Before every bike trip, I pop on Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild.” Loud. “Get your motor runnin’, head out on the highway, looking for adventure…” My soul needs adventure, to test myself, to move beyond fears. Riding comes with risks, but few choices match the selfishness of adventure seeking. As we grow closer to Jesus, we face that tension—how can we feed our souls and touch other’s lives for the kingdom?…
Read MoreTell God
I’ve developed a habit, likely inspired by the morning prayer of Amarante in “The Milagro Beanfield War,” of sleepily staggering into the kitchen, fixing my coffee and egg, then heading into the study for the news, then breathing, “Thank you God, for another day,” That focuses my attention on God right away. Then a Facebook post changed things up. Quite a bit. It’s the one here.
Gosh, I felt good doing just the one, now someone wants me to septuple that? But it struck me:…
Read MorePerpetual Tinkering
A backyard waterfall had been a feature of our house in Newbury Park, and decided to build another on our return to Temecula. We had an idea of what we wanted, then a friend donated a larger pump that enlarged our plans, including the footprint. The angle and design of the upper stream changed, then we tinkered with the block retaining wall multiple times. I dug the hole for the pond and got ready to lay the cushion and liner, but decided to add…
Read MoreA Tale of Two Cats
After providing a home and family to too many felines during our marriage, we were happy when our last cat passed, but we did decide to enjoy being full empty nesters.
Six months later, our visiting grandchildren brought in a visiting, just weaned kitten. Adamantly, Sheila agreed to keep it just overnight to find the owners, and she would put up “Lost Cat” signs the next day while I worked. Heading home with no signs in sight, I found him curled up on her lap, purring…
Read MoreWho Is This Jesus?
Most love Christmas, as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. But his life transcends being a babe in a crib, and for followers of Jesus, or those intrigued with him, knowing his nature will drive how we follow. John’s story of Jesus’ life doesn’t detail the events of his birth, but summarizes them, “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and…
Read MoreMisery--A Choice?
In early October around a Sunday mid-afternoon, the F150 pulled into a Rock Creek campground. Gear quickly shifted from the truck to the site, I used a flex hose to connect the propane tank to my camp stove, and headed down to the stream for some solo fishing. Not another fisherman in sight, and the trout bit eagerly. A great beginning, and I cleaned the two keepers.
Time now for dinner, so I got the tamales and chili ready to heat, but the stove showed no flames. At all. But the lantern at the top of the post worked, so I knew the tank was giving out gas. I…
Read MoreDon't Sweat the Small Stuff?
Decades back, I learned to not sweat the small stuff. Some problems and irritations just aren’t worth getting stressed over—they merely upset us and nothing changes for the good. At times we should be a duck—let the small stuff roll off our backs like water off a duck’s back. But a stay in Sedona Arizona, I learned to sometimes sweat the small stuff.
Leaving the enchanting Chapel of the Holy Cross, a cactus in bloom joyfully stood in front of the red rock towers and hills. So, I took a pic, intrigued with the intersection of colors and delicacy and mass. Before driving away…
Read MoreDare to be Yourself
To walk among the giant redwoods feels sacred: Shafts of sunlight shift slowly as they take their place in this natural cathedral. Despite their beauty and height, redwood trees cannot make all the food they need. They need the help of mushrooms, lichens, and other organisms to supply them the remainder of the food they need. Did you know that over 200 kinds of organisms help them thrive?
Today’s photo shows a rare, albino redwood in northern California. Albino trees have no chlorophyll. Thus, they cannot make any food for themselves. How did it come to be, and how does it live?…
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