The longer I live, the less inclined I am to delve into politics. Too often to my eyes and ears politicians spend most of their time patting themselves on the back and sounding like the “Wah, wah, wah…” of Charlie Brown’s cartoon teacher. I do, however, get excited thinking about law–God’s law, that is–and why …
“Put your hands up! We’ve got you surrounded!” These words, familiar in films, usually indicate the end of a struggle, a prelude to surrender, where one side has overcome the other. They typically signal victory for one and decisive defeat for the other. And in those where the protagonists find themselves surrounded and the enemy …
For whatever reason two little sayings I learned from my dad’s Navy days have stuck with me. The first told the proper way to eat soup! “As little ships sail out to sea, I dip my spoon away from me!” The second explained how sailors used the skies to inform their plans. “Red sky at …
Last weekend I noticed tall grass growing in a garden where it did not belong, along with an abundance of field bindweed. This noxious and invasive weed is one of the worst in our area, inextricably wrapping itself around adjacent plants like a python capturing prey. I try to pull it up before its flowers …
We recently traveled to Washington, D.C., embarking on a whirlwind, self-directed tour. I vaguely recalled field trips there as an elementary student, but enjoyed the visit much more as an adult. An unseasonable heat wave did not deter us from walking miles, up and down the National Mall, impressed and amazed. Seeing photos in books …
The gospels tell us we must become like little children to enter the kingdom (Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15). Little children tend to be simple and unpretentious; they believe easily. They possess an insatiable curiosity about the world around them and like to try new things. As some of us get older, though, those childlike qualities …
We live near a small historical museum with a working farm and costumed volunteers who act as citizens from the late 1800s. Visitors get to experience life in that era by walking through gardens, houses, and an old school house. Besides typical farm animals such as sheep, pigs, cows, and chickens, this museum includes wild …
Close to the end of the film Galaxy Quest, the ship captain made a desperate decision to activate the mysterious Omega 13 device after a disastrous strike destroyed almost his entire crew. Nobody knew exactly what the Omega 13 would do. Some asserted it would collapse the universe in 13 seconds. Others theorized it would …
I recently finished tossing files related to an art business I owned years ago. My oldest son sometimes assisted me back then. I recall a time he and I were returning very late at night from an art show deep in the Rocky Mountains. Exhausted from selling all weekend (then hours of tear-down and packing …
God likes to show me things in the kitchen, probably because I am there so often! Last night I peered into the fridge and realized we had some aging hoagie rolls that had dried out. No one would want them for sandwiches. Then I opened a container of ricotta cheese that I had previously frozen …
“How do You know me?” Nathanael had good reason to be perplexed; he’d never seen this guy before! Yet Jesus’s unexpected greeting indicated He not only knew Nathanael’s name, but also his character. When Jesus replied to his question with a supernatural word of knowledge, Nathanael responded in awe, “You are the Son of God!” …
Recently we visited the Colorado Railroad Museum. We read about tremendous changes the railroad brought to society and commerce, as well as the eventual use of train travel for entertainment. The museum houses working and decommissioned locomotives, passenger cars, container cars, and cabooses. They even refurbish trains there–a job I never knew still existed. I …
