The Keener Way

   If it wasn't obvious from the fact I have a whole blog page dedicated to the former USMC backpack system, I love military surplus stuff. And when it gets cold enough that a hoodie is no longer sufficient, I can be found sporting some combination of the US Army's seven layer extreme cold weather system. How is this relevant to the topic today? Well, the jackets in this system have places to put Velcro patches. I love Velcro patches. I especially love patches that have funny, sarcastic, or witty remarks on them. So I always wear a couple on each jacket. So one Sunday this past winter, I showed up at church with a patch that said "Don't grow up, it's a trap". Which immediately caught the attention of one of my friends from my young adult group. (Yes, I'm calling you out on this. Yes, I know you are going to read this. Yes, you know who you are. :p ) I had it pointed out to me that Paul says, "when I was a child, I thought like a child...but when I was

  This past Lord's Day, my church did a overview study on the book of John. (Lord's Day is my name of choice for Sunday because I generally dislike using a calendar based on Roman mythology, but I especially hate using it for the day Yahweh overcame the grave) The purpose of the sermon was to present a broad overview of John's message. Our creator came to us in the flesh, this is the explanation of eternal life, and Jesus is the promised Messiah. But in the course of communicating this message, the sermon touched on two verses that got me down a completely different mind track. John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”  John 15:12-33 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  The word Jesus is usin

  Saturday, June 8, my second full day in Colorado, I awoke to a distant buzzing sound that seemed to be approaching. Rolling out of my tent, I spotted a paramotor sailing high over the reservoir. It has been a few years since I've seen one. Kinda cool concept, but I doubt I'd ever willfully try it. I don't feel like strapping an engine to my back while hanging from a parachute. Still, it was fun to watch this guy doing it. Once breakfasted, I set out to meet up with my hosts and adventuring companions. On the way, I decided to finally stop and get some pictures of the Pueblo reservoir dam. The road into the campground goes below this dam, which I reasoned could spell trouble in the event of flash flooding. Still, this is southern Colorado. It never rains that hard in the summer, right? Today's expedition would be Colorado Springs. Long have I had the zipcode memorized for this infamous city (Shotout to all my fellow Adventures in Odyssey listeners!), but today I would

      The Inkdrinker Historians return with their next series!    In this series, Lissie and Simmons will be taking a look at two American agents who leaked vital information to the Soviet intelligence committee: the KGB.  In this episode, Lissie and Simmons discuss the origins of the KGB.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Join the Inkdrinker Historians as they begin this two-part series on the KGB.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Other places you can find Lissie and Simmons: Instagram Handle: @inkdrinkerhistorians Lissie's Blog: https://lissiesramblings.wordpress.com   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Link to the book mentioned in this episode: Spy Handler: https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Handler-Of...