Topic · 29 posts
Reflections on faith, grace and the hope that sustains us.
Graham says the walker/artist is teachable, and the teacher is nature. “Nature becomes your teacher, and from her you will learn what is beautiful and who you are and what your special quest is in life.” I get the “beautiful” part, but I’m wondering how nature is going to show me who I am and…
Before talking about enjoying walking, perhaps it would be good to explore the alternative: Why does one not like it? What makes it unfun? John Burroughs was a 19th century naturalist who hung out with the likes of Walt Whitman (“Leaves of Grass”) and John Muir (think Yosemite Park). Burroughs said that people don’t enjoy…
I want toys for Christmas. Can’t remember saying that since, hmm, maybe 1959. Growing up in the Bellah family, we kids had two categories of gifts: Toys Everything else “Everything else” included books, stocking stuffer and school stuff, but mostly it meant clothes—the multicolored socks from Aunt Fern, the sweaters knitted by our Granna. “Everything…
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I haven’t blogged for about three weeks, but I have an excuse. Can give it to you in one word. Are you ready? Shingles. For those of you who have walked in my shoes, I need say no more. For the rest of you, GET THE SHOT! Actually, I have been journaling. But the pieces…
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Not even mid-November and stores already decorated for Christmas. But if you think I’m going to complain, think again. You see, I love all things Christmas, even the commercial stuff. If Wal-Mart wants to deck the halls with reds and greens and play “Jingle Bells” in July, I say, “Go for it.” I don’t even…
Talked with a marketing guy today who wanted to know how my book is different from all the others on retirement. First of all, I told him, mine is not different from all of them, just most of them. Most authors seem to believe the modern retirement crisis is caused by lack of money. I…
A friend wanted to know if I was writing a Christian book on retirement. “No,” was my first answer; then, “well, sort of.” I did not set out to write a theology of retirement. That is, I didn’t scour the Bible to see what the Scriptures said about the concept (the word isn’t used at…
Two weeks ago, I shared the front cover. Here is the back cover of my book. Later this week I hope to tell you how and where you can get a copy. I’m so excited to be sharing this with you.
I want to be sappy. No, not that way. Psalm 92:14 says those who walk with God can “still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green.” That’s the New American Standard version. The Message translation says “They’ll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green, virile…
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Our preacher had been illustrating sermons with interviews from the congregation. When he taught a series on fear and anxiety, I knew I needed to tell my story. (If that link didn’t work, click here)
This has not been a good week. A friend lost his wife after a protracted battle with cancer; another lost her son in an unexpected tragedy. Some romanticize death, putting the best face they can on it, looking for meaning in what seems so meaningless. I don’t. Death is a tragedy. Always—at 8 or 88.…
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It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Building a home on this little tributary canyon of the Palo Duro. Because building a house, like going back to school or starting an encore career, is a vote for the future. Everything you do (from foundation work to framing to trim carpentry) anticipates a better tomorrow. So…
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Wise King Solomon’s words are as profound as they are simple. When we put off dreams (by choice or not), we get, well, heartsick. And dreams coming true are the stuff of fairy tales. Seems simple enough, but, when…
Do you remember when Jesus turned water into wine? His mom put him up to it. They were at a wedding, the host had run out of the fruit of the vine, Mary asked Jesus’ help and he did the miracle. But he didn’t create just any old wine—the headwaiter complimented the groom for saving…
When I wrote about midlife crisis in the 90s, I told readers I spoke to them not as an expert but a veteran. I could write about midlife career change because I had one. I knew firsthand what it felt like to lose an income and an identity. And I wrote about loss of self-esteem…
Installed countertops yesterday, and the bricklayers finished an inside fireplace—both beautiful work. I’m thankful for skilled craftsmen. Am watching one of our famous West Texas sunrises as I write these words, and I’m thankful for it, too. At a friend’s suggestion, last spring I started every prayer with 10 things for which I was thankful…
Went to church on Father’s Day, then met Chrystelle who returned to her apartment to pick up some clothes. She won’t live there again for some time. A long time. Maybe never. I guess all of us were getting back to normal today. Normal—what is that exactly? Days without tragedy? Where bad things don’t happen…
Please pray for my friend Williance. He is from Cameroon and married to Chrystelle, one of my all-time favorite students. This young couple left their home country nearly five years ago—he to France and she to the U.S.—so they could one day make a successful life together. Chrystelle flew to Paris in December of 2014…
The Old Testament character Abraham was 75 years old when the Lord called him to move to a land he had never visited. He went, sight unseen. And Abraham was 100 when he finally received the promised heir through whom he would become the “father of many nations.” A year earlier he had laughed at…
Today, I handed back Essay #1. Next week, they’ll give me Essay #2. Two weeks later, they’ll take the midterm. And the week after is Spring Break. Really? What is it about being busy that makes time speed up? Einstein had it partly right: Time not only is relative to the speed of light, but…
Place. Got to thinking about it while riding Amtrak’s Empire Builder between Seattle and Chicago. Does a place shape its people? Are the folks in Wenatchee, Washington (the sign says “Apple Capital of the World”) different from the anglers and loggers in Flathead, Montana (Flathead Lake is the largest fresh water lake west of the…
Christmas morning and I have a sore throat. Yuk. I hate to be sick on holidays. And as long as I’m whining— Went to fix a flat yesterday and came home with two new tires. On Christmas Eve, when one has all that spare cash lying around. Not! Then, Charlotte noticed a leak on the…
Old Bibles are like old friends. Irreplaceable. Lost mine about a year ago. Not lost it, exactly; I retired it. Was about time. Both front and back covers were gone. Inside pages were coming apart. Some were hopelessly crinkled. “Embarrassing,” said Charlotte, spoken as she rolled her eyes when a page or two drifted to…
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As I write these words, I have two photos before me. In the first (left), I was 41; in the second, 61. The first I used 20 years ago when I wrote my first book and first columns. The second I used for my recent novelette and for these blogs. Despite the smile, the man…
If I believed in reincarnation, I would say I must have once been a Ute Apache. That would explain the connection my spirit has with this former hunting ground of Chief Ouray and company. For me, it was love at second sight. I first came here with the fam in the 80s to swim in…
“Blessed are the worriers for they will obtain great sympathy on earth and great reward in heaven.” No, it’s not in the Bible, but, sometimes, I act as if it were. Anyway, I’m wondering if worry and pride go together. Pretty sure they don’t for everyone (so, if the shoe doesn’t fit, please don’t put…
He is risen. It’s the most important phrase in the Christian faith. More so than “it is finished,” or “with God, all things are possible,” or “whosoever believes in Me shall have eternal life,” or, even, “God so loved the world.” Because this statement gives credibility to all the others. How do we know it…
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Been thinking about the in-between day. You know, the day between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. I see groggy disciples waking, wondering if it was all a horrible dream. No, the master is not here. Wasn’t here all night. Oh yeah, they would remember, Nicodemus took the body to a grave. A grave? For Jesus? The…
Never understood why they call it Good Friday. I’m pretty sure that, watching the events of that day, Jesus’ friends didn’t call it good. Nothing good about the sinless Son of God being betrayed, arrested, accused, denied, condemned, beaten, mocked and crucified. But then Jesus’ friends didn’t know about Sunday. They had forgotten his words…