Life at 3 miles an Hour

We woke up to snow this morning...not a lot, and its not going to be here longer than another hour or so, but its enough to legitimize the season just a bit more.  Even with the unexpected arrival, it's generally gray and dreary here.  The news of four more funerals on the other side of the country make it even more so.  It makes me wonder.... If a simple dusting of snow enhances my picture of Christmas, what can possibly speak into lives a few time zones away that have been dumped on by a blizzard of heart wrenching loss?  One part of me...the human and frail part ...imagines that the loss is magnified by the season.  I mean really, isn't this the season of love, charity, peace, giving, and all the niceties of humanity?  It was a bit difficult to defend this view on Friday afternoon.  Isn't this the season where family and friends gather together?  It is a bit difficult to hold on to this when family and friends are taken away.  Isn't it about gifts and giving, sales a

This morning, Joanne and I were reflecting on the shepherds during our Advent time.  It's not really an earth shattering occurrence to be considering shepherds during this time of the year.  It's about as ordinary as baseball in April really.  One thing that occurred to me though is how much we take them  for granted...shepherds I mean.  Our understanding of them is quite frankly limited to preschool boys in bathrobes feigning fear before preschool girls dressed in sheets with tinsel wings and pointing down at them from on high.  Now that I think of it, it's probably good for them to get used to fearing them at a young age.  Its cute but just slightly off center of accurate.  Let's be honest, who doesn't like preschoolers in robes.  The reality and irony of the shepherds is that they were not very welcome members of the very culture and story which made them famous.  They were a necessary evil.  They were arguably the most valued and least respected players in the a

A slightly different time for me to be writing, but its a slightly different day, with slightly different circumstances.  The season is charging full speed ahead.  Not sure about you, but for me it's a bit like a white water ride...it ebbs and flows, crashes and churns, and then, every so often, a calm pool appears and with a bit of hard paddling and a bit of luck, you can nose yourself in for a bit of rest.  Today is my day of rest...and I paddled the crap out of myself to get here...so I'm dang well going to enjoy it while it lasts.  This morning, on my way to my previous writing engagement, the spirit whispered to me that, although it seemed like a good plan, there was a better one available.  I chose  better one.  You can do that when things are calmer and quieter... Hear the spirit I mean.  You can also get your oars under you and choose the better plan when you are in the calm.  I could never have pulled it off yesterday, or any of the previous 4 or 5 days for that matter

Tomorrow being December 1st and all, it's probably about time that some of us hit the pause button, take a deep breath, and ease on in to the season before us.  I understand that some of you are already in free fall mode, plunging headlong towards the end of the year like someone whose chute didn't deploy.  For you, I wish you "good luck with that" and I hope that you find the back up cord to slow you down before its too late.  For the rest, here is my Christmas wish list for you to consider; slow down and savor it.  That's it.  For everyone of you reading this, it means something completely different.  Each tradition has its own way of celebrating, and all of these were meant to be markers to stand still for a moment and observe.  They are not part of your "to do" list.  They are the entirety of your "to be " list.  For many it is for your own good and personal well being that you take this to heart.  So like anything else, you have a choic

With a national day of thanks and gorging speeding towards me like a runaway butterball, it is unlikely, I suppose, that I would not be thinking through some of the many things and people that I have to be thankful for.  This morning, my first round of thanks is directed towards my community for having more coffee shops than street lights.  Somedays, this morning being one of them, options are appreciated.  I was chased from my first destination by a very loud band of cribbage playing seniors at one table, a gaggle of ladies who did not know their lattes from their mochas, and a wireless router that brought me back to the days of dial up modems.  That was a failure of epic proportions.  After passing on 4 other options and 2 blocks, I ended here again at Uptown, drawn by the lure of a chocolate croissant.  For a few brief moments I wondered what life might look like in a neighborhood that did not have 2 dozen choices within 4 blocks.  I'd probably have to resign myself to the prema

Another monumental project has been checked off of our list during this past week.  Together, from beginning to end, my wife and I plowed through another home improvement adventure.  This time it involved the painting of our living room, dining room and ceilings throughout.  This follows our fairly recent bedroom renovation and also the reclamation of our office space.  I attribute much of this to a blend of necessity mixed with a bit of HGTV overload.  It all looks quite good actually.  We are both very happy with it.  That is quite remarkable considering we are both total amateurs and learn everything by trial and error.  What is even more remarkable, from my perspective, is that not only are we happy with the outcome, we are still really happy with each other.  When we do these projects we are both all in, from the beginning discussions, to the choosing of colors, fixtures, appliances and furniture.  We both take part in the construction process, from paint to tile to countertops to

