Escapism

Last night we picked up the guest speaker for our banquet with a group of special friends and went to a restaurant near the hotel. We celebrated my birthday a day late. Wayne read that Coal Vine’s had received great reviews, so we tried it. I really liked the place. It is an upscale, yet…

haiku: one birthday two souls

  My dad and I share the same birthday, which is November 6th. Quite a milestone, my dad turns 80 today. Thanks, Dad, for holding my hand through the journey. Here are a few haiku in honor of you. ************************ One birthday two souls twenty-four years between us daddy and daughter. ************************ 

The Faces of Fear

It is silly now but as a child, fear gripped my heart at night. In those few moments after my parents switched off the light and before falling asleep, the shadows of the room leaped into monsters. I laid in bed frozen with fear as the form of a dinosaur appeared next to the bed. Then I…

‘They Trembled and Stood at a Distance’

It is growing. It is out of control. The California fire rages. As the title of this post suggests, “trembling and standing at a distance,” is a natural way to react to raging fire. I can’t imagine what it would be like to evacuate my home, fill my car with a few things, and later see my world go up in flames via…

Footsteps of a Journey

Just reflecting on this trilogy in poetry I wrote on the Sea of Galilee after a day visiting the ruins of Caesarea.  trilogy:  to a roman god   

More on Einstein and Jesus

About a month ago, I posted a couple of comments about an interesting interview on Einstein. The interview revealed that the most brilliant man in the world showed a glimmer of passion and interest in the person of Jesus Christ or as Einstein called him, the “luminous Nazarene.” Mike Rizzio at The Bread of Life has an interesting post on Einstein. It seems that Einstein’s curiosity…

Odyssey

David Holland, in his post yesterday at Blather. Wince. Repeat., discusses a column written by David Brooks in the New York Times, The Odyssey Years. Excellent post. Interesting topic. Brooks’ premise is that there are four stages in life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Shifts in American culture have added two more stages: odyssey and…

Weapons of Life

One of the sobering realities of traveling interntionally several times a year is connecting with suffering believers around the world. These relationships strengthen and encourage my walk with God. Believers, who live outside of the sometimes surreal bubble of American culture and life, fight hot and intense battles of faith. Some are stalwart and heroic, even unto death.

Otherside of the Ocean

We will board a plane for Israel soon. See you on the otherside of the ocean. Speaking of ocean–when I fly over the vast expanse of the ocean, or gaze at the sky from my plane porthole, or see the stars, or creation, or the clouds next to me, or the outline of the continents below me,…

Culture vs Content: The Battle for Contentment

Because there is not much to see in Texas, now as far as fall color, I am enjoying this season through memory. Wayne took Julia and me on a tour through New England during peak season of autumn color one year. I recollect it as one of our most memorable vacations.We brought along Peter Marshall’s book, “The Light…