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Is follower of Jesus the first thing that comes to mind when people think of me?

Philosopher Walter Kaufmann wrote a book ironically titled The Faith of a Heretic. After explaining our cosmic insignificance, he concluded: “What I want to do and would advise others to do is to make the most of life: put into it all you have got, and live, and, if possible, die with some measure of nobility.”

There is good reason we get afraid. Fear protects us from harm.

When I was 9, I heard about an all star game at the end of little league season and I wanted to make that team more than anything. But I wasn’t that good. So when players were picked and I wasn’t, I couldn’t accept it.

I was a 20-year-old college student driving down an interstate highway. I didn’t have any money, but I did have an AMC Matador (AMC is no longer around). Traveling at about 65mph, the hood latch gave way.  The hood popped up and slammed back into my windshield, creating a spiderweb crack and covering my view of everything. It was just like the movie Tommy Boy. Talk about scary!

This past week I’ve tried to educate myself into the causes behind this terrible war in Ukraine. The history behind this is quite complicated.

This was my third trek to Israel. My last two trips I led tours. They were wonderful excursions, but I had more responsibility in leading and directing.

I stood looking at this pile of rocks. But it obviously was not just a pile of rocks. These were first century carved marble blocks, hundreds of pounds each, that had been transported over a hundred miles to the top of a mountain citadel.

This is the week most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. Winter feels long. The dreary sky, wet salty roads, and short days get to us. We lose motivation. It’s not that we just quit. We peter out.