"I look up to the mountains -- does my help come from there?  My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth!"  -- Psalm 121:1-2For a week my family and I camped in Grand Teton National Park.  We just returned. Our camp site was just north of this stunning view.  TheContinue reading "I look to the Mountains …"

Lately, I have been drawn to the The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis.  Likely read more than any other book than the Bible, this 600-year-old gem says repeatedly that believers of Jesus must be willing to suffer if they want to love him and serve him always.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was aContinue reading "Odd thinking in a world of self-focus"

I do like the title of the book on the left.  I can describe a very good marriage in three words that also uses the word very -- very hard work!  But I'd add three more essential words after very hard work -- well worth it.Having just passed the 27-year mark of marriage to myContinue reading "Very Hard Work but well worth it!"

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis, at nearly 600 years old, has to be one of the most widely read books ever written, aside from the Bible.Crosses are spoken of throughout the book.  These are the sufferings, disappointments and difficulties of life.  Every follower of Jesus experiences them.How can we deal with difficultiesContinue reading "We all have our crosses"

I so like the thoughts of John Stanford, a wonderful devotional writer and retired physics prof.  from Iowa State University.  This morning's post speaks to what so many people tell me all the time...This morning life seems ordinary. I anticipate no flash of insight, no great battle requiring a rush of adrenalin. I must tellContinue reading "Drudgery is part of life, friends"

So I'm driving along I-10 here in Phoenix and I'm passed by a white vine.  Printed in bright red letters I saw these words:  Emergency Chiropractor ... at your work or at your home.   Call anytime: xxx-xxxxSince my back was hurting from the long plane ride and I was lost in my rental car andContinue reading "In case of emergency"

The Irish Jesuits sacred space devotional site always makes me think deeply about my faith.  Here's a paragraph from the Jesuits pondering how the church infiltrates the world in which we live...When Jesus speaks about care for 'the little ones', he includes in their number his own followers. In many parts of the world theContinue reading "In the World but not of the world"

Interesting words on how we view our image from Christian leadership guru John Maxwell from his recent Leadership Wired newsletter (Vol. 8, #11)... "A key to effectiveness—in life and as a leader—is to project a true image of who you are. The only problem is that we all carry with us four images of ourselvesContinue reading "The true image of who we are"