10-13-26
Because of recent deaths in my family I have found myself being caretaker of some empty homes here in the Valley. As you can imagine, coming and going from those homes I see the neighbors and they see me. I usually have pleasant exchanges. Except with one.
Behind one of the houses there is an alley shared by several other homes. A woman, whom I do not know how to describe, lives in one. Occasionally, she will offer a “cool greeting.” I have tried to be friendly, calling her by name, asking how she is doing. Often, she ignores me.
And then there are days when I am working outside or in the garage and chaos erupts. The woman will fly out her back door and begin to wave her arms and curse. Sometimes her curses seem directed toward me and sometimes they are directed toward the world in general.
Occasionally, the woman throws things. Not targeting me but just to throw something. I have tried to have rational conversations with her. They usually do not work. But I did learn that she originally moved to the Valley with someone else. That relationship ended and now she is “stuck in the Valley.” And obviously very unhappy to be here. Or, maybe anywhere.
At times I am frustrated by her outbursts and I become defensive. But I know it is really not about me. I am just convenient. Arguing with her or also yelling will only make things worse.
She reminds me of the demoniac who Jesus met. He was a wild man who ran around naked, no one could bind him or contain him. I guess, I should be grateful that at least my neighbor is always dressed.
I try to remember two things about this woman. First, as hard as it is for me to be around her and her anger. How much more difficult it must be to be her. I can walk away from her and her rage. She cannot.
Second, no matter how foul her attitude may be, she is always nice to Yoda, our dog. I assume she is kind to animals because they have been more kind to her than people have been. My prayer is that I may look beyond her anger and see her heart.
I am certain that there is some real goodness there. Anyone who likes Yoda (who bites police officers) cannot be all bad.
10-6-26
Some of you will remember the children's books, “Where’s Waldo?” The series was a collection of classic search-and-find puzzle books. Children enjoyed trying to find the character Waldo who should have stood out but was often hidden in a crowd.
Maybe you are also asking, “Where’s Linda?” Sometimes I ask that! She does like to stay on the move. Linda returned to South Texas on September 11th. But not for long.
On Sunday, October 4th Linda left again. Only, she has not returned to Virginia but instead she has returned to Armenia for another home building project with the Fuller Center for Housing.
Armenia is an old country. Actually, it was the first “Christian nation.” The Fuller Center for Housing has this to say about Armenia:
“Despite the wealth of culture and history, there is still tremendous need. Approximately 64,000 families are in need of housing in Armenia, of which about 26,000 are without permanent shelter — many living in metal shipping containers called “domics”. Others live in former hotels, schools and kindergartens which have been converted to temporary housing. Alongside those without permanent shelter are tens of thousands of families requiring better housing conditions.”
“Where’s Linda? She is not on a beach with a Pena Coloda. She is not on a tour to see the world. For Linda, seeing the world is seeing the substandard housing around the world and doing something about it!
Where’s Mark? At work where I usually am. But I am not complaining. I try to remember that I am staying in a nice home while Linda is living in what I imagine are barracks.
Pray for the people of Armenia and the work of the Fuller Center there. And pray that our Waldo will find her way home.
9-29-26
Sometimes, when I am preparing a blog, I check out the place on my calendar where special days are noted. Common holidays such as Christmas and Easter are there. And so are the quirky cultural holidays like “Ground Hog Day.”
There are also some pretty uncommon ones like, Peace Day, or Patriot Day, or United Nations Day. One of those uncommon or at least unfamiliar days popped up today. “Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada.” Given the present administration’s hostility toward Canada, that date may not remain on U.S. calendars long.
Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada, “Honours the children who never returned home, residential school survivors, their families, and communities, while recognizing the lasting impacts of Canada's residential school system.” Canada’s residential school system was a government-funded, church-run network of boarding schools designed to forcibly assimilate indigenous children. In effect, erasing their cultures.
The system was in place from the 1830s until approximately 1997. Attendance for First Nations children between ages 7-15 was mandatory. Approximately 150,000 children were placed in 130 schools.
