Hope…

I’m 64 freakin’ years old. How the hell did this even happen. Feels like a couple days ago when Miss, Jordan, and I rode horses in Deer Valley Ranch (That’s us vintage 1993 on the back of that Cruise America RV). Blinked and it’s been 30 years. Like you, still a work in progress and some days it feels like anything but. I’m blessed beyond belief and still bummed more often than I care to admit. Filled with gratitude, hope, big dreams, and damn doubt too. Been writing since 2006. Still seeking clarity and learning to act in ambiguity. Feel cut to the bone by tiny pin pricks. Shredded many and hardly noticed. 64 and still figuring it out…

I’m a wanderer and wonderer. All I know for sure is life is more mystery than fact. Faith and doubt are bookends. Science is a belief system – not much different than any religion. Absolute truth exists, it’s just really rare and rarely found. I am a beautiful mess on my best days. Freakin’ disaster on my worst. Do not follow me. Follow my lead. Do not trust experts. Trust God. Trust your gut. Seek truth. Do not settle for soft soap. Hard truth is the one that brings clarity. John 8:32, please…

Listen to music. Read ancient text and scripture. Think. Pray without ceasing. Ask God for help and don’t be afraid to ask fellow sojourners for help. Life is hard. Designed to be so. God is good. We’re the only animals designed in His image. 64. 101. 25. 50. These ages are not that different when compared to eternity. It’s not the longevity that matters, it’s the life in the number that matters most. CORE, OPUS, and PoP are great tools to guide us. Of course, you’ve got to do the hard work to author and use ‘em. Are you?

God, thank you for the Hope you’ve given us in Jesus. God, help me give more than I take. God, help me do more than I think. God, help me have a little faith in a great, big God. God, help me keep working especially when it’s hard. God, help me.

Slow down. Reflect. Write. What, friend, are your deepest held beliefs? What keeps you going in the hard? Where do you find hope?

Live hard. Love harder…