Learning
Growth
Unity
Not Left Wanting
I don’t know about you, but there are days when I get up in the morning feeling … “less than.”
Less of the man I want to be
Less able to physically do what I used to do
Less focused, attentive, alert
Horror, Lament, Comfort, Hope
Last Thursday the unthinkable happened in Bend, Oregon. The word that returns to me on a loop is horror.
Silver Rail Elementary School, a bit over a mile from our house, is closed. No one has said how long it will take and what measures will be needed for students, staff and parents to feel comfortable enough to return.
Just Who Do You Think You Are?
Identity, as a topic, comes up often in today’s discussions of personal and spiritual formation. Knowing who you are and from there discerning directions in life serve as foundation stones on which to build.
However, discerning your true identity can be more difficult than it might first appear.
Follow the Leader
With school back in session it’s fun to see kids out on the playgrounds free-playing, chasing, laughing, talking, and just being kids. The other day as I rode my bike by our neighborhood elementary, I stopped to watch a group of children playing “follow the leader” or something like it.
What the Captain Teaches
These days seem perilous: An ill-defined war with Iran, gas over $5 a gallon and diesel much higher, existential AI threats, social media influences, a widening gap between haves and have nots, families dissembling, a super El Nino, drought in the west and downpours in the east.
Let’s Think About Purpose
If I asked you, as a Jesus follower, what your purpose in life looks like, how might you answer?
When pressed, ideas will come from the realm of duty (to God and family), or service (selflessly stewarding gifts), or just trying to live a quiet and peaceful life.
When a Foot Falters
Back in July, Claudia and I joined with some Bend friends on a Bike and Barge trip in the Netherlands. The small tour group lived aboard 120+ year old barge, the Angeline, that moved to the next village as we biked each day.
Growing Under Pressure
A few summers ago, Claudia and I along with a few friends drove up to Tombstone Pass, parked and hiked the trail to the Iron Mountain lookout tower. Beautiful at every turn, the trail first goes down through a cedar forest then up through at least three eco-zones until it emerges onto a bald summit with glorious views.
What…If
Back earlier this summer, as the rain slashed against our windows and the lightning boomed nearby, Claudia and I settled in on the couch, warm and dry, to do some Netflix therapy. We watched a Rom-Com called Letters to Juliet where the predictable story arc unspooled. The characters and slow development of the tale made it an enjoyable diversion.
Sea Anchors Hold Steady
Woody Allen supposedly said, “Life is hard, then you die.”
When I turn one way, I see a younger friend ambushed by cancer. Looking the other direction and there is a family quietly grieving while standing in the ashes of their burned home.
What to Say When…
Think back to how many times you didn’t know what to say.
At the hospital bedside
In the reception line at a funeral
Over coffee as a friend shares a heartbreak
After the wildfire burns down a house
Annie’s Welcome
Ten years ago Claudia and I made the difficult decision to put down our family dog. Old and failing, the vet graciously did the deed and we brought her home and buried her in our unlicensed pet cemetery.
While I thought we had agreed to wait before finding another dog, someone in our house soon found a tiny rescue mutt online from a group in Yakima.
Rounding Third and Heading for Home
Recently talking with a fine older friend, he commented that he experiences a growing sense of anticipation the more he ages. In his 80s, he sees his body declining, his energy waning and his mental acuity fading just a bit. Rather than rage against the setting sun of his vitality, he says he finds himself getting more excited about the prospect of what’s next.
When You Need a Father
In case you slept through the weekend just finished, last Sunday was Father’s Day.
On behalf of all the dads out there, thanks for the thoughts and tributes, even though most all will agree that our families are the best gift we could ever receive. Still, it’s nice to be noticed.
Bottom-Shelf Truths
After OSU, I worked as a college intern at NWHills Church in Corvallis for three years. Commuting to Portland for seminary part time, holding down a job in a steak house and doing ministry at the church made for a full life. But being young and full of fuel we ran with our hair on fire and thought nothing of it.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Last week I sold a bike on Marketplace.
After a few days with little interest, I lowered the price a bit and started to get action. A guy I’ll call Jeff was the only one who messaged me and asked to come see it, so we set a time that afternoon.
God’s Questions: On Choice
The last two weeks we looked at two questions God asked among the hundreds posed in the bible. And in each we discovered the point was for revelation rather than God needing information.
Adam and Eve got exposed to their leaving home and choosing independence when God asked Where are you?
God’s Questions: On Identity
Last week I wondered about God asking questions and mused that since he is omniscient, his asking has nothing to do with information and everything to do with revelation.
Every question God asks prompts listeners to understand a bit more of who he is, and who we are, and who we are in light of him.
God’s Questions: On Relationship
Ours is a God who asks questions.
And when you pause long enough to think about that, it seems strange that he does. After all, he’s God. To get even a human-sized understanding of who he is we take concepts we know and slap “omni” in front of the term.
Take a Breath
OK, let’s take a stroll through a small sample of life these days as we know it…
Crazy local and larger politics. Days fly and nights drag. Iran. Traffic. National debt. Personal disappointments. Social dysfunction. Ukraine. Congressional division. Gas prices. Shootings. Immigration. Kids these days.