I've treated myself this morning to a return trip to my former beachfront post.  It's been more than a year since I spent an early morning out down here and I have to admit, things have not been the same for me since I left.  For over 6 years now I've been writing this, sort of, weekly post to clear my head and clear my conscience, in a number of venues, with a variety of caffeine and pastries, and yet this still seems like home to me.  My chair is long since gone. It's been remodeled and repurposed at least twice.  The staff behind the counter have changed many times....only one thing remains.  The retirees haven't changed a bit.  They have changed neither seats nor stories in my years in and out of here. As I look out over the water, beyond the metro busses assembled to take people with real jobs to their downtown destinations, a scene is repeated that has always drawn me here.  The sun reflecting off of the peaks reminds me that its time to just stop and soak

I just read something from Donald Miller this morning that said "what you'll leave behind is the story you've lived".  This struck me as being so true, and at the same time a bit overwhelming.  This may be due to the fact that some of my favorite places in the world to hang out in are bookstores.  With the exception of a really well thought out Barnes and Noble, these are all used book stores.  My favorite is undoubtably the original Powell's in Portland.  In fact, it's because of the time spent in these places that I am still hesitant to actually go through the pain of birthing an actual book of my own.  I wander the aisles and see countless thousands of books lying untouched or no longer wanted on the shelves.  I imagine finding one of my labors of love, with a two for fifty cents sticker, lying forgotten and dusty behind something by Louis L'Amour.  I imagine myself weeping uncontrollably and being forever banished from the hallowed shelves of Powells,

As the view from my window displays for me this morning, Fall is solidly here in the Northwest.  The leaves are turning their muted shades of red and yellow while everything else has chosen its own form of brown.  Next week, Halloween makes its annual appearance with its own shades of color, much of which will certainly be borrowed by the impending death and hibernation of the season.  It occurred to me this morning on my commute across the street to my office, that looks down on this scene, there is a natural correlation for me between the seasonal colors and the holidays.  Right around the corner comes Thanksgiving, again with its reds, yellows, oranges, browns, all signs of harvest and the end or at least dormancy of another life cycle.  It has always been this way for me.  My life has always been lived across the northern reaches of our country. When I first looked out my window on the scene below, with the colors before me and Halloween plans in the back of my mind, it occurr

This morning, as I ventured down the block for my weekly writing get away, I was confronted with a gauntlet that I was really not willing to pass through.  Look at the accompanying photo and see if you don't agree.  It puts another spin to the Portlandia "put a bird on it" culture.  There are some occasions where I might be willing to chance my timing, however this was not one of them...not after last weeks attempt at writing.  Last week, after settling in to my chair with my big red cup of caffeine perfection, I was hit with some writing inspiration that, in my estimation, hasn't occurred for me in recent memory.  It might be years now.  I had a burst of words and wit and insight and it all flowed together like some cosmically orchestrated divine plan.  You'll just have to take my word for it...because....after about 45 minutes of channeling from the Great Author himself, my post went blank.  Now in today's technologically advanced, plug and play, user and

It's a beautiful Fall day, I've got a caramel latte in a big red cup and I'm "Learning to Fly" with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in my ears. The only thing that could possibly ruin it is another trip through the Facebook land of political commentary. I can't help but imagine the heights that we as a nation might aspire to if we collectively invested as much time and passion in our vocations as we do with "sharing" and "liking" each others recent finds on YouTube and all things cyber. What is the most intriguing and, I'm not going to lie, distressing is the amount of rabid rhetoric from people who, like myself, claim to follow Jesus. It's not a partisan thing either...in fact, in my opinion it's one of the only truly bi-partisan efforts within our political process. At the moment, I am leading my community o'faith through a study in what it would look like to actually be a people who live lives of holiness. This act

