A Pilgrim's Journal

Reflections on the Journey

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A Pilgrim's Journal

And Time Slows Down…

I just had my oldest son’s four children over for a “sleepover at Grandpa’s house.”  Although it was less than 24 hours together (not a big deal, right?), it was a wonderful and satisfying 24 hours, huddled up with my grandchildren on a cold Saturday night.  We made s’mores over

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A Pilgrim's Journal

I Just Ripped the Hose out of the Pump at the Gas Station

Reflections on disorientation A few weeks ago I stopped for gas on my way out of town with my wife. I dropped her off at a coffee shop around the corner first, so she could get some lattés, and I pulled into the gas station, which was bustling with customers

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A tree grows on a small island in the middle of a body of water
A Pilgrim's Journal

The Voice of the Inner Critic

A number of months ago, I came home from work and gave my wife Jill a summarized recounting of the day, declaring with loud exasperation, “I worked like crazy today and didn’t get anything done.” She looked at me like I had grown a horn out of the middle of

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A bible lays open on a table with a pen and notepad nearby
A Pilgrim's Journal

Grace In the Ordinary

I’ve had a practice with my band and jazz band students at the faith-based university where I teach of sharing a brief devotional meditation from my recent Bible reading at the start of each rehearsal. It is short and often, at least to me, quite unremarkable. I’ve pledged to them

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a man sits in a field with an old building and fence overlooking some mountains and trees
A Pilgrim's Journal

Stay Home!

As I write this, we are something like two weeks into the Governor-ordered social distancing andshelter-in-place guidelines in Colorado related to the Coronavirus. What a disorienting and anxious timefor many of us. An added level of disorientation was already present in my life, as we’ve been out of our home

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a field of wheat with dark clouds in the sky
A Pilgrim's Journal

Reflections on Anxiety

I am an anxious person. When I was a kid, more than once one of my parents would say, “Mark, you’re a worry wart.” I hated that. It sounded weak and, now, through adult categories a bit categorical. But I suppose I was. I was terrified of tornados, to the

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A bible sits on a table opened up to the middle
A Pilgrim's Journal

Gospel Reminders

This talk was presented in chapel at Colorado Christian University.  Sharing from Scripture and my own life story, I seek to remind us all of the beauty of the good news of the gospel, and how foundational its message of forgiveness is to how we live our lives. Anyone struggling

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a man sits on a mountain, his legs and feet are shown
A Pilgrim's Journal

I Haven’t Had a Starbucks In 9 Days

I haven’t had a Starbucks in 9 days…. No, I am not on some Lent-like abstinence plan.  I’ve had all sorts of coffee over the last 9 days, just no Starbucks.  I’m just coming off 9 days of vacation in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where there was no Starbucks within 50

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