On my way to CO at 27 for a job lead, God provided a job outside Taos, caretaking an unused guest ranch at 8500 ft., a log cabin to live in and some nice pay. Far beyond my wildest mountain man dreams. But I found a problem…
Read MoreYes, Aliens Exist. I Have Proof
Thousands of crystal white stars pierced the stark darkness of the night sky above the Owens Valley, but jammed together so densely that you couldn’t stick a needle in the dark without hitting white. Sprawled out on our sleeping bags laid on three furniture moving pads, Dad and talked of much, and I asked, “Ever see anything strange up here at night?”
Dad paused, then told a story he’d only told…
Read MoreTurbulent Transformations
A fellow teaching compatriot, Leilani Smith, has crafted a new skill since we both left the school—painting. That’s her “Water into Wine” above. I easily saw the blue of water, at the top right, and the red of wine at the bottom left, and the turbulent mixing of the two in the center. But she neither intended nor noticed the faint presence of a face top center. A suggested jaw line, a mouth and nose, and shaded eyes.
What a metaphor of the turbulence that accompanies following Jesus and the transformation he brings to our lives. Let’s experiment and…
Read MoreGod's View of Us
When younger, in my arrogance and conceit, I thought I could understand why God loved me. I was pretty good. Loved him. Followed him...mostly. Decent mind. Decently good looking. But as I’ve aged, taken some blows, and recovered in part from that overwhelming self-confidence, I see myself more accurately. Now, I’m astounded that he loves me. Yes, I serve him. Yes, I’ve changed a lot. But I am far more of my inconsistencies. I better see transcendence, and the innate distance between us.
Then a message by my pastor…
Read MoreThe Power of Yielding
Paradoxes have recently driven my thought life, and faith. Even my tech experiences. My old laptop’s birth way back in 2018 explained its slow work, how it sometimes froze. So I bought a new one, yet delayed transferring over, and the issues increased. Finally, four months after the purchase, I started the transfer on Saturday. It’s still undone. I can’t get Google Chrome on it, a requested router password didn’t work, although I took it directly off the router. The paradox? I…
Read MoreLessons from Nam for a Marginalized Church
This bird above would have been like my bird. Back in college, I signed up for the Navy ROTC, to fly an F-4. They approved my app, sent the paperwork to DC for final signatures, and somehow lost it. By the time they discovered their mistake and asked me to resubmit, life changed and I declined. But seeing this jet at the Palm Springs Air Museum brought back memories, and a lesson for the church in a now secular society.
Not long ago, some friends and I discussed the changes…
Read MoreThe Brevity of Life
140 years ago, this gravestone of my great great grandfather was fresh and clear. Now, the information about his life can only be read with difficulty. Not long ago my wife and I traveled to Park City Utah, near the birthplace of my father, to combine a week's vacation and a family heritage tour. Thomas Jefferson Thurston pioneered a valley east of Ogden, accumulated a number of worthwhile accomplishments in his 80 years, and passed away in St. George UT in 1885. But outside his family and a few historians, few know of him (yes, he was…
Read MoreLose it. Quick
On my ride to meet Rich in Grand Junction to tour Colorado and New Mexico, I stopped in Mesquite, Nevada to fill my bike’s tank at a Sinclair station and my belly with a Western Bacon Cheeseburger at Carl’s Jr. The mediocre burger could have been an omen. 50 miles later, beyond St. George, I noticed the gas gauge was almost zero, with 30 miles of range left. That bothered me, my CTX1300 can near 200 miles on a tank, so I slowed down and looked for a station before my scheduled stop 50 more miles in Cedar City. The needle continued to fall, then found a station 10 miles before Cedar. With the new gas, the mileage slowly improved, leading me to suspect I got some bad gas in Mesquite.
That night my stomach…
Read More