Looking for Life

I always have to chuckle when reading about another space probe that's probing the probability of pre-proboscis progenitors swimming in geyser pools on distant moons and planets. Sorry, but it will NOT mitigate the necessity of creation and Creator.

The new species of being you see above was discovered in a pool of water just today in my backyard. It was not by chance and eons of time that this creature evolved. It was by careful design and took about 15 minutes in Photoshop.

". . . the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." Hebrews 11:3

The Short and Straightened Road

The Lennon/McCartney legacy includes The Long and Winding Road, a doleful tale of love lost, loneliness and longing. Pretty dreary stuff, really. But a good melody and harmonies. A good match for today's gray sky mood.



My drive home today was on the dreary side,too, as another storm front moves in. I grabbed my camera out of my coat pocket while waiting for a red light, zoomed it and shot through my truck window while everyone started to go on the green light.

My short and straight road home is an uneventful 5 minute event in the fast lane (I have to turn left too soon). Rarely doleful since I'm always entertained by how people drive, what they drive and the weather. Plus, there's the prayer that my old jalopy won't fall apart before I get into the driveway. Plenty of variety for me. Today's dramatic sky warranted a second look.

A Flaw in the Ointment

According to a Fox News poll, most Americans are against South Dakota's new legislation that bans virtually all abortions. Gov. Mike Rounds signed the bill and is ready to fight all the way to the Supreme Court. It will be a long battle.

Back to the poll: Why were only the living asked for their opinions and not the millions of dead babies who would most certainly cast their vote for LIFE!? Or why not ask the God who gives life in the first place?

Stupid Driver Stories - Why Some Teens Shouldn't Drive

The talkshow host's question: What is the stupidest thing you ever did in a car when you were a teen? The following four stories came over the airwaves in short order, because we ALL have them, don't we?

1. It's a 20 mph zone, but that's way to slow for this guy. He wants to prove he can do 120 in it, so in the middle of the night when no one's looking, that's exactly what he does. Why? I guess so he can tell his grandkids someday or have some airtime on the radio.

2. This woman called in who said they used to get bored just racing forward, so they started doing it while the car was in reverse gear. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun to me!



3. Another guy called in to report that at 16, before he had a license, he rounded up 3 friends to joyride with him in a Grand Am. They were soon airborne, but lived to tell about it.

4. And lastly, a former farm country fella called in to say he used to get bored, too. Those country roads were mighty boring in his day, so he would use his faithful screwdriver and crank up the idle speed so he could stand on top of the car and steer with his foot. This is no lie, folks. I heard it with my own ears. Said he loved to feel the rush of wind on his face. Hey, buy a motorcycle!

Are you thinking of that time you just had to push the envelope and only by God's mercy are you still here to tell about it? Join the club. God was and is telling you something.

Old Testament Darkrooms

You want to record the whole growing up thing. It will only be a fuzzy memory in 20 years, if you live that long. So you take the video and click the shutter and try to remember some of the cute and wacky things they say.

If only the camera had been invented about 1500 B.C. Just think of it: A Matthew Brady portrait of Moses at the parting of the Red Sea! Wow!

Rough, Tough, Chucky Puff

It's not enough for the local gangs to tag any available flat surface to advertise their menacing machismo. Now they are using props to accentuate the negative. Skillfully drawn letters outlining a beautiful pale blue fill --- it just needed the added touch of a Chucky Doll to drive home the point. "Cross us and you die a horrible . . . Hollywood type death."

What are you thinking? You who grew up in a small town, graffiti-free and gangless. You who cared less about skin color and didn't hear any slurs. You few who only saw graffiti on the blackboard during class.

Where have all the fathers gone? Long time passing.

On the Way to Church

It was one of those dark, cloudy mornings. Storm front coming through. Geese fighting in the park. Even the dandelions looked ugly under a grayish sunrise. I was hoping to get some good color shots while walking, but a drab and dreary sky stopped me. We had a few days of spring's promise with warmer temps and blue skies, but today the pendulum swings back toward winter.

"Remember the wheel of Providence is always in motion; and the spoke that is uppermost will be under; and therefore mix trembling always with your joy." Philip Henry in the 17th century.