The stated goal was to “kill the indian in the child.” Their hair was cut. Their clothing was replaced as was their language, name, and culture.
If that were not bad enough, many children were abused physically and sexually. Others were neglected. Poor health care, nutrition, and living conditions meant over 6,000 children died in these schools. Their remains were often placed in unmarked graves.
In 2008 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to investigate these schools and the trauma they inflicted on generations of Canadian First Nations children and their families. The commission concluded that the schools participated in cultural genocide and recomended 94 calls to action. There remains a 24 hour crisis line for survivors and families.
Canada is not perfect. But neither is the US perfect. We also committed cultural genocide against our indigenous people.
Linda and I visited one of those former “Indian Schools” in Arizona. Across the door was the school motto, “Kill the Indian and Save the Man.” The over 500 schools almost succeeded.
The US version of Canada's initiative, “Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act” (S.761) has been approved by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and awaits further action in the 119th Congress. Why the wait?
As a nation, we do not seem to be willing to face any part of our history that is ugly or wrong. We prefer to rewrite history and rename maps to protect our fragile egos rather than speak the truth. Maybe if we just change the name of Act (S.761) congress will approve it!
9-22-26
Today, September 22, 2026, at 7:04pm autumn begins. At around 7:41pm the sun will cross over the equator. It is now officially Fall.
Can you believe it? No more heat, right? Pull out the sweaters and the jackets. Those are our dreams in the Valley.
Unfortunately the dreams are not always real. Someone once remarked, “In the Valley, autumn lasts about 15 minutes.” Honestly, winter does not last that much longer.
Which is OK, sometimes. During winter months, while the rest of the nation is freezing, we are walking around in shorts. Still, occasionally we miss the variety that the seasons bring.
Neither is it an unreasonable expectation. Following the flood, Genesis 8:22 states: "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Our weather in the Valley never got that memo.
Mark Twain reportedly said, “If you do not like the weather, wait 5 minutes.” And Will Rogers famously quipped, “Everybody talks about the weather. But no one does anything about it.”
Rogers is wrong when he says, “no one does anything about the weather.” I am always doing something about it. Unfortunately, the only thing I do about the weather is complain! But without bragging, complaining is one of my non-spiritual gifts. I do it well.
I heard someone at church say. “Let’s all pray for rain this week.” Then, I heard someone else say, “Not this week, not on the cotton!”
That is when I remembered how different we all are, even regarding the weather. I have not been cold in about 26 years! Others in our church grab a coat when it dips below 70 degrees.
Rather than groan at our differences, I try to celebrate our diversity. (That kind of celebration is no longer politically correct.) But when it comes to weather, God is “no respecter of persons.”
The scripture says, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” I hope that includes those like me who have turned complaining into a fine art.
9-15-26
Today is a big day for me. And I am nervous. Today, I am applying for Social Security Retirement Benefits. Some of you have enjoyed these benefits for years. But it is a big deal for me. Applying for benefits is another step in the aging process. The word is out, “He is on SSI.”
I am grateful to our nation which provides for those who can no longer work as they once did. In particular, I am grateful for the likes of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Frances Perkins.
Roosevelt, of course, was the 32nd president of the United States serving between 1933-1945. Roosevelt guided the nation out of the depression with the New Deal and led the U.S. during the biggest part of WWII. Rarely has a president been asked to do so much.
Frances Perkins was the first woman to hold a cabinet position. She was Secretary of Labor during the Roosevelt administration. Perkins, “was the primary architect and driving force behind the Social Security Act of 1935, which established old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and survivor benefits for American workers.”
The act was not without opposition. Business leaders were not in favor of the taxes that they would be forced to pay. Initially, Republicans came out in force against the Democratic initiated legislation. As did fiscal conservatives in the Democratic party.
Eventually, the legislation passed by a landslide with generally bipartisan support. Still, terms like “government overreach,” and “big government” were thrown around. We hear the same ideological opposition to assistance today often expressed as socialism and communism.
