The Keener Way

    Okay, so it is February now, and the Gregorian New Year's Day is a ways behind us. Though according to the lunar calendar of Jewish Torah, the first day of Nissan is on March 30 this year. And according to the Persian Hijri calendar, one of the most mathematically accurate solar calendars of all times, the new year is on the vernal equinox, which will fall on March 20 this year. Which means that, either way, I still have a month and a half till the new year begins, because I like poking holes in Rome. Plus Persia had better mathematicians. But I will still refer to Gregorian dating for public communication for the sake of communication, even though it is less accurate.  Anyway... In 2024, I set 'Sanctuary' as my word of the year. In original etemology, this is defined as a sacred or holy place. Over time, the word became broadened to any place of refuge. So how did the year go for me in light of this? The year started with a trip to Louisiana in January, where I spent...

  The sight you are beholding is the last colors of sunset, lighting up Nipple Mountain, 38 miles northwest of Pueblo, Colorado. It is also not my picture. My phone camera is terrible. Credits go to the hosts that invited me out to Colorado in the first place. At the time of viewing this scene, I assumed this to be Pikes Peak. However, some calculating on Google Earth would later confirm this to be the wrong shape for Pikes Peak, and 14 miles too far south. So how did it come about that I lucked into this breath-taking gorgeous view of our Creator's majesty? It all started when I woke up on Monday, June 10, 2024, on my friends' couch, mildly confused as to what I was doing there. As I started working out the cramps in my neck from being curled up on the couch, I slowly remembered. Massive storm. Flash flooding. Encouraged to sleep on couch instead of trying to get to my campsite. It was early enough that none of my friends were awake yet. I considered driving up to camp and ma...

 Sunday, June 9, 2024 was my third full day in Colorado and the midpoint of my trip. After Sunday, I would be closer to my departure than to my arrival.Which was sad. Sunday was actually two other things. First of all, it's our weekly observance of our Lord's resurrection. Our weekly reminder that if Yeshua had not been raised to life after He paid for our sins, there would be no hope in life. But because he rose from death and defeated the grave, we have ALL the hope in life. Secondly, Sunday happened to be my twenty-seventh birthday. It's been a long road to twenty-seven years. In some ways it's been a good life. In some ways, the road has at times been very dark and very broken.  I've survived two car wrecks, one near drowning, and several months of suicidal depression. I have owned four vehicles, worked five jobs (one of them twice), and watched the collapse of a cult. I've lived in two states, spent at least one or more nights in sixteen other states, and a...

   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...

  You know, the Bible is oddly full of "what ifs". Verses that pose the idea of "what if the Lord fails me?" Think of Daniel's three friends who were thrown into a furnace. "Even if our God does not save us from your fire, we will still serve him." Think of Job. He was convinced that God was doing unjust evils to him. He was questioning how God could be so cruel as to torture a righteous man. And he still said, "even if he kills me, I will serve him." Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, " Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle-- even then, I will be happy with the Lord . I will truly find joy in God, who saves me." 1 Peter 3:14, " Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened." Psalm 23, known and loved by so ma...