This morning I noticed something colorful on the kitchen shelf--in the cookie jar, which is not used for cookies but which I keep as a souvenir of my childhood. It was a pack of Route 66 playing cards which I must have bought at Phippen Museum near Prescott, Arizona, where Bob's brother Rick lives. 2026 is the 100th anniversary of that road on which millions have travelled. Including me in 1945. I suppose I should open it; the art looks memorable.
We need our daughter to help us keep track of our present and our future, the odds and ends of directions, cords that don't seem to match any appliance or computer, the stacks of bills, the confusing schedules of exercise classes, meetings on Zoom, Bible studies, social gatherings and medications. One of the reasons I struggle to remember is because there's just too much disconnected "stuff" up there crowding out what I need today, like travelling the old Lincoln Highway westward and the newer Rt. 66 going east, 15 states, from the backseat of a 1939 Ford during WWII.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Tuesday, June 09, 2026
Romans 3:9-20--a good confession
While Romans 3:9–20 is not a standalone hymn, it is a foundational text in Christian worship. It is read in liturgies, preached upon, and often followed by hymns that echo its message. Its frequent appearance in hymn collections and liturgical programs shows its enduring role in expressing the reality of human sin and the need for God’s grace. Bible Hub
"What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalms 14:3 and 53:3
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” Psalm 5:9 and 140:3
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.” Psalm 140:3
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” Psalm 10:7
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” Isaiah 59:7–8
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Psalm 36:1
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalms 14:3 and 53:3
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” Psalm 5:9 and 140:3
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.” Psalm 140:3
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” Psalm 10:7
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” Isaiah 59:7–8
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Psalm 36:1
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Monday, June 08, 2026
Testimony from our niece Kimberly
June 8th, 2025, I stood in the ocean (purposely waited for an ocean baptism as it’s always been my connection to God since I began surfing back in March of 2014) and made a public declaration to give my life to Christ.
I didn’t grow up in faith. I grew unaware, celebrating beautiful holidays and rituals but I didn’t have a relationship with God, let alone Jesus.
I denied anything and anyone that spoke of Jesus being real, the gospel, and organized religion. It was off putting and seemed hypocritical at times.
I was a very emotional kid and even through most of my life, allowing emotions to run the show. Then I spent years in Vedanta philosophy trying to logic my way through life, trying to make sense of every single thing before I could move forward. And while it gave me tools to sharpen my critical thinking skills and discernment, it also gave me a level of analysis paralysis and, eventually, an arrogance I didn’t even see coming. I thought I was getting smarter and was actually just getting stuck in 2 areas of my life (stories for another time).
My come-to-Jesus moment wasn’t graceful. It was July 2024. It was the kind of crying you see in movies — completely uncontrollable, hands in the air, snotting, sobbing myself to sleep. I told God if He was real, I needed Him to show me. Like yesterday. I’d surrendered before in my life, but not like this. Not with this kind of total release of control, opening myself to something I had never believed in and had barely even understood.
But I kept showing up. I said yes to churches, yes to life groups, yes to people, yes to questions, yes to the parts of the Bible that made me uncomfortable, yes to the parts I didn’t fully understand yet. And the more I said yes, the more I realized: I didn’t need to understand everything anymore. That was the shift. I didn’t need to lean on my own understanding. I just needed to trust. (Proverbs 3:5-7)
I got baptized as a public declaration. I tried to keep my expectations at bay because I didn’t really know what to expect. And honestly? Nothing dramatic happened that day. No lightning bolt. No revelation. But what happened a month later changed everything
A few hours later, I was in the ocean on my birthday, paddling in from a session, when a clean-up set came through. A surfer came charging down the line with no intention of moving regardless of my etiquette and his room to be able to do something different. His fin sliced clean through my left pointer finger. I came up out of the water and looked down at skin completely split open. White. I thought it was bone.
