Learning
Growth
Unity
The Mixes and the Zapotecos
In 1981 we were working in Oaxaca, Mexico with Gospel Recordings. Our job involved interacting with the tribal groups of Mexico, of which about 120 lived in the state of Oaxaca. We lived in the small village of Mitla, nestled up against the mountains at the end of the paved highway.
Pretending
This past week Claudia and I drove down to the Sacramento area for my nephew's daughter's high school graduation. We had a great time with family and lived through yet another grad ceremony, this one held in the King's basketball arena with a class of over 640 from Franklin High. Wednesday, on the drive down, we passed some of the time listening to a few Tim Keller talks from his podcast.
Can We Edit Our Stories?
About a month before I met Dan, I came across a quote from Susan Statham:
“Your life is a story. Write well. Edit often.”
It caused me to wonder how the editing process works.
One at a Time, Please!
Sometimes I love social media. I can watch a great baseball highlight seconds after it happens. I can watch baby pandas do somersaults. I can read or listen to profound messages from leaders I admire. I can be made aware of exigent news, such as the recent elementary school shooting, within minutes of the event. But that last example was a reminder to me how social media can be a real problem.
Desert Meet-Ups
The older we get the more we experience (and witness in others) days that are just flat hard. Reversals come at us in various forms from disease and death, disappointments and betrayals, dreams lost and finances upended. Life can feel like a stretch of arid wilderness where little grows on its own. Even when we strive to do our best and be our best selves trouble too often seems to show up.
Show, Don’t Tell
Show, don’t tell. This advice is great to follow if you want to engage a reader into the emotion and actions of a character rather than bore them to tears with a toast dry point-by-point narrative of how the character feels. Put the reader right in the story.
Urgent! Spiritual Friends Needed
We desperately need more spiritual friendships in the body of Christ. I consider them the glue that holds a community of believers together when times get tough.
After With, What?
At the Habitat ReStore, I work the floor. The role is part concierge ("Let me know if I can help you"), part Sherpa ("I'll load out that giant armoire and meet you at the roll-up door"), part friendly grandpa ("It's Lucky Hand Monday! Guess which hand has the fruit snack?") and part free listener ("Sure, I'd love to hear your story"). Awhile back, a regular customer, a guy I know from the store but not outside of it, and who is a Jesus-follower, came into the store followed by a dark cloud.
“I Want to Hold Your Hand”
I was recently thrust back into this piece of nostalgia by the death of my best friend’s wife. As I reminisced about our past, this song came to mind. It took me back to an old relationship.
A Tattoo on My Soul
One sentence. If you blink or let your mind wander like I did some years ago when I skimmed past it, you might miss it. After all, it’s only one sentence—one sentence in one paragraph in one section of one chapter of one book.
With
The other day while Claudia was out and I was reading/napping in my chair, the doorbell rang. Our little Annie-dog goes nutso whenever someone comes to the door, so between getting coherent and corralling the mutt, it took a bit to get up to see who was there.
Taking the Long Way Around
This past weekend, I strapped on a helmet and—putting my life in Dan’s hands—hopped on the back of his motorcycle.
He didn’t share his flight plan, but I knew our destination: a tiny country store east of town. So why was he heading in the wrong direction?
Passion
It is easy to set our eyes on what doesn’t matter. This world has a way of making things that have very little, if any, eternal value seem like they’re all that matters. We can easily be distracted from the best and the eternal by the good and the temporal. When this happens we become inward focused and can be overtaken by fear and anxiety.
What José Models
Does the name Jose' Andres ring a bell? No? Well, he's worth hearing about.
I don't know a lot about him, but here's what I discovered. Andres is a Spanish-born American chef, well known for his cooking and his restaurants, mostly on the east coast. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Andres chose not to just give money and use his platform as a celebrity chef to garner support, he set up emergency kitchens to provide meals and basic food aid for the poorest of the poor and went to work with his craft.
Staying Connected to the Vine
What have I been learning from the Lord lately? He has been reminding me that I don’t need to earn grace and love from Him.
This seems so simple but truly, it’s super hard to accept and even understand. When every tangible thing and every person around us has to earn love and respect and grace. But it is God who made those things.
Jesus and Women
Recently another high profile Christian leader has resigned amid accusations of improper relations with women. A flagship evangelical publication has been rocked by a past history of sexual misconduct and cover up. Political leaders who profess faith have a history of exploiting women.
No wonder the unbelieving world has labeled Christians misogynistic.
Ambushed in the Morning
So, there I was, sitting in my reading chair early in the morning, tending to my knitting. My bible was open to Luke 6, cruising along, and suddenly I got ambushed by Jesus' words from the Message translation.
Why are you so polite with me, always saying "Yes, sir," and "That's right, sir," but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.
Saying “Yes” When Life Takes a Left Turn
Dan put away the snowblower, we positioned the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit, and I arranged matching cushions. It was 78 degrees. We were expecting guests. And it was spring.
During this change-of-season ritual, I commented to Dan, “You know this means it will snow again, right?”
Exiles, Aliens, and Citizens
Despite having lived in Bend for the past 15 years, I honestly don't feel at home here. Of course, I value the friendships I've made and the experiences I've enjoyed here in central Oregon. But somehow it just doesn't feel like home.
Calling Down Fire
Elijah was a “bad dude.” If you were a king and a contemporary of Elijah, you had better watch out. Case in point, 2 Kings 1, where Elijah called down fire on groups of 51 men not once, but twice, in order for King Ahaziah (of Israel) to learn who was boss.