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Have You Ever Wiped Away Someone’s Tears?

Have you ever wiped away someone’s tears? Have you? You don’t wipe away the tears of someone you don’t care for – very deeply. Thinking back to my childhood, if my tears were ever wiped away, it would have been by my tender-hearted mother. It wasn’t many years before growing up (or embarrassment) moved me away from desiring such comforts. Tears are messengers of our brokenness and pain. Tears are the physical expression of the emotional distress that lives below…

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The Edge

  Yesterday I stood at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean during a stormy sunrise. The beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina stretched out of sight in both directions. The deep blue clouds, lighted from above were a thing of rare beauty.  The strong, gusty winds pushed me around like one of the few brave seagulls.  But what overwhelmed me most was the inescapable salty aroma that heralded the transition from continent to ocean, the edge of two…

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The Four Craftsmen

I found myself intrigued and curious as I read in the book of Zechariah the account of his vision that included the appearance of horns and craftsmen.  The horns seem easier to interpret  as powers or personalities that goad others.  No one wants to be on the receiving end of the “horns”.  For me (and probably Zechariah), the strange appearance of craftsmen to oppose these horns was the novelty.  Why not a warrior, a king or a prophet?  Perhaps there…

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Rebuilding a Landscape of Failures

  Early this morning, I had a high definition dream that seemed longer and more real than most. I was being driven through a  landscape of decaying and ruined buildings that I recognized as parts of buildings I had leased or worked in during my lifetime. The scene resembled the aftermath of a devastating tornado or a bombed-out industrial site. Of course, each recollection of past failures had, attached to it, regret and pain. It didn’t take long to realize…

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The New Creation

          How does life move forward when humanity cannotWhen losses mount and intentions fail – over and over and overLove falters, desire lacks substance,One step forward, 2 steps back Generations fade, each blaming another Each uniquely incapable at turning the tideGlittering flourishes lacking substance to build what is meaningful ,To build what is not torn down by the next We stumble through rubbleInjured and injuringLost and losingBearing God’s image, blooming amid our ruins Our Renaissance followed…

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Don’t Attend the Meeting!

3:45am. There is a predictable voice that reviews my failures from yesterday and the possibilities for failure in the future.  It is not an assuring, loving voice. It is a voice that makes me want to sink into the foreboding feeling that “this is not going to end well”. It is an “invitation”.  An invitation to parlay with an enemy. “Isn’t it reasonable to talk about what could go wrong with your life?” “Shouldn’t you be concerned?” No amount of…

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Beautifully Different

There is economy in uniformity.  Manufacturers strive for it.  Customers demand it.  When we buy light bulbs for our home, we expect two bulbs of similar type to have the same intensity and color temperature.  How displeasing would it be to buy 3 cans of the same paint for your living room – only to find out the color varies between them?  Our expectation is that multiple items with the same name and specification will be uniform – within certain tolerances. …

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Following The Marks

My 2nd attempt in as many years to ascend Turtle Head Peak in Red Rock Canyon was truly rewarding.  I spent considerably more time on the actual trail than I did in my last attempt.  I prayed as I climbed, looking hard for the signs that I was still on the main trail.  It was not easy.  Sometimes a paint daub on a rock gave me assurance.  Other times all I could do was my best to read the hints…

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Regressing Into a Smaller World

I recently watched a documentary of a well-known designer who had grown old and neared the end of his life (he has passed away since I began writing this).  From what I know of him, he worked for some of the world’s most influential companies and individuals as he became  (in the design world) a household name.  He developed his personal brand with a certain star-designer look (normally involves over-achieving hair or striking eyeglasses) that made him and his work stand…

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Dawn Is Upon Us

Some things cannot be stopped. Dawn is one of them.  Darkness has its limits.  With the arrival of the new day comes a recurring hope – built into the rhythm of life.  As a young man camping in the woods, I was tormented by the unseen source of growls and howls in the distance (but always seeming to get closer). Every breaking branch surely gave way beneath the claw of some abnormally large (man-eating) animal. Throughout the night my eyes pressed…

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