So, according to my running tally, I have finally reached the elusive 300 posts on this site. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but this past year has really been a grind trying to post with any regularity. This morning, I went for the blueberry muffin instead of the donut...terrible choice. I have no idea what I was thinking. No matter though, a hardened pastry isn't going to dampen my time. I'm just grateful for the quite and separation from the intolerable political noise. I'm thinking, as I'm sitting here with Pandora in my headphones, I am so happy that, within the occasional "commercial" that you have to suffer through with the free version, they have not become a venue for political ads. Even with Bruce in my ears, I can still hear some of the obnoxious sound bites rattling around my head. I'm sure that this is exactly what the brains behind these campaigns are hoping for, but I've got news for them. In my opinion, when this happen

Wednesday morning in "Red Cup" and enjoying a red cup filled with a caramel latte alongside a "mighty o" donut, with some Pandora induced Springsteen in my headphones. It's two weeks and a day since my gall bladder was invited to exit my body and, even though I just celebrated turning a year older a few days ago, I actually feel a year or two younger...so no complaints here. While I am nearly within site of my real home sweet home and my office across the street, I am far enough away that, with headphones on, I can ignore some of the pressing demands that scream for my attention day after day and dream of things more suitable for dreaming on. I'm not so sure that this is always a good thing, but today it certainly is. This morning I woke up to a mixture of news reminding us that all is still not right with the world alongside commercials from politicians trying to convince us that if we would just elect them, this would all change. One in particular, r

Much has changed these past several weeks. This morning I am in a new place and from early experience, this may become a weekly thing for me. "Red Cup" is literally less than a block out my back door. I am enjoying the coffee and the vibe a great deal. It will never replace my first love, Hotwire, but they have the space for me to relax and reflect that is lacking with my first love. So I begin another season of life and pastoral artistry in new surroundings. Along with the new surroundings, I am now missing one of my internal organs...not a significant one, but part of me for 48 years all the same. A week ago my gall bladder was skillfully removed by a robot ... Yes it was intentional. I knew before the surgery that it wasn't functioning as designed, the gall bladder I mean, and afterwards I was informed that it wasn't looking very good, even for a gall bladder. So I'm glad that it's gone. Truthfully, it has caused me to lose a good share of this pas

In just a few days our team leaves on another Central American journey to bring clean water to a point in the world that doesn't have it. This time its a village in El Salvador. It's another, never been there and can't really find it on a map adventure. Even Google Earth can't pin it down. That's really ok for me, it just adds to the mystery. Having done this before, these next few days are when I know that I need to cleanse myself of all expectations and experiences from prior trips because chances are extremely high that it will be entirely different than any of the others. it's a whole lot easier said than done though...leaving the expectations behind I mean. It goes against human nature....or at least American culture. Most of us really like to know what's around the bend...unless maybe your last name is Lewis or Clark. We are molded that way. Our culture and way of life has conditioned us that we shouldn't have to deal with unexpected si

New adventure this morning...I decided to ride my bike to seek out a location for caffeine and contemplation. It seemed like a great idea at the time. Actually, in the long run, if I keep at it, it will become a great idea...right now it's just a bit more work than I had intended. Most know that we are now on month 5 of our journey into living without car ownership. For the most part, it has been a great life adjustment. Mostly it means more miles on my running shoes and more miles on the Metro. Now that we finally hit summer, it's more miles on our bikes. You could say that we are reframing our lives somewhat. It demands more intention. It demands more creativity. It really demands more effort. Last night it seemed to be a great idea to take a ride for my time away this morning. This morning, my legs were indicating that I should rethink the plan. And...I'm embarrassed to admit, this was on a relatively flat ride over. It was one of those routes that you d

Usually I have a title before I even have a post...not this morning. It's been a long time coming though...this post I mean. About 6 weeks ago I put down all of my social media outlets in an attempt to wrestle at least a corner of my life back. That happened to include this blog. One thing that I will add here is that I have found some great relief by nearly eliminating Facebook from my radar. I have returned to "tweeting" on occasion and posting a few pastoral artist related items to FB but that is about all. I discovered what I had already thought to be true... Status updates are not something that I generally want to be tied to and they certainly aren't helping my outlook on humanity. Jumping from the social media train has come in the midst of some serious redefining of my life, priorities, and aspirations. I'm trying to forge a new outlook on life. Better yet, in pastoral artist terminology, I'm trying to allow myself to be more moldable in the han