And instead of panic in the water, injured, still needing to get back to shore — I remembered the pastor’s words. I remembered Proverbs 3:5-7. I remembered the man who said he felt called to pray for me that week. Wave after wave, I made it in. A friend from the surf community I don’t even talk to regularly drove me to urgent care. A doctor was impressed with how calm I was despite telling him the remains of what he was probably going to endure with me passing out. I put one hand on my chest, one on my belly, closed my eyes, breathed, and just trusted.
No passing out. No panic. Just peace. Peace doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared or wanted some sort of certainty of what was to come. It’s means I trusted. I was safe. And it was ok that I didn’t know. It was a moment but it didn’t ruin the day. I still made it to my birthday dinner. Only two hours late.
I go to sleep every night saying “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil.”
There was no single lightning bolt moment the day I got baptized. But there has been, and continues to be, transformation — a slow, steady, unshakable kind — that started the moment I stopped needing to understand everything and started choosing to trust instead. That’s what baptism meant to me. Not a moment. A direction. A deep surrender to faith.
An ultimate trust in God. I never understood "my Lord and savior". Now I can't imagine my life without Him.
I didn’t grow up in faith. I grew unaware, celebrating beautiful holidays and rituals but I didn’t have a relationship with God, let alone Jesus.
I denied anything and anyone that spoke of Jesus being real, the gospel, and organized religion. It was off putting and seemed hypocritical at times.
I was a very emotional kid and even through most of my life, allowing emotions to run the show. Then I spent years in Vedanta philosophy trying to logic my way through life, trying to make sense of every single thing before I could move forward. And while it gave me tools to sharpen my critical thinking skills and discernment, it also gave me a level of analysis paralysis and, eventually, an arrogance I didn’t even see coming. I thought I was getting smarter and was actually just getting stuck in 2 areas of my life (stories for another time).
My come-to-Jesus moment wasn’t graceful. It was July 2024. It was the kind of crying you see in movies — completely uncontrollable, hands in the air, snotting, sobbing myself to sleep. I told God if He was real, I needed Him to show me. Like yesterday. I’d surrendered before in my life, but not like this. Not with this kind of total release of control, opening myself to something I had never believed in and had barely even understood.
But I kept showing up. I said yes to churches, yes to life groups, yes to people, yes to questions, yes to the parts of the Bible that made me uncomfortable, yes to the parts I didn’t fully understand yet. And the more I said yes, the more I realized: I didn’t need to understand everything anymore. That was the shift. I didn’t need to lean on my own understanding. I just needed to trust. (Proverbs 3:5-7)
I got baptized as a public declaration. I tried to keep my expectations at bay because I didn’t really know what to expect. And honestly? Nothing dramatic happened that day. No lightning bolt. No revelation. But what happened a month later changed everything
.
On my birthday — July 6th — I woke up to an email from my church with Proverbs 3:5-6 in it. The same scripture that had been following me around for months. I got to church that morning and a guest pastor from Texas opened by talking about his severe anxiety, his panic disorder, his history with suicidal tendencies, and how his worth had become wrapped up in why God hadn’t healed him. Then he talked about watching a child drown in the ocean as a kid and never going past shin deep in the water again his entire life. There's a beautiful life and evolution to this pastor, and I could honestly listen to him talk for days and regardless of his anxiety, he still helps so many people. What a beautiful story.
That same morning, before I paddled out to surf, a man I didn’t know leaned over in the row behind me and said he felt called to pray for me that week.
On my birthday — July 6th — I woke up to an email from my church with Proverbs 3:5-6 in it. The same scripture that had been following me around for months. I got to church that morning and a guest pastor from Texas opened by talking about his severe anxiety, his panic disorder, his history with suicidal tendencies, and how his worth had become wrapped up in why God hadn’t healed him. Then he talked about watching a child drown in the ocean as a kid and never going past shin deep in the water again his entire life. There's a beautiful life and evolution to this pastor, and I could honestly listen to him talk for days and regardless of his anxiety, he still helps so many people. What a beautiful story.
That same morning, before I paddled out to surf, a man I didn’t know leaned over in the row behind me and said he felt called to pray for me that week.
