“How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans) – John 4:9 One of the things that offended the religious establishment in Jesus’ day was the fact that Jesus crossed social barriers. He did it all the time: touching lepers, partying with “sinners” (a hysterical categorization that reveals the self righteousness of the religious crowd), and then of course there’s the case of... Read more
Went up to the writing cabin to prepare it for the coming deep freeze and got more than I bargained for… a perfect powder day at Mt Baker! On this day, I’m thankful for health, the beauty of snow, and backcountry skis. Read more
I went running this morning in my shoeless shoes, pondering the fresh health I’m enjoying in my running because I’ve been liberated from the belief that the foot needs something other than itself to run well. It’s not the point of this post, but if you’re interested, you can read about it here. The morning offered a bed of leaves through which to run because last night there was a wind storm, the kind that makes a howling sound in... Read more
I’ve been pressed this week on lots of issues: our church’s annual meeting; prep for three important meetings next week (including a planning retreat with our church council and staff to seek God’s future); plans for a trip to the African region where our church is putting in 30 wells; and a couple of other mission critical meetings–not to mention e-mails, prayers with people, and some glorious…glorious morning runs by the lake. Today I had the morning for sermon prep,... Read more
It’s just a phrase, tucked away in the depths of II Corinthians, but it’s a phrase ripe with meaning. It’s a phrase which, along with a passage from Jeremiah, God has used over and over again to cut through the fog of confusion, duplicity, and frustration, leading me out into the open spaces where it’s easier to breathe. Here’s what the phrase means to me, and how I’m trying to apply it in my life and calling: 1. I’m called... Read more
Our fair state had an initiative 1107 on the ballot, which passed resoundingly and as a result, banished sales tax from the important necessities of life: soda, candy, and bottled water. This is surely good news for all those living on the edge, who’ll now be able to afford just a little bit more candy, or perhaps another six pack of Coke, or even the convenience of expensive water that comes in bottles which will ultimately pollute oceans and landfills,... Read more
Our fair state had an initiative 1107 on the ballot, which passed resoundingly and as a result, banished sales tax from the important necessities of life: soda, candy, and bottled water. This is surely good news for all those living on the edge, who’ll now be able to afford just a little bit more candy, or perhaps another six pack of Coke, or even the convenience of expensive water that comes in bottles which will ultimately pollute oceans and landfills,... Read more
It could have been anything that wove our family together: hunting, fishing, hockey, the theater, fixing cars (thank God it wasn’t that!), or camping. But for our family it was baseball. Dad played when he was young, all the way through college. Then he got married. Then, after the war, something remarkable happened: baseball moved west. Until that glorious final out Tuesday night, the last time the Giants won the World Series was in 1954, when they were the New... Read more
It could have been anything that wove our family together: hunting, fishing, hockey, the theater, fixing cars (thank God it wasn’t that!), or camping. But for our family it was baseball. Dad played when he was young, all the way through college. Then he got married. Then, after the war, something remarkable happened: baseball moved west. Until that glorious final out Tuesday night, the last time the Giants won the World Series was in 1954, when they were the New... Read more
We could ponder beauty together, asking why these colors inspire, or sooth. We could talk about God’s faithfulness and the beauty of season changes. We could talk about light, and how the same tree looks so very different in the morning than the evening. But we won’t. Instead I’ll just note that because all of these were shot within walking distance of my house, I consider myself one of the most blessed and fortunate people on the planet! Enjoy! Oh... Read more
Fibonacci Faith: Changing Everything
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