Perfectly Imperfect!

Many Bible passages trouble me. They push my limits; they invade my comfort zone; they require following Jesus as more commitment than I sometimes want to give. The worst, for me, came with Jesus’ statement, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We tend to define perfect as flawless or exact. Dang, that doesn’t sound like me at all. Humorously, the older I get the better I get at spotting my flaws. And we can’t quibble—the perfect used for the Father is the same grammatically as our target.

In the original language, the word includes being…

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Be a Hammer

An editor once asked about my writing goals, and I answered we write for either therapy or impact, and I focus on impact. Yes, they overlap, and my writing changes me, but impact dominates. Ironically within days, a quote by St. Dominic came up on Facebook, “A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer…”

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Purposes Fulfilled

John Southwood and I led 6 people on a month-long mission trip to Penasco, a small town close to Taos. Two of us rode bikes, four rode in the van. The many abandoned old homes along the Arizona roadside grabbed my attention. Made of stone or blocks or wood. Many with missing roofs, all deserted. People built them, lived in them, worked to scrape out a life in the blazing desert, only to leave them. So why did they take off?

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Love is a Feeling--Really?

“Love is a feeling you feel when you feel you’ve never felt that feeling before.” I first heard that from marriage counselor and author, Norm Wright. And while slightly over the top, it does reflect our society, doesn’t it? We go by feelings, by our gut. That’s why the pic above means so much. The morning in Idaho started off pretty chilly, and we geared up for cold weather, including insulated pants. Insulated pants that you can only remove with great difficulty and flexibility, particularly if you keep your boots on. But…

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It Ain't Over Till...

The biblical word for patience literally means long-suffering. Guess that accurately describes my life as fan of the Los Angeles/Anaheim/California/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I’ve lived and died with them. This tease climaxed on May 18, showing both greatness and ineptitude. Their game with the Athletics (not sure where they call home now) followed a six-game losing streak in all. They earned the worst won/loss record in all of major league baseball. Yes, I cry.

A’s pitcher J.T. Ginn allowed no hits the first 8 innings. Said his manager…

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Latched Up

A few years ago, I fired up my Mustang convertible and headed up the CA coast on Hwy 1, the classic route through Big Sur, to teach at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and hang with some witty writers. Truly, one of the most jaw dropping roads I’ve been on, John and I had the top down with jackets on to fully experience the clean and salty ocean air and to best see the hills and mountains and redwoods and ocean cliffs.

An awesome road, but my amazement came from seeing about two dozen Mustang convertibles. A rental agency in Carmel, I guess. And no better way to enjoy that stretch than a convertible—unless…

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Walk Wisely

Among the FB groups I follow, one ranks in the top 5, “I Love the Sierra.” A recent post there took my mind back to 2014, when my grandson Josh and I took off to climb Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, reaching 14,505 ft., almost 3 miles above sea level. I walked the bleacher steps at my school’s stadium to get in better shape, and we even spent a night before at a campground at 8,500 ft. to acclimate. When leaving Whitney Portal, the ascent began with a nice, fairly moderate wooded trail. In my ignorance, I assumed the rest of the trail would be as easy. Silly me.

But…

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