I found some new Algarve trails listed on the internet. Two were just past the nearby city of Loule, so I decided to drive to the town of Amendoiera (Almond Trees?). This in itself is an adventure, because I had to drive out M523. Nowhere is there a road posted M523. Eventually, I found myself... Continue Reading →
In the study of Romans, I encountered the word exalt. Now I have sung songs that say "Exalt the Lord" and know that it had something to do with praising God. It felt wrong to not really know, so I looked it up. It means leaps a lot. I was once at a Christian High... Continue Reading →
Culture matters, when it comes to just how much skin to show on the beach. Being an American, I tend to cover up quite a lot, until I am ready to get into the pool or romp on the beach. If there are topless beaches in America, I have never visited one. I assumed that... Continue Reading →
The Oyster fell out of the basket and lay on the ground. Feeling rejected as it lay there, soon it saw hope coming toward it, but the one it hoped in ended up just stepping on it, leaving it crushed. As other oysters passed by in their baskets, they looked down on the broken one... Continue Reading →
I am one of those rare people who became a Christian just by reading the Bible. When I first became a Christian, there was no Christians around me to help me understand what was happening to me. I set off hitchhiking across country. Many people that I met on that trip tried to convince me... Continue Reading →
I am still shaken by an encounter that Douglas had on yesterday. He likes to take very long walks, so after we spent the afternoon walking and lying on the beach together, he went for another walk alone among the lagoons not far from the apartment we are renting in Quarteria, Portugal. When he returned,... Continue Reading →
I was so glad to read this morning that Ryan Reynolds, the actor in Deadpool, admitted to having battled anxiety all of his life. I have been there and it is no fun. I struggled with it for years, never going to the doctor because I thought I was "crazy," and that I would be... Continue Reading →
One sharp man wondered about my study of Romans, since it contradicts the Old Testament. This question of contradiction is truly a key to understanding this chapter. In the past, being a modern Christian, I have wondered, “Why does Paul insert this unnecessary chapter?” When Paul wrote, most Christians were Jews, and the Jews, Christian... Continue Reading →
Like many people my age who spent their working lives employed by a telephone company, I am amazed at the technology that allows us to carry our phones in our hands. I would have never imagined that the old, black, dial-up phone connected to the wall would one day be the Swiss-knife of communications, with... Continue Reading →
It would seem strange for a survivor of colon cancer to declare that God has been good, but the truth is that I would not be here to write this blog today if it had not been for the mercy and grace of God. Troubles come and it can seem as though we are alone... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 