As a young man in college, one time, some friends needed me to babysit their kids. I did it as a favor, but they wanted to pay me. After refusing money, They asked me if I wanted to partake in smoking weed. After some negotiation, I just left with two joints that I didn’t really... Continue Reading →
Romans 1, Works and Sin, the “Valley” preparing for the first Mountain.
Paul starts out introducing himself to the Romans, who had never met him. We, though, are familiar with him and can skip verses 1-17 because they really add nothing to the argument, except verse 17. This is really the theme for the whole book. It states, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” Always keep... Continue Reading →
A Most Authentic Tourist
We are in Seville, Spain! We arrived here yesterday and will leave tomorrow, going back to our Portugal apartment. Douglas is like a kid in a candy store, with his tourist maps and phone apps, finding all the places he wants to see. Today, we walked for nearly seven hours (I earned nearly 16,000 steps!),... Continue Reading →
Two Parallel Cultures.
We have jaunted over to Spain for a few days. Unfortunately, we seem to have come during Seville’s busiest party week, and we don’t do that kind of party. I tend to think of the two, Portugal and Spain, as nearly identical. They have been connected at different times and developed in parallel ways.... Continue Reading →
God is not a Genie in a Bottle
I have been disturbed lately about the content of prayer training in many churches. The emphasis seems to be on calling on God with a list of wants, and then waiting as He fulfills the requests. This attitude of God as similar to a genie, a magic spirit who takes on human form and grants... Continue Reading →
The soft waves that fret away the tough rock.
When we started hiking along the seashore in Portimao, Portugal, the first thing I saw was rocks, almost islands, offshore of the rocky points. Sometimes, at low tide, you can walk on the sand out to some of the islands, but other times, it is surrounded by the gnashing sea. It is amazing. If... Continue Reading →
Back in the Passenger Seat Again
I am once again a passenger, dependent on someone else to drive me wherever I need to go, mainly for two reasons. First, I cannot drive here because the cars in Portugal that we can afford to rent are manual transmissions. I have no idea how to crank one up, much less drive one. I... Continue Reading →
The Car that Refused to Crank
We arrived in Kenya and immediately started Swahili language school in Nairobi. While there, Our Mission put us in touch with a Missionary family moving out of their house in Nakuru. We could rent the house, hire the night watchman, adopt the cat and buy the car. This sounded like a great package deal, so... Continue Reading →
The Power of a Song to Unite Us
One of the elements of my life that I miss here in Portugal is the choir at my church. I do love the congregational singing at the church we are attending, but, for me, nothing beats the harmony of different voices singing together, united in their joy for the Lord, bringing the whole church to... Continue Reading →
