"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b This scripture text on Samuel journeying to Bethlehem to annoint the next king of Israel didn't resonate with me much initially. So I pondered it and put in the back of my mind as we drove into the new day. This day was "red letter". A high pressure system had come in behind the rain and the air was clear, the sun bright, and the temp like air conditioning. We drove out into the new-to-us desert landscape marveling at everything around us. Steve kept commenting about the refreshing scent of the junipers that dotted the spaces stretching out from the road. We decided it smelled like a blend of sage and pine. We waited to eat breakfast until we had ... read more

Grace and I woke up in Tulsa this morning (I think that is the same place we went to bed last night. I was too tired to care.) It was kind of a "dive" of a motel down in the industrial area of Southern Tulsa but it was close to Route 66 and it had a keyboard, even though the spacebar didn't work very well. You wouldbegintotypeanditwouldlooklikethis. Then you would have to go back and pound on the spacebar to make sure it created a space. Needless to say, it was frustrating trying to write our blog. I had mentioned that my high school friend Denny Larson from Stanley in lives in Tulsa. He married a girl a couple years behind us in school, Cheryl Maki. DEnny and I were on the wrestling team together and ... read more

I had a fairly open mind about what we might experience on this trip, knowing that there were too many variables. Our scripture to ponder on the day of assault on St.Louis, was Joseph's journey into slavery (Gen. 37). The question I wondered about as I finished my pondering and prayer time was: "When have I been on a coerced journey like Joseph's and how did I react? I came up with a few vague ideas, but nothing I was very satisfied with. I needn't have worried: a sample was about to slap us in the face. We got lost at least once in the morning, but had a great time on the Chain of Rocks Bridge which crosses the Mississippi on an angled bed of limestone and therefore actually has a turn built into the ... read more

I haven't written here for a couple of days, just my journal. Last night we grabbed almost the first motel we could find after riding through 30-40 min. of steady rain and departing daylight. (no computer in this motel of our desperation!) It was a fun day of rolling green vistas in backwoods Wisconsin. The only problem was the wide weather system blanketing most of the midwest. We were in mist and cool air mid-morning and then finished the day in rain. I can affirm that "hole-in-the-wall" authentic Mexican food tastes amazing when you are tired and wet! (Also, rainsuits are a good thing.) "It's not at all the way I pictured it." Today's scripture was Abraham's call to journey from Haran to the land God would show him (Gen. 12:1-9). He heard from God, "Leave ... read more

It took me the first 100 miles to mentally grasp that we are really on our way. And then I couldn't stop smiling. In the past few weeks I have thought more than once about the pre-journey that occurs in the preparation for a journey. My pre-journey prep seemed pretty intense as I worked to get three teaching projects with which I have been involved ready to be turned over to other hands. I realized the truth of what Steve has been telling me about my over-commitment to volunteer work. Boundaries in these areas have been non-existant for me. Preparing to travel away from those responsibilities helped me to see them in greater focus! We have been collecting bits of gear for this trip for months as another part of our pre-journey prep. Considering "what to ... read more