The 1/64″ Scratch
Mike’s text message read: “I needed to know so I gutted the valve. Found the problem. 1/64” scratch in brass seal inside valve. To big for the new plungers to work.” My breath stopped in one of those you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me moments. His message continued: “We were hopeful that the less expensive fix would have worked.” Yes, Mike, so did I. About $950 worth. The backflow device for our church in Walnut had been leaking for a while, and it was growing worse to the point of continuous flow. I had replaced all the inside parts myself a couple of years earlier,…
Can Eternity Meet Earth?
Can eternity meet the earth? I’m on the Pacific coast, looking across a foggy horizon as frothing waves crash on stubbornly immovable rocks. A longer look finds seagulls, cormorants, pelicans, terns, lone herons, and an occasional sea lion. Kelp forests make a home for innumerable fish. On shore something like a miniature forest grows within the zone between high and low tides. Above it plants flourish as close as they dare to approach the water. The shoreline is a narrow ecosystem where land meets sea with a profusion of life. The ocean has always seemed to me like the heart…
You Don’t Have a Soul
You and I see everything in life through a perspective, usually our own. From a human perspective, we are physical creatures in physical bodies—and we each have a soul. But God does not seem to share our perspective. He sees us differently. Pastors sometimes stimulate people by asking, “Are you a physical creature on a spiritual journey? Or are you a spiritual creature on a physical journey?” Many people don’t even think about that. They’re physical creatures in a physical world, seeking physical accomplishment, physical satisfaction, and physical comfort. Some people indeed seek spiritual things, yet the predominant goal still…
A Golden Gate Take on Theology
I’m standing on the icon of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. I am in awe–not just because of the marvel of the thing but what it shows me about God. This suspension bridge depends on two towers on which hang two 6750-foot cables that suspend the 4200-foot span. Each cable is three feet in diameter and is made of 3/16” wires—27,562 of them. Yes, 27,562 wires tightly are bundled into each cable. These two big cables rise into the sky—but on a foggy day, which is most of the time here—they’re obscured in the mist. And it seems like…
My Favorite Restroom!
My favorite restroom is the one where I step into infinity. Yes, a restroom. I walk into this room with mirrors on all four walls and ceiling that reflect infinitely in every direction but down. It plays with my eyes and mind, and I play along. What would it be like to step through the mirror into the images and enter another dimension? I want to go beyond myself, beyond the ordinariness of this world. I want to step through the mirror into infinity. Become countless me’s, all moving in sync with my original me, now…
