The Plumbline

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! (Psalm 63:1-3) Growing up in the Arizona desert, I have walked many a dry wash, climbed over huge boulders, and been pricked by more than my share of cacti. It is dry, filled with all kinds of dangers, and barely livable in many parts. Water is not easily found, nor is it readily available if you were to drill for it. Many places have to truck it in right to this day. You can be so 'dry' in the desert that you actually crave water. It doesn't seem all that fertile, does it? What seems like the most 'unfertile' ground in our lives may actually be the place where the greatest growth occurs. Something you may not realize is how many 'distractions' are removed when yo...

We sometimes find ourselves moving from place to place, relationship to relationship, without any fixed plan.  We are just meandering along, kind of oblivious to the results of some of the things we might involve ourselves in, or the influence of the people we might choose to hang out with.  We might call this a state of "wandering".  One thing I have learned:  Wander long enough and you will spend a whole lot of time at the end wondering what got your where you are today!  Wandering and wondering go hand-in-hand.  You speculate about things - how they could have been, what you could have done differently.  Oftentimes, we end our time of wandering with our wondering, filled with all kinds of regrets.  Regrets for the lost time, the lost relationships, and maybe even more significant things like the loss of reputation.  Some of you wandered for years in the desert,  looking but not finding a good place to live, h alf-starved and parch...