Several years ago, Marlene and I hiked quite a few of the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was early Summer and the trails were all still a bit soggy from the snow melt and Spring rains.  On one particular hike, we did a trail with a lot of altitude.  This meant multiple sets of switchbacks… Continue Reading

The last week has been very painful.  The violence and death that fill many neighborhoods in the Middle East; the death and destruction in Paris; and the on-going pain caused by the threat of violence world-wide does trouble my soul.  But I have to confess, these are not the sources for most of my pain. The pain I feel… Continue Reading

The ancient philosophers would ask one another, “What is beauty?”  These words were like a starting pistol because as soon as the words were uttered they would be off to the races to describe, define, and delineate beauty.  In time, it has become generally agreed that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!”  This has… Continue Reading

Most of us think about our memory as a dusty place where we sit from time to time looking back.  It is a place to think about the “good old days” and reconnect with people who lived back then.  It is a place where nostalgia overshadows reality.  When our present days are troubled we may… Continue Reading

      In honor of the 20th Anniversary of my Pastor’s Ordination, Rev. Dr. Judith Dalton. There is pain and hurting in the world.  Ministry is the way that God has chosen to speak the good news, the healing Word to a hurting world. Clergy grow into their ministry.  The Faithful Minister allows their faith to… Continue Reading

Have you ever had one of those dark, lonely nights that refused to end?  How about a long cold winter that would not yield to Spring?  These frustrations are not just about time, they are about the rhythm of life.  There is not just a simple of passage of time from past to future.  Life… Continue Reading

A few days after Hurricane Ike swept ashore on Bolivar Peninsula, I stepped out of my Jeep just south of High Island and took this picture.  The Sea Fog blanketed the beach.  The color had been completely washed out of the water, sky, and sand.  There was a light breeze.  A single bird flew over the desolate… Continue Reading

I am told there are Pink Rattlesnakes living in the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  Biologist have documented their existence with photos and numerous records of sightings.  I have found articles about them on the Internet.  Nature books include them in the lists of snakes in North America.  But are there really Pink Rattlesnakes in… Continue Reading

In workshops I generally spend some time talking about the difference between doing and being.  We often become so focused on doing that our being alive is a mere after-thought.   In the future, I may just use this picture to show the difference. These turtles are hanging out on a snag in the fresh… Continue Reading

When we hear the word “Grackle” we are carried into the realm of the ordinary, the commonplace.  Grackles are everywhere and are generally part for the backdrop of our lives.  They demand little attention (unless you park under one of their favorite trees) and even less action (unless they are roosting just outside your bedroom… Continue Reading