This was a rough morning. It was bound to happen. Everybody, except maybe Eli, is in a bad mood. The long days, continuously going, going, going, and then Disneyland, morning to night, wore us out. Today, we are supposed to drive to Kings Canyon National Park, but before we leave, Amber is trying to squeeze in laundry. Unless, we want to wear dirty underwear (and none of us do), it needs to be done. Because of grumpiness and being tired, we are at odds with each other. Read more…

Day 2 at Disneyland has begun, another early morning. We still make good time, but today, this morning we are dragging a bit, and don’t arrive to the park until about 7:35 am. Again, there will be a race. This time to ride Cars, Radiator Springs Racers. Somehow, we do even better than yesterday and are literally one of the first to ride.
We continue riding mostly big rides. Today, we add Guardians of the Galaxy. Here, you ride in an up and down, falling elevator kind of ride. Honestly, I am a bit nervous, not sure if my stomach will handle it. As we get strapped in, am I ready for this, maybe not? Wow, that was fun. I declare it to be in the top 4 of rides. Later in the day, we ride it again. Read more…

Our first day at Disneyland, the 10th national park of California. What a change. After 3 national parks of hiking, hot weather, and God’s creation, Disneyland is drastically different, but we are ready. Here we get to celebrate the imagination. God granted humans the gift of creative imagination. In fact, through the parables of Jesus, we can use creative imagination to better see God’s kingdom in our midst. However, for right now, we are enjoying the imagination of Walt Disney.
Amber’s favorite ride has always been Dumbo. Every time we go to Disney, she must again convince our reluctant boys to ride it with her. Both Eli and Josh prefer the bigger rides like roller coasters and Rise of the Resistance. Read more…

It’s an early morning and we need to catch a ferry to Santa Cruz, one of the islands of Channel Islands National Park. The ferry ride is beautiful, but a bit chilly, longer than Josh would have liked. There are 5 islands, in the National Park. We chose Santa Cruz because we can sea kayak. Amber is a bit nervous. I am just excited!
After a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride we finally arrive, and the first glimpse of the island is beautiful. I am excited for this national park because I have never been to a park like this one, an isolated group of islands. Maybe we can pretend that we are on the TV show Lost. Nah, I don’t want that much adventure. Read more…

Today was another travel day. Los Angeles traffic is horrendous. Tomorrow, we will go to Channel Islands National Park and I am truly excited! For now, though, I have some reoccurring thoughts. First, last night was the second night that I had dreamed that I was preaching. What is that about? There was another dream of leading a wedding. God please take these dreams away. I am on Sabbatical. Read more…

Morning has come and the power is still not on. It is cooler outside in the 90 plus degree heat than it is in our room. Thank you for shade and a breeze. There is one building with a generator and the hotel is offering a free breakfast to everyone in that building. A/C feels so nice, but ironically the generator goes out as we are there. However, it still feels cool and the continental breakfast was not bad. We are now ready for the day even thought none of us slept well. Yes, we are dragging a bit, but ready. The first place we go is Zabriskie Point. The picture does not do it justice. It is a beautiful spot looking over the valley with more color than the picture reveals. Amber lines us up for a picture that the boys no longer resist. They are now resign to the fact that there will be lots of photos. Read more…

We are now in Death Valley National Park. Our first of nine. It’s hot here, very hot. Our first stop after the visitor center is Badwater basin, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level. We all hit low points in our lives. They are not comfortable. Today, as we walk this valley floor, It’s 111, yesterday reached 117. Thank goodness we came today. The hottest temperature on earth was recorded here, a blistering 134 degrees. The heat is oppressive. We walk out to the salt flats, a shimmering white. Here we are, the lowest point, blistering hot, and blinded by the sun reflecting off the white salt. All miserable, but a tourist site. We chose to come. We often don’t choose the miserable spots in our lives, but sometimes we do choose to stay in them. They become our comfort zone, we begin to find our identity there. Why? Read more…

We are off. The morning went well. Packing complete, and I don’t think we left anything behind. Our first big trip is here, a full month in California, nine National Parks, Disneyland, and Alcatraz. But first we have to get through this crazy day. The four of us are flying to Las Vegas together, and then I am flying on to Fresno, California as they check in at the Vegas Hampton Inn. Why, you wonder? Why am I flying to Fresno and then driving 5 1/2 hours back to Las Vegas all in the same day? Well the answer is simple. It’s the only way I can rent a Jeep Wrangler for our month in California. We are traveling to nine beautiful national parks in four weeks. I want to be able to take it all in through a roofless vehicle. Read more…

Today, my family and I went to the Indy 500. Eli, is a race fan and has always wanted to go, but being a pastor, working on Sundays, makes it difficult. The weather was cool! The day was nice, and the race was fun. Josh even picked the winner correct and now he thinks he deserves Olive Garden for dinner. Yes, we enjoyed the race. However, the getting home was as eventful as the race itself. It took us 4 hours to travel the 15 miles home. I wish that was an exaggeration. The majority of that was stuck in the parking lot, where we barely moved for 2 1/2 hours. Did you know you can learn a great deal about humanity and faith stuck in a parking lot. It was an entertaining display of human nature. Read more…

I was a bit apprehensive to return to West Dallas and Wesley-Ranking community center. I worked here for two years, 1995-1997, and left 28 years ago. These were impactful years. At 22 years old, all I wanted to do was find some place, some community, lower economic, and serve. I was naive, idealistic, and innocent. I was placed at Wesley-Rankin through the United Methodist US-2 program. As I arrived, seeing the bars on the windows, the barb wire on the fences, the dilapidated homes, and graffiti everywhere, I was frightened, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I didn’t just work here, this was to be the neighborhood I lived. I pulled up to the house on Obenchain, unpacked, and that night clutched my dog, Bailey, tight as I slept. First impressions are often wrong impressions. Here in West Dallas, I discovered real community, great people, and an active God. Read more…