But to generations of Americans who have relied upon Social Security Benefits simply to exist, they do not have any labels or criticisms of these programs. They call it simply, “living when you can no longer make a living.” I am now joining their ranks.
9-8-26
Yesterday was Labor Day. Although it is expensive for small businesses to shut down for a day and still pay employees, for me it was great to have a respite from working in this heat. And I have it much easier than most.
A few years ago, Linda and I had lunch with an attorney and his wife at a club. The dress code was relaxed, so I was in my work uniform. As we arrived at the table, the attorney looked at my uniform and remarked. “It looks like you have a real job.” I was not offended but Linda and I have laughed about it many times.
I do have a job, actually two jobs. Which means that I am fortunate, since I am surrounded by people who would love to have one job, real or not. Of course, not everyone feels that way. I have known a few people who prayed for a position but all they received were job offers!
One of my two jobs is as a pastor. The other is what my attorney friend called a “real job.” No doubt, people in professions like medicine, finance, law etc. have difficult hard work. But by real job, I think the attorney meant physical and often grimy labor.
It is important for me to remember that my heroes in the scriptures had real jobs. The Apostle Paul did not support himself with high paying clergy positions. Rather he was a tent maker. His passion was the church but his bread and butter was making tents.
The other apostles also had jobs. Several were fishermen. Yes, Jesus asked them to leave their nets and become fishers of men. But when the group needed fast cash they went fishing. At least one of the 12 worked for the 1st century IRS.
And of course, Jesus was a carpenter. The actual Greek word is “tekton.” It is where we take our words architect, and technician. I usually associate Jesus more with agriculture than with construction. But the scripture is clear he was a tekton and the son of a tekton. He built things and repaired things.
So, Jesus was techie. I like that. Maybe because I like techie things. I am not necessarily good with them. But I like them.
People with real jobs can identify with Jesus. He did not have soft hands. His hands were rough and calloused. There were splinters and cuts. His nails were broken or missing. But his heart and manners were as gentle as a…How does the New Testament say it? Lamb of God.
9/1/26
These days, we have had more than our share of “man-made disasters.” The war in Ukraine has caused 2 million casualties. Estimates of losses related to the “Iranian war” are hard to find. But numbers in the thousands are considered reasonable. That is to say nothing about the ongoing brutal Gaza/Israel conflict.
The sheer number of casualties in these “man-made disasters" overshadows the casualties attributed to “natural disasters.” For example, the earthquakes in Venezuela. While many more are still missing. At the time of writing, 6,500 people are confirmed to have died in the two quakes that hit the nation in late June.
Eighty percent of the buildings in the capital were knocked down. 58,000 buildings were classified as uninhabitable. Leaving 24,000 people seeking shelter where they could.
Ericka forwarded a story to me of one survivor. Actually, two. Dayana Patino and her 18 day old son, Juan David, were on the 18th floor of their apartment building when the first quake hit.
Dayana describes the sensation of colliding with furniture as she was flying through the air. The whole time Dayana clung tightly to her newborn. When the pair landed, they landed on a Bible.
30 hours later, Dayana heard the voice of her brother and called out to him. Soon a long straw with water was snaked down to Juan David. Then rescue efforts began. Eventually, mother and son were extracted from the wrecked building. While Dayana suffered a broken knee, Juan David did not have a scratch.
If you ask Dayana what saved her, she will list two things. First, she drew life and hope from her infant son. “As long as he was alive, I had to live.”
Second, Dayana does not dismiss the fact that for 30 hours she and Juan David laid upon an open Bible. We often talk about “Standing on the Word of God.” That is not an exact quote from the Bible but the idea is clear enough in scripture.
2 Thessalonians 2:15: "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you."
The Bible is not a magic talisman that provides divine protection to those who hold it. Plenty of people have died with a Bible in their hands. But occasionally, an epiphany comes along to remind us we can stand firmly on the Word, even as the world shakes. I guess we can lie firmly on it, also.