Another Little Known "Getaway" Favorite. This One Is In Direct Contrast To The Desert. 

Riding The Deserts Of The Mind

The picture below was forwarded to me from Canada. Sent to my source from somewhere else in the world where I assume it was taken. It caught my imagination immediately and a song came to mind, then another song came, and for a time I was back in Texas. It seems I've been spending a lot of time in Texas lately without leaving home. I don't imagine the photo is of Texas, it looks more like Arizona or New Mexico to me, but it's hard to tell. The second caption is from a set of lyrics I can only attribute to a CW tune I picked up about a year and a half ago.
I don't know the singer's name, and I really don't know anything about the song, other than the tune and the words. It 's the lyrical content that attracts me to songs, I've discovered. The genre is of little importance if the words say something that takes on shape and creates images that I enjoy identifying with life. That one has to do with the whole male bonding thing that is done on two wheels. The companionship and fellowship that is shared on the road. There are times when we need to get away from our minds that get so busy we can't continue thinking. Those are the times it's really nice to have a little space of desert reserved for getting away. Have you ever been watching a television(I had mine disconnected while I was writing the last book)and found you had no idea of what, or why you were watching? That's the desert I'm referring to, the one that is in there that we can't consciously take note of because we have to be somewhere inbetween unconscious and cognizant to arrive. It's like that thing that happens when you've driven too long at night and start seeing things on the highway, the lights are on, but no one is home. I enjoy sitting around a fire with a few friends watching the flames dance and listening to the hiss of the logs as they release their life blood through the roughly cut ends. Far better than the TV, with a fire I know for sure I haven't missed anything, unless, of course, someone was talking to me. A lot of times around the fire when men talk it really doesn't make any difference if we listen to one another, its the act of getting stuff out of us that is most important, just saying it out loud. Maybe that's one of the reasons I enjoy talking to God about my stuff. He may be a million miles away in the dancing flame, but if I have to drop a load I know I can drop it with Him. Women may need this time, also, but I can't say for sure how their minds work, other than having a daughter who is a woman now and she seems to feel much the same way I do, but that might be my fault. Taking time to "ride" that desert in your mind and finding a place where you can hunker down around the fire with God is a wonderful stress release, and a great way to explore that one on one relationship with Him that we all need. Here's to the next "Ride!" In Christ's Love, Preacher.

And Cowboys Like Us Just Like To Have Fun, Racing The Wind, Chasing The Sun! 

Sometimes Age Takes Its Toll On Us And We Should Not Be Followed. Should This Sign Be Put To Use In DC? 

Letter To Leaders: For Today And The Future!

Leaders have an enormous responsibility. First they are supposed to know where they are going, the dangers that are present, and the alternate routes available for arriving safely at the chosen destination. When we make a HOG(Harley Owners Group)run we have a designated "road captain" who plans the journey from beginning to end. This is a good thing, it takes the pressure off everyone that is "along for the ride." Patrols in the military sense(is this an oxymoron)put a man on point. Huge companies have CEOs, and in the church we have a pastor. All of these persons I mention take on the role of being the leader, only not all leaders lead from the front. You see, being out in front may look and sound wonderful, but it isn't! It's dangerous, it requires a high degree of self confidence, and most of all, to be a great leader one must have the respect of their followers, their trust, if you will. I guess what I would like to share with you today is that if you are a follower you must take some responsibility for "who" you are following and "why" you are following. A leader is not someone that you see out front and choose to follow them because they are ahead of you, that is a "line." Examine, question, investigate, and then make your choice, with careful consideration, who your leader will be. An inept leader can leave some of the group behind because they didn't plan the fuelup locations very well. A bad leader can leave many dead in the wake of their leadership. In the business world an entire company can be brought to it's corporate knees due to inefficient leadership. And in the church,
souls are lost to the neverending torment of hell(removed from God's presence and Spirit)by lack of accurate knowledge of where we want to go and how we are supposed to get there. We live in an age of mindless confusion leaving most willing to follow anyone who is out in front. I am in total agreement with following the person out in front. I admire and respect those who have the gifts and talents to lead from the front. I guess I'm mature(does not mean to imply that I have grown up)enough now to realize that I also want to check the route and all of its' alternatives before commiting myself to the journey. Experience teaches me that the "best" leaders choose to lead from the front, but each of us has to make our own choices. Roger Miller wrote, "Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Following the person who is furthest out in front is not always the best choice. 

This Is A Shot Of The Ball Over Dallas At Night. (This is how it looks to me without my glasses)