Out of the scabbard of the night, by God's hand drawn, Flashes his shining sword of light, And lo, -the dawn!
-Dawn by Frank Dempster Sherman
BIGGER IS BETTER. Part 1
When I was 10 years old I payed good money to see Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark nine (9) times in the theater. Regular price was a whopping $1.25 but the matinee was only $.75, leaving money for a soda. That Summer I carried a makeshift whip at my side and changed my name to Indiana.
LITTLE LIGHTS
In defiance of darkness' historic claims on me, I chose to install lights in my backyard today instead of letting my joy be stolen by the pressure of preparation for an upcoming mission. My heart's ache and desperation, historically addressed by striving and over-preparation, found true healing today by stringing up little luminescent reminders of what's to come
WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER
THE WOOKIE
NITROUS JOY BOMB
FEEDER ROAD
STRENGTH FOR SONS
A THIN PLACE
A NEW BROADCAST
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
BEAVER WOOD LEADS ME TO JESUS
There are moments when beauty hurts. Sitting with my bare feet in the cold running water I watched my kids frolic. We'd been here catching bugs and other critters for a while to stretch our legs after hundreds of miles on the road. We needed to carry on if we wanted to cross the continental divide while it was still light. But this small stream had exactly what I wanted.
USING THE F WORD MORE
I recently read a quote from a book by John Ortberg defining leadership as "... the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand." In light of the last several years of my own personal journey, this feels like the most vivid and realistic picture of leadership I have heard yet. After a friendship of many years someone very close to me, both personally and professionally, became disappointed with me. Disappointment grew to resentment and on to abandonment. The way he left was both painful and public. I can't recall a time in my life when the voices of failure and disappointment have been so loud or felt more true.
LOOKIN' FOR LOVE
Sailing into the Wind
BAIT AND SWITCH
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." -MT 13:44
For the bulk of my life as a believer I thought this scripture was overly dramatic. After years in the church I'd seen hundreds of well-meaning, dutiful Christians teaching others about their need for salvation, but few of them could convince me that the impact on their lives was akin to that of finding "treasure".
Clarity
HELLHOLE
Consistency
On this last Wednesday night, my son and I watched the San Antonio Spurs run a basketball clinic at the expense of the Minnesota Timberwolves. To watch Manu Ginobili when his eye and his hand coordinate to create laser accurate passes is to watch a demonstration of the incredible power of the human mind and body. God’s majesty presents itself in every way when we watch for it...
ACT OF VALOR
Act of Valor got to the big screen and has been a hit with audiences nationwide, even without applying Hollywood’s standard politically correct formula. It is unapologetically pro-American. The enemy, an Islamic Radical, is clearly depicted as evil. Not simply confused or justly angry with capitalism, but eeeeviilll. How often do we see this? Act of Valor does not ask us to