Custer State Park: Wrap-up

I am NOT still in Custer State Park, but it has been a whirlwind since we returned and I thought I should wrap that trip up.
The park is impressive and we could have spent weeks there. To the south of our camp was a loop titled “Wildlife Drive”. It took us about 2 hours, [...]

Custer State Park: Needles Highway

Custer State Park is huge.
73,000 acres, in fact—making it one of the largest in the nation.
There are several driving loops within her boundaries. One is called “Needles Highway”. When it was first built in 1922, the locals called it “Needless Highway”—I suppose because of the cost. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. The loop [...]

Bismarck Camp, Custer State Park, SD

We camped for several nights at Bismarck Campground in Custer State Park.
I am so impressed with South Dakota! It is beautiful!
Bismarck Camp is near the north arm of Stockade Lake. My early morning treks were to its shore and the forest around it.
It was here that I watched a blue heron fish.
At [...]

The Popo Agie Mystery

“…but Jesus often withdrew to lonely places…” Luke 5:16

The universe is filled with mysteries. Gravity is a mystery. Dark matter and dark energy are a mystery. The 1908 Tunguska explosion is a mystery. Really deep love is a mystery, especially when it can make your heart sing and ache at almost the same time.
There is [...]

Jewel Cave, South Dakota

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105
Jewel Cave is a few miles west of Custer, South Dakota.
It is enormous.

It is the second longest cave in the world—146 miles. There is a map in the visitor’s center showing the passageways and caverns they have discovered so [...]

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming

I woke up this morning realizing two things. The first is how much I love the outdoors and the second is how much I needed a vacation! I am especially enjoying the dawn encounters with God’s amazing creation. Yesterday, I watched a blue heron catch a fish while the early mist was still on the [...]

Fourth of July, Lander, Wyoming

Here in the United States, the 4th of July is special. It is our Independence Day—the day we commemorate the Declaration that “all men are created equal” that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights”…rights that include not only life and liberty, but the right to pursue the ownership of property, the [...]

“Knighting” the Institute Class

At some point during the semester, each Institute class is trained to be a Truth Project small group leader.
That happened yesterday.
I call it a “knighting” of sorts, because there is a commissioning that goes way beyond just handing each of them a copy of the Truth Project DVDs.
We are on a quest. The [...]

Summer ‘09 Institute Class

I arrived home from Costa Rica late Sunday and early Monday morning appeared (partially coherent) in the classroom with the Summer 09 Institute class.
We begin each day with a devotional time, class runs all morning, followed by an “open forum” over lunch, where any and all questions are fair game. The rest of the [...]