Feeling down about yourself? Questioning past choices and actions? Do you seek out people or books that affirm you? Do you cut yourself off from people who don’t embrace you? Are you a grace junkie? I define the term as someone who wants grace, feels that they desperately need grace from others, and will do …
Author Archives: desertvessel
A Crash Course in Life
Failure is not an option. Certainly a principle to embrace when striving toward a goal. But, after the strife, what if failure is the result? When facing the reality of changes that have occurred in life, when you feel shattered and disconsolate, it is important to step back and assess. After my divorce, all my …
In the Eye of the Beholder
We no longer live in a world of reality, but rather in a world of perception. Physics posited a multiverse with countless parallel dimensions, multiplying from each decision point. We, however, are now captive in a dimension with multiple realities all springing from the eye of the beholder. I began to observe this in my …
The Just Shall Live by Faith
As citizens in a democratic republic, our government knows the will of the people only through the votes that they cast. Accordingly, voting is a civic duty not to be taken lightly. There are three main steps you must take to fulfill this duty: Registering to vote Researching the issues and candidates Casting your ballot …
Nothing New Under the Sun…
I miss libraries. Sprawling collections of books, organized by author or subject, all available for immediate perusal or for withdrawal for study in depth. I recall many times going to our city’s central library, not in quest of a particular title, but instead looking for something to read. Biography, history, how-to, fiction; it was all …
The Clockmaker
Clocks have been a hobby of mine for many years. Although I have expended time and energy to gain a modicum of skill in their service and repair, my efforts have been of limited result. My nephew once characterized my efforts as “killing clocks”. My shelves of clocks and parts sadly suggest that his assessment …
The Bridge Between Death and Life
An old movie I recently watched featured a scene where the two protagonists were fleeing a group of villainous ne’er-do-wells. They reached a point in their flight when they encountered a rickety rope bridge stretching across a vast chasm. Of course, this was their only means of escape so they reluctantly began a perilous journey …
Sour Notes
I spent the better part of the day recently working on a music box. When I say “better part”, it is not because I spent the majority of the day so occupied, but rather that of those activities that filled my day, this was the comparatively better part. Musical movements are remarkably simple in principle. …
When God Casts His Vote…
I was struck by a recent study in the Book of Daniel wherein God demonstrated his power over the kingdoms of the earth. As we in the United States are presented with a presidential election, it is striking that in this moment we are not faced with a selection among the best and the brightest, …
The Promise
I was already old when He called me. Too old, my wife Zipporah said; but you don’t say “no” to God – or at least you don’t finish with “no”. Now, Egypt was but a faint echo. Zipporah more distant, more remote. I brought the people out to this barren place. For forty years I …
In a dry and thirsty land 