I’m writing a new devotional book about motorcycles, Easy Riding, on the lessons we learn. About of half of the chapters are taken from Unconventional posts, expanded and revised from the typical 400 to 600 words up to 1,000. One chapter, Addictions, started as the shortest at 300 words, and I struggled to increase it. One option—adding more words to each paragraph merely increased words, not content. Another option of adding a new section didn’t fit the flow. All my efforts merely revealed that what worked...
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Cave Campground, Hat Creek
Chill a Bit
Busyness has invaded our lives. Or, maybe we’ve opened the door, widely, in pursuit of wealth and success and leisure and affirmation of our worth. A news article recently wrote that 70% of all workers average less than 8 hours of sleep each night, and with that, productivity drops. Those of us in Southern California especially deal with this, but the problem touches all of America. I’m no exception—even in retirement I have a multitude of projects on the list. I almost wonder what I’ll do when the list gets completed. That’s part of the reason ...
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image by Red Rocks Baptist Church
Who is this Baby?
I loved my grandkids when they were babies. They cuddled and desperately needed us adults. But they didn't stay in that infant state. Nor did Jesus stay at the stage we celebrate at this time of year. What does that mean for our daily lives?
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image by heavy.com
Unseen Forces
November 5, 2017, a day that shook us to our core, both individually and nationally. A gunman invaded the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, TX, killing 26 people. Although out of town that Sunday, the pastor, Frank Pomeroy, gave a sermon the week before that gained wide coverage, “You Don’t Need Training Wheels, You Need Christ!” He taught on Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” His Harley parked in front of the pulpit, Pomeroy told how bikers need to...
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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff--Right?
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. But last week at Sedona Arizona, I learned to ...
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My Latest, and Maybe Greatest, New Temptation
The pic above reveals my latest, and maybe greatest, new temptation. No, not a Honda S2000 sports car, one that tempts me to break every speed limit I can. No, just a regular and slow 4 cylinder Accord. But with a handicapped plate, one that allows the vehicle to park free at meters instead of paying a fee, to park close to stores instead of six miles away, and even to use high occupancy lanes when alone. So why the temptation? I’m not handicapped. Now, my wife has fibromyalgia and qualifies, but only when she’s in the vehicle. Frankly, I’d ...
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image by Easy and Elegant Life
Goodwill to All?
Filled with peace from a challenging worship service, having enjoyed an unusually small crowd at Trader Joe’s to pick up just three items, rejoicing in the onset of the Christmas season once Thanksgiving meals have been digested, heading home to watch my Rams on TV, in the fullness of time I needed to move over to the right side of the two lane road. A large dark SUV cruised half a car length...
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Tweak It a Lot
After enjoying our backyard waterfall for over a year, some serious tweaking came due. Despite our treating the water, the heat of summer caused a lot of algae to grow in the bottom of the pond, and quite a bit of debris had fallen in, like leaves and dust, slowing down the flow noticeably. And worst of all, when I constructed it, no rocks were placed around the sides of the pond, and the black liner showed. Not many Sierra streams reveal plastic lining. For the first step...
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