I thought it would be just a hike.  It turned out to be much more.This past Saturday, I took our dog Ella on a  hike in the hills above Hollywood, just a couple of miles northeast of our church campus.  Just a chance to exercise myself and our faithful Labrador.  But it seems God had … Continue reading A View from the Top, and Our Lives Together

How was your day? No doubt, full of small problems of the First World. Alright now. Stop. Take a moment and watch this. This is tangible proof that new life and joy can rise from the ashes of great and dark tragedy. "......…..the most beautiful gift a person can give." Rachel Beckwith's Mom Visits Ethiopia. … Continue reading The Most Beautiful Gift

This is my favorite song of 2012: Sun is up, a new day is before youSun is up, wake your sleepy soulSun is up, hold on to what is onTake up your spade and break ground[ Lyrics from: http://www.cloverlyrics.com/e86708-sara_watkins~take_up_your_spade_lyrics.html ]Shake off your shoes, Leave yesterday behind youShake off your shoes, But forget now where you're … Continue reading Sara Watkins – Take Up Your Spade

Each year for the past decade or so, it has become a Christmas tradition for the homes on our street to light luminarias on Christmas Eve.Although more recently seen as a form of secular Christmas decoration, the hope among many Christians, and in our home, is that these lights will guide the spirit of the … Continue reading Christmas on Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena

Tonight marks the third season of the Downton Abbey series on PBS, and I am nearly beside my white, balding, middle-aged self with anticipation.For those of you who have been living in a yurt in the Mojave desert for the past two years, Downton Abbey is a series of very well told fictional stories set … Continue reading Downton Abbey and our Place in this World