Harbingers of Bing

I guess this backyard plum bloom can pose for the cherry blossom. How many really know the difference? Coming soon to a tree near you, the perennial bing cherry show is in the wings, ready to inspire poets and photo takers around the world. Oh, and let's not forget all the kitchen technicians who like to bake and design other fare from the famous Bing Cherry. The California Cherry Advisory Board offers a few recipes.

Question: is a blossom's beauty a thing of art to the buzzing bee? Can an insect enjoy the shape and color of one velvety petal, much less the composition of a tree full of them? Not with that puny brain and missing spiritual link. Thank God alone that we can just stand there and say, "Wow!" Evolution can never explain Beauty --- nor Beast, for that matter.

Dropping the Gauntlet

Calling all 62-year-olds to the Little Dividend Competition. Janise Wulf of Redding is one brave woman . . . make that mother . . . make that grandmother . . . make that great-grandmother! Her twelfth child, Adam, is doing well, along with her 20 other grandchildren and three great-grandkids.

Cheering her along in her quest was her husband, Scott, who is retired and has plenty of time to take care of this new brother to their previous son who was born 3 1/2 years ago. Seems the little guy needed some company.

The icing on the cake of this story is the fact that Janise is blind, has diabetes and 'just' loves children.

Go, Granny, Go!

Don't Pray for Rain

This early spring weather has fooled some trees into early bloom, which some farmers are fearing might prove disasterous if more heavy rains and wind are on the way.

We will survive.

The Pain of Lobster Love

Unfortunately, these sea creatures feel the pain of boiling water and would cry out for mercy if they just had vocal chords like us. However, they baked Barbara's fare instead of steamed it, so the poor guy had to put up with a bit more torture than and instantaneous aquatic death. How could you enjoy a meal after that?

But relish she did, taking each deliberate bite slowly toward her open and sexy lips. Then, after a round of sirloin, baked potato, deep-fried zucchini and bread, she'd be back at the lobster tail. No guilt. No remorse. No shame. Just a big, broad, beautiful smile on her face.

I smiled back through the tears. Happy Valentine's Day, Dear.

Declaring the Glory

King David writes, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" in Psalm 19:1. Whether day or night, the Artist's hand is busy fashioning the elegant. And this beautiful display is but a slight reflection of that beauty of purity and perfection of a glorious God, who condescends willingly and lovingly to be called Father by those who love Him.

Dostoevsky wrote, "Beauty will save the world." Not beauty created, but the Creator of beauty. Not the beauty of human love, but the beauty of the One who first loved us. Not the beauty of human wisdom, but the beauty of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins by the sinless Christ Jesus.

Ask God to show you this glory as you read His word and see His works.

Palmy Sunrises

After 20 years of driving past this row of palm trees on the way to work, I've finally captured the scene. And this one doesn't compare to the more spectacular ones seen through the years. This used to be farmland and is now industrial/commercial/tech land except for a leftover farmhouse and barn at the end of these desert sentinels. When I first started working here, we used the barn (it's across a 4-lane street, about 1/4 mile from us) to store paper rolls for business form printing. Someone would drive a truck or van over and a forklift or clamplift would put rolls in the truck. This worked fine until someone forgot to close the rear door one day and a roll or two bounced out onto the highway. This slight incident forced management to find another place around the block from us. Goodbye, ol' barn and not-so-good ol' days.

Ageless Quotes

"To know how to grow old is the master-work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living." Henri Amiel

"A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called old for the first time." Oliver Wendell Holmes

"No wise man wished to be younger." Jonathan Swift

"Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old." Washington Irving

"History will never forget Mr. Jagger's charisma. But it will certainly question his ability to sing." Wordy Dave

This Ol' Crow

Light thickens, and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood;
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse,
Whiles night's black agents to their preys do rouse.
---Macbeth Act 3, Scene 2

All the world hates a crow. Its sin-black sheen and coarse-grained caw conjure medieval memories that make us shudder. Ravenous. Threatening. Hated by its feathered cousins no less than hawks and eagles. A pulpitless bully. But smarter than the average bird. Is that its redeeming value?

God has so ordered the habits of certain creatures to mirror those of certain men. Even Jesus compares King Herod to a wily fox. And ants are to be examples of enterprise says King Solomon. Satan is compared to a beast and a lion.

So, what creature somewhat fits your personality? Just ask a good friend for a reliable answer and laugh at yourself a bit.