Let me just state at the outset of this post that I intend for this to be the last one for the month. This morning, in my circuit of cafe wanderings in the neighborhood, with every good intention of writing, I randomly picked the one place that has no wifi. In their defense they do have the best chocolate croissants...but still no wifi. So, sitting outside at a sidewalk table, watching the community walk, bike, and drive by, with nothing else to do but savor the previously mentioned croissant, I began to consider some new possibilities and realities. It has been a sobering week for those of us who spend significant time at local coffee establishments when it becomes apparent that one individual with one gun can change the world that we've created for ourselves within those walls. The pastoral artist part of me wonders even more than before how can anyone deny the existence of evil in the world, and with that same existence comes the reality of a loving God. I know all the ar

It's been nearly 3 months since my last visit to this blog, which is pretty inexcusable for someone with a desire to write and a commitment to keeping a blog updated. Not that its an excuse, but life kind of happened big these last several weeks. This was a particularly crazy end to a particularly crazy chapter of my life. I think that I'm at the back side of it, but not without some measure of exhaustion. This morning I made a desperate move to get some of my life back by coming back down here to my initial place of inspiration...a window seat with a view of the beach. One of the events marking these past several weeks was the completion of my graduate school career and the awarding of my Masters Degree. I don't really know what I thought life might be like after getting a piece of paper indicating that I'm 3 years smarter and 3 years poorer. I remember the wisdom that the Wizard bestowed on the Scarecrow regarding this issue. "Back where I come from, we have

So there is no coffee shop and no early morning peacefulness ... Not to mention no chocolate croissant either. I had no way of getting there this morning. At least not how I had planned on getting there. Yesterday we said good bye to another member of our family who has been a vital part of our lives and is now gone once more. Our beloved Ford Focus, who has been part of our lives for 2 years now, has begun the transformation from daily companion, to the automotive equivalent of an organ donor. The fatal blow came in the form of a head gasket that could withstand the pressure of too much heat. In weighing the options, as well as our bank account, it was deemed necessary to put her to rest. Most likely she will endure the purgatory of craigslist to await her final destination, but regardless, her fate with us is sealed. In my younger days she may have found refuge in my garage to await a life saving procedure. However, those days are not today and "I ain't as good as I

It has been exactly a month since I've last been here. Two things brought me back this morning. The first was a desperate attempt to wrestle my life back from the tyranny of the urgent. The only thing that brings me balance in times of desperation is balance...if that makes any sense. Balance, for me, begins with some of my own time in my own place with my own coffee listening to my own music and writing on my own iPad...although it seems as if, once again I'm already outdated. The second thing, and the inspiration of some additional writing, is the felt need to process some, in my opinion, misguided and destructive thoughts on faith and disaster that have appeared to the masses this past week. These originated from someone whom I will choose not to identify because the thoughts expressed, unfortunately, are not unique to him. He just happened to be the mouth piece for these thoughts and, again unfortunately, he happens to have a huge forum for delivering them. These th

I'd be curious to know just what the percentage of people in this world is that admits to sitting around in public spaces just watching people. My wife and I have a few games that we've come up with over the years to refine our own guilty pleasure in this field. One of them is called "friend or relative" which we usually play at occasions such as weddings or large social gatherings. This one is fairly simple. It's usually a matter of determining whether a particular person was invited from desire or obligation. Another game is "whats their story?". Or to put is a bit differently... "what did he/she ever see in her/him?" or however the couples match up. Go ahead and judge me if you want, but we all play these types of games. I realize that I am also the object of someone else's game that they are playing. I think that this realization is a healthy humbling knowledge. How many of us have a couple that we know personally where one o

It's amazing what a change of scenery will do. I highly recommend it. It's true that many will not be able to experience the extent of the change that I've been fortunate to experience, but anything is a step in the right direction. A month or so back I made a move from a years old tradition of a beachside Starbucks view to a smaller urban neighborhood caffeinated venue. The change has been good. This week I am tagging along with my wife on her conference at the happiest place on earth. No, I'm not in Cleveland...I am right in the heart of the realm of the mouse. Disney world is indeed everything that the name implies. It is another world. Many will disagree and charge me with being part of the "1 percent" and for this week I'm certainly Ok with that. After all, I am sitting here, lakeside in a gorgeous resort, typing mindlessly on my iPad, so I can't reasonably deny the charge. I could ignorantly claim that I deserve this, or I earned it