Shalom and the Community of Creation

This is the title of a book written by a friend of mine: Shalom and the Community of Creation by Dr Randy S. Woodley. Grand Rapids, MI. : Eerdmans, 2012. Randy is Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture at Portland Seminary. He’s a Keetoowah Cherokee. “Once upon a time in America, fishermen knew how to …

Lotsa Blood

People ask me why I need Hunter, my service dog. Most people assume it’s military related but that’s not the case for me. My PTSD is what they call, “childhood onset.” I was in the Air Force, to be sure, but only for two years as a second lieutenant, Chaplain Candidate. The only trauma I …

In the Evening of Life

Attributed to John of the Cross — “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”

Without One Another

This lava/obsidian field is huge! If you get a chance to visit it, it’s worth the trip to central Oregon. Just outside of Bend, OR, which incidentally has some really great micro-brews, a great river (the Deschutes) for white water rafting and a high desert museum. They have an outrageous number of days with sunshine …

Burning Fences

I had a friend named Steve. He could run a little faster than I and he had a bit more stamina for a slightly longer race. We used to race in the mornings before school started; when we were in kindergarten. Those were also the years of the nascent skateboard. We made our skateboards out …

Where’s Heaven

I was so young that when I stood on the cushions of the couch, my chin rested on the back. I was looking at the clouds. Even though I had no religious teaching or training, I was asking myself if heaven was in fact on the other side of the clouds. I had no way …