A Yiddish proverb says, “Man tries and God laughs.” I appreciate God’s sense of humor that must find regular targets in our earnest attempts to do the right stuff. Scripture is pretty clear, though, that, for God’s people, planning—and, often enough in my case, lack of planning—needs some sense and flexibility. For instance…
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image from wikihow
Me? Make a Mistake? No Way!
Not too long ago, a good friend and fellow follower of Jesus, Kim Pinnell, pointed out a mistake in an Unconventional post. He did it in an email rather than hold me up to public ridicule, which I appreciated, and he copied and pasted the error in the email—no way to avoid what I rather would not face. He nailed me. I had…
Read MoreHug Your Cactus
Most Unconventional posts begin with a story or question, but let’s open with an extended quote by Robert Downey from a recent American Cinemateque ceremony. While receiving an award, Downey, well-known not just as Iron Man but for his previous struggles with substance abuse, gave some wisdom we can all use, in speaking about Mel Gibson:
“When I couldn’t get sober, he told me not to give up hope, and he urged me to find my faith. It didn’t have to be his faith or anyone else’s, as long as it was rooted in forgiveness…
Read MoreChanges and Mistakes
Funny how some changes and mistakes can benefit us. Although a regular at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers conference near Santa Cruz, I missed the previous seven years before returning in 2016. However, my confidence never dimmed regarding directions, so I left the map at home. Never even glanced at it. A well-traveled route. But Palm Sunday came early that year, right at the switch to Daylight Savings Time, and the conference changed its close from lunch to a 7:15 breakfast, so I left in the darkness at 6 AM, hoping to beat the metro LA afternoon traffic.
Those changes led to my mistake. You need…
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Strange Goals
Early on a cold and rainy morning, Rich and I rode our bikes from Stewart, British Columbia over the bridge into the thriving metropolis of Hyder, Alaska. Population 87 in 2010. An American city who uses Canadian money and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for law enforcement. “Alaska’s Friendliest Ghost Town,” as locals call it. But then, we saw no locals. One nice feature: travelers need no passports to go from Canada to Alaska…only to return…
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Victims of clerical sex abuse and their relatives reacted as Attorney General Josh Shapiro discussed the grand jury report at a news conference in Harrisburg.CreditCreditMatt Rourke/Associated Press
Follow Your Leaders?
For the last couple of months, several guys that ride from our church have joined in with the biker group from another church, and the motley crew in the second pic above depicts us on one of those rides. But the most recent, a few weeks ago, added an important spiritual lesson to the great companionship on a scenic ride to the town of Ramona. By the way, names will be changed to protect the guilty. ;) The leader picked out a route ahead of time, one he’d not yet ridden, entered it on his GPS, and…
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image from en.wikipedia.com
Changes and Mistakes
Funny how some changes and mistakes can benefit us. Although a regular at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers conference near Santa Cruz, I missed the last seven years. However, my confidence never dimmed regarding directions, so I left the map at home. Never even glanced at it. A well-worn route. But Palm Sunday came early this year, right at the switch to Daylight Savings Time, and the conference changed its close from lunch to a 7:15 breakfast, so I left in the darkness at 6 AM, hoping to beat the metro LA afternoon traffic. Those changes led to my mistake...
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