Sometimes I find myself involved in a situation about which I simply cannot find peace. Something will be genuinely wrong: someone will be doing myself or someone I care about harm, or someone with power will in some egregious way be abusing that power, or … something will be happening that no one would be okay with. And so I’ll be having a lot of emotional turmoil about that situation or dynamic. About most stuff I can reason or feel... Read more
My dachshund’s namesake. Lately a couple of trouble-making readers have been asking my opinion on the question of free will vs. predestination. For some time now I have struggled mightily to ignore their queries; when finally forced by etiquette to acknowledge them, I suggested, in hopes of distracting them, that they upgrade their cable service, or invest in pets. “You can watch Chinese soccer matches!” I tried. “And a dachshund can be so much fun! They look like sausages—with free... Read more
If there’s one thing we can say about God, it’s that he is huge on creating. Creating is what God does. Love is what God is; designing and animating (as in sparking to life, not … doodling) is what God does. Whoo-hoo! I mean, look the giraffe. If that doesn’t say, “I’m deeply enamored of radical design,” I can’t imagine what does. The other day I saw my first Actual Ostrich. Talk about … challenging your concept of “bird.”... Read more
Wherever you are right now, stop for a moment, and look around. There’s God! That we so readily and naturally take for granted the physical world around us can sometimes make it difficult for us to remember that God isn’t just in heaven, or just in church, or even “just” in our hearts as the Holy Spirit. God is unceasingly striving (well: insofar as God ever strives to do anything) to in every possible way communicate to us the immediate reality... Read more
Yesterday I posted a piece (Are We Already Fulfilling God’s Plan for Us?) having to do with the idea stated in its final sentence: “Maybe God’s entire plan for me is nothing more complex or demanding than my finally understanding that God really and truly loves me, just as I am today.” Readers’ comments about that piece have been thoughtful and insightful. I found one so inspiring that I thought I’d share it with you. Here it is (the... Read more
Whenever I hear how God has a plan for me, I always think, “Excellent! I can’t wait to find out what it is!” Like any time now a Fed-Ex guy will knock on my door with an overnight delivery envelope. “Looks like God’s plan for you has arrived!” he’ll say. “Sign here.” Lately I’ve been rethinking the whole idea of God having a “plan” for me. Because if there really is a plan for me, then that means that ultimately... Read more
Chief amongst the mighty and majestic mysteries of my life is how in the name of Methuselah I could be 52 years old. One minute I’m playing my green tambourine in a meadow of crimson and clover whilst trying to kiss the sky; the next I’m lying awake in the middle of the night fretting about my cholesterol level. How did this happen? How did I go from wearing tie-dyed shirts to (sometimes) wearing shirts with ties? From “Let it... Read more
Hmmm. If you have any opinions about this one way or another, lemme know. I was just thinking about what to write next–and then I thought, “Well, heck. Maybe people have a preference.” Maybe! I’ll see! Which of the following do you most prefer I write about: a. Spiritually Insightful Christian Stuff b. Animal Stories c. Autobiographical Stuff d. Pretty Purely Funny Stuff e. Short Stories ala’ the way I do them f. Stuff about The Artistic Imperative As I... Read more
The Cruelest Taxi of All When I was a baby I absolutely refused to crawl. It was just too humiliating: giant diapered rear up in the air, knees and hands unnaturally suffering. Forget it. For me, it was the Upright Bipedal Stride, or come pick me up. Even as an infant, I understood that compromise was the enemy. Unfortunately, so was boredom. I have a very specific memory of one afternoon sitting on the floor looking at the back of... Read more
Hello! Well, that’s enough about you. Let’s talk about me some more, shall we? Great! I know! Let’s talk about what I did today! Whoo-hoo! First, I finished the outline for a book that, as coincidence has it, was due today. It is a thing of wonder. I’m sure everyone at the receiving end of the outline will veritably swoon as they marvel at its beneficent munificence. Which I’m quite sure are two actual words. THEN I drove to ever-splendid Downtown San... Read more
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