A Rock Hammer, Not Resolutions

January 1, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

One of my favorite films is “The Shawshank Redemption.” And as the year “turns,” I am thinking about that film, about its lead character, and about a concept I write about almost every year at this time: “Resolve to Not Resolve.” The film was based on the short story by Stephen King, called “Rita Hayworth […]

Christmas Message, 2018

December 24, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

One of the things I have always dearly loved about our East Dallas neighborhood is how it’s a beautiful and somewhat chaotic mix of all kinds of people living together in one place. It’s folks from all walks of life *choosing* to live next to those who are quite different from them. One minute, you’ll […]

Pass It On

November 13, 2018.Reading time 14 minutes.

“It only takes a spark To get a fire going And soon all those around Can warm up in its glowing That’s how it is with God’s love Once you’ve experienced it You spread His love to ev’ryone You want to pass it on” — Kurt Kaiser The early history of me and the guitar […]

A Small Moment of Peace

November 2, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

Last night, I had this brief moment of peace and beauty that has stayed with me through this morning. I was walking through the sideyard, past the wood pile, crunching down the decompressed granite path, a large bag of birdseed hoisted over my shoulder. As I refilled the backyard feeders, I could feel the crisp, […]

Frank Sinatra’s Eyes

October 4, 2018.Reading time 13 minutes.

A little more than a year ago, some social justice friends invited me to offer a prayer from our United Methodist tradition at a protest. The protest was outside the corporate offices of a company involved in the Keystone Pipeline. I was happy to go, and offer prayer. But at the end of the protest, […]

You Are Enough

August 2, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

Back from a several-day trip to Fayetteville, to move The Divine Miss M back to school. We are beat. It was a great summer, but she’s back in Fay, and moved in to the house where she’s renting a room for the year. It’s in a quiet neighborhood, pretty near campus. But, it was a […]

Burning Myrhh

April 20, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

Northaven Friends, I’m burning incense this morning, as I write, journal, and pray here at home. I’m burning Myrrh. Went down the street to Kalachangi’s, here in Old East Dallas, to get some last night. I wanted to burn it today, because of something my therapist reminded me of in our weekly time earlier this […]

Go Higher

March 29, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve said before, I think hawks are my spirit animal. I’ve had several semi-mystical encounter with them here town. On two of my birthdays (i.e., literally on the day…) I’ve had an upclose encounter with two separate hawks, in ways that felt like a message to me. The message was something like…take courage…have strength…fear not…. […]

You’re Not Doing It Wrong

January 2, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

So, I actually figured out one resolution that I DO have for 2018: I resolve to block, ban, and otherwise ignore the “You’re Doing it Wrong” memes and videos. You know the ones I’m talking about. They’ve been around for several years. “10 Ways You’re Folding Your Sheets Wrong…” “6 Ways You’re Brushing Your Teeth […]

The Last Night on the Longest Night

December 21, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

The final moments of light on the shortest day of the year. And now, we enter into a period of the Longest Night. As I jump back in the bike in a moment, I’ll crank up the Peter Mayer song, and sing to myself as I ride into the longest night. And the Joe Jencks […]