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…
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…
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…
What suffering, what beauty Is on the Savior’s brow The thorns that grew in tended soil Grow pain and sorrow now The flowering vine once flourished, blessed Makes red the lovely face That wept in longing for his beloved And now stands in her place What beauty, what suffering Was only his to bear Embracing there the cost of love No other soul could share The gathering arms that ever reach to circle all his own Hold tightly to a…
My ascent of the Turtle Head Peak yesterday in Red Rock Canyon gave me the opportunity to see and consider some amazing old trees that thrive on the windy slopes. In specific areas, where the winds seemed to be funneled and intensified, the trees appeared to thrive the most. These are the areas in which I had to bow down as I climbed the trail to the summit. I would guess the gusts were upwards of 40 to 50 mph…