A few hours later, I was in the ocean on my birthday, paddling in from a session, when a clean-up set came through. A surfer came charging down the line with no intention of moving regardless of my etiquette and his room to be able to do something different. His fin sliced clean through my left pointer finger. I came up out of the water and looked down at skin completely split open. White. I thought it was bone.
And instead of panic in the water, injured, still needing to get back to shore — I remembered the pastor’s words. I remembered Proverbs 3:5-7. I remembered the man who said he felt called to pray for me that week. Wave after wave, I made it in. A friend from the surf community I don’t even talk to regularly drove me to urgent care. A doctor was impressed with how calm I was despite telling him the remains of what he was probably going to endure with me passing out. I put one hand on my chest, one on my belly, closed my eyes, breathed, and just trusted.
No passing out. No panic. Just peace. Peace doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared or wanted some sort of certainty of what was to come. It’s means I trusted. I was safe. And it was ok that I didn’t know. It was a moment but it didn’t ruin the day. I still made it to my birthday dinner. Only two hours late.
I go to sleep every night saying “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil.”
There was no single lightning bolt moment the day I got baptized. But there has been, and continues to be, transformation — a slow, steady, unshakable kind — that started the moment I stopped needing to understand everything and started choosing to trust instead. That’s what baptism meant to me. Not a moment. A direction. A deep surrender to faith.
An ultimate trust in God. I never understood "my Lord and savior". Now I can't imagine my life without Him.
Enjoying the tree tops at Blacklick Woods
Last week's trip by Estates residents to Columbus metro park Blacklick Woods was cancelled due to bad storms, but our hardy group had a gorgeous day of 80 degrees and beautiful sunshine June 3 to see the Canopy Walk through the tall trees rising 40 feet. It had an elevator and was ADA accessible. Don't miss this spectacular sight/site in Reynoldsburg, OH.
Sunday, June 07, 2026
Ablation is not oblation
Sharing time. It's Sunday, June 7, and this item is related to that. I often hear OBLATION and ABLATION mixed up/confused. An OBLATION is a religious term--an act of praise or worship. An ABLATION is a surgical term--like a heart ablation when something is removed or corrected through surgery. You may not need to know this so scroll on, but I just needed to share.
AI data centers in central Ohio
I heard yet another story on Spectrum this morning (local news) about the central Ohio small towns concerned about AI data centers. Hearings, with passion on both (or more) sides. I have a simple answer. The data centers should cover the costs of the water and electricity not only their increase, but cover all the costs for everyone in the city boundaries/limits. Seems fair. If they are going to change the town/environment, then pay for it. If AI is that big a deal and all the venture capitalists are diving in, why not share?
Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Pope Leo on AI
Last night I looked through ENCYCLICAL LETTER MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Full Text of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’: Read Pope Leo XIV’s First Encyclical| National Catholic Register I do recommend it whether or not you are Catholic and whether or not you like this Pope. AI is mushrooming/exploding and will affect us no matter what the Pope, President or Prime Minister thinks or does. It's coming at us faster than anyone anticipated. And there are moral and spiritual implications. No other Christian institution has the power and authority to speak to the secular world. And in Christian parlance, "world" is the entity that constantly is opposing God's will, so who better to issue an Encyclical on the topic?
At first glance there are too many squishy words like discernment, process and transparency for my taste, and not to be too picky, but when was slavery abolished? There are probably over 50 million slaves in the world now, millions more than in the 18th century, so it seems a bit parochial to claim it was abolished. And I did stop long enough to read three paragraphs which proposed to explain "dignity" and was lulled to sleep. (51-53) The several paragraphs on the role of education made me wonder if Pope Leo knows in the U.S. education system basic biology is still a battle between our political parties.
By paragraph 184 he gets to the "therefore," one of St. Paul's favorite words.
At first glance there are too many squishy words like discernment, process and transparency for my taste, and not to be too picky, but when was slavery abolished? There are probably over 50 million slaves in the world now, millions more than in the 18th century, so it seems a bit parochial to claim it was abolished. And I did stop long enough to read three paragraphs which proposed to explain "dignity" and was lulled to sleep. (51-53) The several paragraphs on the role of education made me wonder if Pope Leo knows in the U.S. education system basic biology is still a battle between our political parties.
