Deserts I have Visited Have Been Not So Very Real!

We have nothing on this continent that compares to the desert pictured below. What we do have I've gone to visit and come away less than excited. From California to Texas in the US we've got a few places that stand out in memorable visions. West Texas in particular, where during the last world war the government came up with the idea of constructing huge concrete bowls in the desert to stockpile oil. Now there was an idea! It didn't work! The concrete cracked in the shifting sand and the oil leaked right back out into the earth. What we have left is several deep bowls approximately three times the size of a football stadium. You can visit them out near Monaohans, Texas, where local inhabitants gather after sundown for the sake of revelry. Real deserts, like the picture with the camels and the sand that goes on endlessly, I would love to visit. Think of it as an unpainted canvas that all traces of use disappear with the next breeze. The potential is as limitless as the deserts themselves. Everyone has seen the movie scenes with an "oasis" in them. Those places where the water continues to rise to the surface and creates a veritable garden in an otherwise barren region of the world. I like the imagery that the "oasis" brings when we think of the peaceful place that God provides in the midst of the barrenness life often presents to us. I don't suppose it's too bad if one 'has' to travel that way, if you have many to accompany you and a route to follow. But I'm sure we have all faced those journies through life's deserts without a companion, or so it seemed.
The oasis that God provides in the midst of our sojourning is so cool, so laid back and inviting, I can't express anything more than thankful amazement! Combine that with the reality of God's willingness to share even the most desolate of travels with us, and you have before you a veritable feasting place in the throes of life. South Dakota has a place called the "Badlands," where(35 years ago)I used to go camping. I don't think it's legal to be out there anymore, may not have been back then, but it's a great place to encounter the desert in a personal way. I never knew how alone I was until I began my walk of faith. I survived, just barely at times, and the surviving has brought me to one conclusion, much like Alice in her travels through the looking glass. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter." Whatever road you choose, it does not have to be traveled alone. God bless, Preacher.

Moses And The People Of Israel Wandered In The Desert For Forty(an indeterminate number)Years.  

The Sky Is The Limit, Well, Almost!

While attempting to post the "USA" picture last evening I inadvertently wandered in to my personal frustration zone. The photo came by way of one of my service buddies. I had it looking so cool, but for some reason it simply refused to post. Then I got paranoid of where the picture came from and how it was taken and perhaps I was divulging military information without knowing it. The mind can do some really strange things when it is allowed to roam untethered by reason. My personal favorite of the "paranoid" person was portrayed in a movie starring Mel Gibson quite a few years ago. I won't bother you with the details, you've probably seen it, but there was this underlying current of frustration that he experienced that made the entire plot come alive for me. Right now I am experiencing one of the most frustrating times I can ever remember having. It seems that God is in the process of attempting, once again, to teach this "old dog" some new tricks. I tackled the computer last fall in an attempt to learn some of the "new" things I needed for the program. Frustration after frustration assailed my waking moments with the "oh so popular" 21st century tool I was led to learn. At Christmas I remember thinking, "Lord, what need have I for this 'puter?" Well, now I understand in part, but it took half a dozen rebuilds and learning an entirely new language to get here. Honestly, I was happier with my half dozen dead languages and my poetry and music mixed in with the passion for photography. But, frustration or no, we carry on. That's what life is all about(either that or the song was right years ago and the hokey-pokey is what it's about)striving, building, and learning. In our everyday lives we need to know that we are continuing to grow, that we have not become stagnant in our thinking or in our spirits. The best way I know of to "freshen up" that spirit is to get closer to God in prayer(Cheryl, my wife, likes to "freshen up" with a visit to the salon and a new hair style. I think she does some praying there, mostly for her stylist, Miriam). Then there is the refreshing feel of the wind in my face on a day filled with sunshine(haven't seen one of those in awhile)and the roar of one of my Harleys as we roll mile after mile isolated from frustrations by the beauty of the world that surrounds us. Seek that time to refresh yourself, guard it jealously, use it wisely, and share it abundantly with your God, it makes Him happy when we are enjoying all He has done for us. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

San Antonio, Texas Is The Sight Of This Never Before Seen Flight Formation Of Pilots In Training At Over 400 Miles Per Hour! 

A picture, it is said, is worth a thousand words. Take pride, America, in your military. They are the best in the world! 

Preparing "Try Again" and this time "Stay Out Of The Way!"

"Trying Again" is the title of this coming Sunday's sermon. "Stay Out Of The Way," is the subtitle I have given it to remind myself why I'm here. The photo below is a great shot of one of our planet's mysteries. I guess I've been looking at Stonehenge as a place I'd like to visit for 45 years now. It's intriguing, mind bloggling, and at the exact same moment, makes perfect sense. Some kids from another planet were here on a field trip. They got busy with their lasers and cut out some crude blocks to play with. Four years old and already over 60 feet tall, they picked this spot to put up a building. Called away before they were finished with their afternoon project they sped back into the universe with the other children on the space bus, leaving behind their toy blocks for us to ponder. Another group of these space "children" carved people heads on one of their visits and stuck them in the ground over on Easter Island. You see, everything has an explanation! Not all explanations are fact, though, and I'm supposed to deal in truths that are supportable and irrefutable. That makes the job I'm tackling this week tougher, simply because all of the answers to be garnered must be taken on faith, trust, and conviction found within the sentient being. It would be easier to convince some folks of the truth of my idiom concerning the extraterrestrial "space kids" building Stonehenge than it would be to get them to "try" believing in God. It's all a matter of one's perspective on "facts." I believe that people believe what they want to believe, and that's pretty much all there is to it. I believe that if you believe in anything hard enough, it might work! Shades of philosophers past, present, and future, forgive me, I pray thee! Holy smoking skydivers, Batman, where will this take us? You may consider yourself invited! Drop in this coming Sunday morning at 1st Baptist here in Brookings around 10:15 in the morning. The airport is close by, you can walk from there to the church in less than ten minutes, we can talk. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Not To Be Facetious, But My Grand Daughter Was Playing With Blocks Yesterday, And Left A Bunch Looking Very Similar To This On The Patio!