Well-meaning friends and family warned me of the pain and difficulties that follow a total knee replacement, and I took them to heart. Desiring to regain a functional knee, I committed to doing the physical therapy, to keep ahead of the pain with drugs, and to not push too much. Two hours after surgery, they had me strolling to the bathroom with a walker for support and balance. I would continue to rely on that walker. Until I didn’t. Just four to five days after my April 1 surgery, I pushed the walker ahead of me from my living room recliner to the kitchen sink, grabbed a travel cup to get water to hydrate, then moved to the spigot at the refrigerator.
Then, to my total and unplanned surprise, I noticed…
Read MoreThis week, the cross outside our church fell. Not because of a storm, not because someone hit it—but because the wood at the foundation had slowly rotted away. On the surface, it still looked like a strong symbol of faith. But underneath, it was decaying—and eventually, that hidden weakness brought it down.
That’s a picture of cultural Christianity. It can look like faith on the outside…
Read MoreWhen we moved back to our hometown of Temecula some years back, we enjoyed savoring the flavors of local churches. Some pretty large, some pretty small, some in the middle, but the message at Oakstone Community Church caused me to think. Quite a bit. The text began with 2 Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God…” but then the pastor pointed out the difference from Paul’s first letter to Timothy, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God…”
A change of just one word, but…
Read MoreHistorians delight in their mantra, “The only absolute is change.” Ya gotta admit, change has become omnipresent, and fast. Ever think about analyzing if progress is progress? Let’s do that.
Read MoreUpon deciding on a total knee replacement, the amount of details to prepare for it astounded me: exercises, medications, getting a driver for two 45 mile trips to the Kaiser hospital in Riverside and other appointments and activities—no driving while taking oxycodone. And the horror stories arrived—incredible, unimaginable pain for months.
So I began strategizing, and got it organized. Even the rehab equipment. I planned the yard work that needed to be done before the surgery, including mowing our lawn the day before they chiseled my knee out. Then spring arrived, and I soon realized…
Read MoreMy Lambo drive changed me, increasing my love of speed, and I couldn’t help but wonder: if I had tried this when younger, could I have made it in sports car racing? I passed a younger guy in a more powerful car on the track. My dad held the Cannonball Run championship. Yeah, the train had left the station, 71 was to old to end retirement. But 50 years earlier…Ever wonder the same?
Read MorePain from a broken leg keeps us from doing more damage to the injury. So we hobble to ER, wait for hours, and then get it casted, which enables healing. We don’t all break our legs, but we do sin. Perhaps, just wondering, but does guilt serve a similar role spiritually for those times? Can it pain that leads to spiritual healing?…
Read MoreFor about four years, one night each week I’d head east from Oxnard to Newbury Park on Potrero Road, the old Conejo Grade, much was steep and winding with fine curves…ideal for my Mustang ragtop. Returning uphill at 10 PM, Potrero had no traffic at all, and I could let the Mustang be the sports car Ford designed. When approaching a curve, I let off the gas to decrease my speed…braking while turning doesn’t give you optimal control. No one ever caught or passed me on that road, and I felt pretty confident about my cornering, until…
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