the fog rolled in and the world turned gloomy and damp and cold...
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Josh, a few years after the story, on Rock Creek
Something unexpected happened when I first held my grandson, Joshua. He adjusted himself into my chest and his hug reached right into my heart. I’ve never been the same since we connected like that. I suppose it’s only natural he seemed to love fishing.
I started him out fishing with an empty line on a Colorado pond. He doesn’t remember it, but he had to fish “like grandpa.”
Later...
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Michaelangelo
Last week we explored how we need to intentionally evaluate each decision on the basis of being a follower of Jesus. Today, let’s flip the coin, courtesy of an experience with a good friend from years back, Wayne Ragland.
Wayne and I yearned to be the next photo/journalist stellar pair, and headed to Yosemite for material. He’d take the pics; I’d write the copy. You’ve heard of us, right? Yeah, thought so. On the long ride up, Wayne mentioned he saw every scene for its potential picture value. I thought that diminished one’s appreciation of creation’s beauty, so we chewed on it a bit. He didn’t convince me, until I started writing in earnest, decades later.
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