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Category Archives: nature
Time on My Hands
Just when you think you are past all the temptations to live a fleshly life, you get old. It is not sensual pleasure, but rather the love of comfort that entices you. All the aches and pains make comfort paramount. … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, nature, On Faith
Tagged Hearing God, pawpaws, spiritual disciplines
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Winter Visions
The second big snow covers the ground, and it was ten below last night. We moved here in July, so this is our first Kansas winter. At these temperatures, frostbite is a real danger, especially when the chill factor gets … Continue reading
On the Edge
I never tired of hiking Oregon beaches. Along this dynamic edge of the continent, everything is alive. Purple sea urchins, sea stars, green anemones, goose-neck barnacles, and muscles cling to wave-pounded rocks. The kelp beds shelter and nourish all kinds … Continue reading
By Their Fruit
I am relearning the trees of eastern Kansas and western Missouri. It is a formidable task. There are about nineteen species of oak trees. Some like the willow and shingle oak have leaves that look nothing like an oak. There … Continue reading
Stanley’s Gift
In the late 80’s Teckla and I lived in Kansas City, a little off Red Bridge Road. My older brother Stanley came to live with use for about a year and a half. He was struggling with anxiety and some … Continue reading
A Sneaker Wave of Joy
A couple weeks ago my brother, Larry, was knocked down by a sneaker wave. The beach by the Bandon lighthouse was wrapped in a golden/gray haze as the sun moved in and out of the clouds. Larry had wandered past … Continue reading
Russian Coffee, Opal, and Sticks
I think most boys are pagans. I was, despite being a preacher’s kid. Although our family went to church twice on Sunday and to Wednesday “prayer meeting”, I could barely wait to get out of Sunday clothes and into my … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, nature, On Faith
Tagged Altars, Milton-Freewater, Paganism, Talisman
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The Cosmic Groan
I know. Cosmic Groan would be a great name for a Seattle grunge-band. I used it, however, as the title of a sermon I preached at Camp Myrtlewood. Tall Douglas firs, and myrtle trees towered over the small outdoor chapel. … Continue reading
Washing Paws
It rains a lot here in the winter. Our Doberman, Pharaoh, is a long-legged, big-pawed horse of a dog, so when he runs through the backyard and skids to a stop, he tears up the grass. Most of the backyard … Continue reading
Little Pilgrimages
Going on pilgrimage seems like an Old-World act of piety. Unlike the United States, Europe has many holy places to visit. Here in the West, with its wide-open spaces, every pilgrimage is a road trip. We also have a shortage … Continue reading