Matthew 8:5-13 contains this familiar story: When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under …
From March 2015
Wildrose Peak
In our exploring of Death Valley National Park, Tom and I have been up lots of canyons but we had not yet climbed a mountain – until this week. This week we climbed up a trail to Wildrose Peak – and three days later my calves are still sore! Wildrose Mountain is one of the …
The Tax Information Is in the Mail
Tom and I have a great tax accountant. We have been very fortunate to have a whole series of great tax accountants. They have all been in Minerva, Ohio, so that meant they were a long way from Akron but this year everything in Ohio is a long way from where we are! So I …
Darwin Falls
Death Valley is full of microclimates: a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet (for example a garden bed) or as large as many square miles. On Tuesday we visited Darwin Falls, one of the many microclimates in …
Nothing but Rocks
When Tom does his underground tours, he asks his groups what they saw on the way to Scotty’s Castle. The most common answer, one he gets 80% of the time, is “nothing.” If he pushes them, then they might say that they saw rocks. I recently went through the Jr. Ranger activities with a little …
Guest Preaching
I haven’t preached since I retired. I’ve been in ministry in various ways, led devotions, and counseled people but no preaching. As much as I enjoyed preaching, I can’t say I have really missed the weekly preparation. This week I returned to preaching. Adam Wood, the scheduled preacher for the Christian Ministry in the National …
This Week at the Castle
This week life at Scotty’s Castle has not followed the usual routine. First, we had clouds and cold weather. I know it isn’t cold compared to the rest of the country, but people come out here for the sun and warm weather and it has been cloudy and cool (in the 50’s). On Tuesday, just …
Titus Canyon
While John and Jackie were in Death Valley, we visited Titus Canyon. Titus Canyon is a 27 mile long dirt road that goes up the side of several mountains via a series of narrow switchbacks and then comes back down the range through a narrow and spectacular canyon. Our truck is too long for the …
The Clouds His Chariot
This morning when I got up, an unusual sight greeted me. There were clouds below the mountains, filling the valley all around us. Most of the days in Death Valley are beautiful and cloudless, but we have had several days of snow and rain: snow above 5,000 feet and rain below that elevation. Consequently it …
John and Jackie Visit Death Valley
This last weekend John (our son) and Jackie (our daughter-in-law) came to visit us. They could not come for long – John just started a new job – but they flew out on Thursday and back to Ohio on Sunday. We were eager to see them and they were eager for a break from the …