A Pilgrim’s Odyssey

Signs Of The Times

Police officers quitting and retiring at record rates. 

Rampant burglary allowed in our big cities.

Both are signs of our times, and you might want to pay attention.

Better yet, maybe a refresher course in Bible stories. After all, you might be living in one.

The Pentagon Says Shut Up, Or Else!

The official politicization of our military is upon us. It’s impossible for anything related to government to be completely apolitical, although throughout our history our Armed Forces have tried hard to be. Not any more.

The Pentagon, ordered by the new Secretary of Defense, will now screen members for their political views. The Pentagon is preparing to launch a program that will screen the social media posts of military members for "concerning behaviors" amid a broader crackdown on domestic extremism, according to a report on Tuesday. Of course, how “extremism” is defined is the true tricky widget.

The program will reportedly utilize keyword searches to identify potential extremist views. Officials are attempting to compile a list of keywords that would not violate freedom of speech protections. More alarmingly, it has been reported that a lot of this surveillance will be performed by artificial intelligence.

If this is allowed to stand, eventually the military will become the military wing of politicians to empower their political positions. Those who oppose these positions will be silenced or worse.

Beware Of Bears!

One needn't travel far to be reminded just what wild is, and how good it can be for the heart!

Wake up, get dirty, and don't be afraid to be yourself: all lessons my family learned today on a short but epic little adventure into the wild.

A little fear - Beware of Bears! - can be a good thing for a civilized soul.

A Thousand Lessons: Life and Pandemic

What lessons are you passing down to those you love?

Are you intentional about it?

What a great legacy - passing down the lessons learned and strength found in our bumps and bruises.

But what happens when the lessons of the past are forgotten? Especially those on taking care of yourself during the worst of times. I think one reason the last year was so stressful was that in many ways we have forgotten how to take care of ourselves. Even in fundamental ways, and Covid has exposed our vulnerabilities.

Life At Ludicrous Speed!

I was given a ride in a friend’s new Tesla Model S and introduced to “Ludicrous Speed”. It was an exhilarating reminder that whatever our point of view, life changes fast, and you better be ready.

Pray For Peace

The Holy Land is literally blowing up. Rockets from Gaza into Israel, bombs from Israel into Gaza, Israelis and Palestinians fighting in the streets.

Whenever I see this violence escalate I’m reminded of a trip I took years ago with my father to Israel. One day I had coffee with an Israeli at a coffee shop in an incredibly quaint part of Jerusalem. Not long after we returned home to the United States, that same coffee shop was on TV having been blown up my a suicide bomber.

I met people on both sides. They were good, kind people. But if you get divided enough, it doesn’t matter how smart or civilized you might be, there will be violence.

Pray for peace both in Israel and here. The same storms of division that disrupt Israel are happening right now in our own backyard.

Peace or Panic

A pipeline is hacked and boom, 5 hour waits for gasoline. People are panicked. It reminds me of the beginning of Covid lockdowns and toilet paper panic buying.

A year of masks and lockdowns has created a neurotic culture. Culturally, we won’t find peace soon.

But how can you find peace in the middle of this storm, or any other?

These are truly heavy times. The medicine won’t be easy.

“Peace is liberation from passions, which cannot be attained without the action of the Holy Spirit.” St. Mark the Ascetic, born in 360 AD.

Are you willing to fight your passions - (self-love, gluttony, lust, love of money, sadness, fear, and pride) - to find peace, with the help of the Holy Spirit of God, in any storm?

Blue Gratitude Can Move Mountains

You’ve been energized, hope is ringing in your ears, you are ready to make changes and move mountains! So where do you start?

You must create forward momentum, and to do that requires one step then another. Much will try to distract and discourage you, so you must stay focused. Focus is your mantra.

As the co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, said:

"That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

Or to put this type of focus in the spiritual dimension:

Matthew 17:20 - He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

One place you might focus this week, an act of gratitude toward's law enforcement. This is National Police Week, started in 1962 by President Kennedy.

Boulders, Little Boys, And Glistening Creeks

Home from work, my wife asked me to walk down to the creek with her and our youngest, Julius. The weight of the world made me feel as if I had no time, but I had time. Thankfully, I listened to the better angels and took that walk.

My wife was sitting on a boulder overlooking the creek when I arrived and Julius was sliding down the mud bank into the water. The sun danced off the budding green leaves of the spring trees. We spoke little but laughed a lot.

The entire episode took maybe 15 or 20 minutes. A priceless small slice of the day. Why do I let them happen so infrequently?

I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes 4:4 - “And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Julius is 4. What does he care about fame and fortune, the opinion of others? He cares about mom and dad, brothers and sisters, family and friends that loves him. Everything else is meaningless. Why can’t I remember that?

Finding Peace In A Time Of Crisis

We are all vulnerable to a world in a turmoil, and a desire to judge and blame others. How do we understand and practice our faith in times crisis?

The great Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred by the Nazi’s, has some answers for us:

“In a world where success is the measure and justification of all things the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucified remains a stranger and is at best the object of pity…The figure of the Crucified invalidates all thought that takes success for its standard.

Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.

The first service one owes to others in a community involves listening to them. Just as our love of God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for others is learning to listen to them. God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives God’s Word but also lends us God’s ear…We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them.”