Here's a memo to many of us, who at times just plain forget: We don't get to heaven by doing good things for others and the world. We can't earn brownie points with Jesus if we toil in selfless service. In fact, there is an argument that there really is no such thing as pure altruism, since, the theory goes, that any good done has a motive to make the giver feel better along the way.

My, that's an upbeat thought...

In our adult class at church we are studying a different Psalm each week. After a bit of background and teaching about the content of the song for the day, we gather at tables to discuss observations, questions, and applications for us today. It always proves to be a rich time of dialogue and insight. Recently, we looked at Psalm 57 that relates a time just after David, who was being hounded and tracked by King Saul, hid in a cave in the Engedi.

My faith journey began in June of 1970 at a Young Life Camp in the California gold country NE of Sacramento. Over the course of a week the camp speaker led us to see Jesus like never before, as God's answer to our most intimate and immediate and eternal needs. At the end of the week, the camp held a time of silence for each person to contemplate what we had learned. I found myself behind our cabin sitting on a stump.

Here's a line that I wish was original with me and is so good.

Any person who says they are never bothered by the little things has never spent a night in a tent with a mosquito.

I like to think of myself as mostly easy going in the sense that I try not to get worked up over a lot of small things...but there are a few little matters that flat drive me up a wall.

Once a month I gather with a bunch of old coaches down at the D and D for breakfast. My former boss, the retired head football coach at Bend High, reaches out to other guys who are done working and live in Bend. We are from all over the region. High school and college guys who ended up here assemble and I try not to miss it. I enjoy these get-togethers and recently we had 17 men who talked loud and laughed louder and shared life for a couple of hours, taking center stage in a local's bar. Times like these remind me of the important role community plays in our lives, and how alone and lonely life can be without a tribe to do life with.

I ran across this a while back.

Andrews University professor Heather Thompson Day starts every new class the same way. Once her students have filed into the room and taken their seats, notebooks and charged laptops splayed on their desks, Day welcomes them with these words: "The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.