By paragraph 184 he gets to the "therefore," one of St. Paul's favorite words.
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
United States refining capacity
Why have no U.S. refineries been built in 50 years? Certainly, it's not Trump's fault. The short answer is extremists attached to the Democrat Party. At least, that's how I interpreted the co-pilot answer.
Co-pilot (AI) "The combination of STRICT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, high capital costs, uncertain future demand, and federal policies FAVORING REDUCED PETROLEUM USE has effectively halted the construction of new major oil refineries in the U.S. for nearly five decades. Existing refineries continue to be upgraded to meet demand, but new greenfield projects remain economically and politically challenging."
Between 2000- 2022, "the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into 37 settlements covering 112 refineries across 32 states with companies that control more than 95% of total U.S. refining capacity, according to a database of EPA enforcement actions. ' https://www.insights-global.com/the-us-hasnt-built-a-major-oil-refinery-in-nearly-50-years-heres-why/?
So, the next time a Democrat complains about the price of gasoline, remind her of all those clean air regs and the green new deal.
Co-pilot (AI) "The combination of STRICT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, high capital costs, uncertain future demand, and federal policies FAVORING REDUCED PETROLEUM USE has effectively halted the construction of new major oil refineries in the U.S. for nearly five decades. Existing refineries continue to be upgraded to meet demand, but new greenfield projects remain economically and politically challenging."
Between 2000- 2022, "the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into 37 settlements covering 112 refineries across 32 states with companies that control more than 95% of total U.S. refining capacity, according to a database of EPA enforcement actions. ' https://www.insights-global.com/the-us-hasnt-built-a-major-oil-refinery-in-nearly-50-years-heres-why/?
So, the next time a Democrat complains about the price of gasoline, remind her of all those clean air regs and the green new deal.
Monday, May 25, 2026
Psalm 122--Jerusalem and the U.S. during 1937
I enjoy reading "Meditations in the Book of Psalms" by Erling C. Olsen. He had a Sunday afternoon radio broadcast in the 1930s, later transcribed and published in 1939 which then went through several editions. Mine is c1967, 4th printing, 1985. He was not a preacher--just a businessman who studied the Bible and had the gift of talking plainly to people suffering during the Great Depression.
Here's what he said to his radio audience in Feb. 1937 about the current problems in Jerusalem as he commented on Psalm 122 [Pray for the peace of Jerusalem]. Keep in mind, there was no Israel nation at that time, and he was not a dispensationalist.
Here's what he said to his radio audience in Feb. 1937 about the current problems in Jerusalem as he commented on Psalm 122 [Pray for the peace of Jerusalem]. Keep in mind, there was no Israel nation at that time, and he was not a dispensationalist.
"If you wish to know how important that city [Jerusalem] is [to the world] consider that even in this present time one has but to read the current magazines and newspapers to discover that it is a city of trouble and disturbance, yet a place to which the eyes of the world are turned for salvation--I mean national salvation . . . " (p. 879)He then digresses from Jerusalem and turns to the USA, his primary audience.
". . . For nearly ten years, here and there, men have raised their voices, calling attention to the dangers due to the inroads of the philosophy of communism in this country. Some of us have given them only a passive interest--we thought the situation was not serious, thought it never could be serious--it might develop in other countries, but NOT HERE. I am not so sure about that now! I repeat, conditions existing in our own land today are definite causes for deep concern (I think he is referring to FDR's policies, particularly the New Deal pt. 2, and the communists in his administration) and my earnest conviction is that there is only one possibility of our escaping serious trouble and that is by a return to the faith of our fathers, and to an earnest proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unless this country returns to God, I frankly fear for it." (p. 883)
Do you need to move closer to Columbus--or are you already here?
Roughly 138-147 million people live within 500 miles of Columbus. A 500‑mile radius from Columbus, Ohio covers a vast area — roughly 1.2 million square miles.
Major Cities Within 500 Miles
Some notable cities and towns within this radius include Miles of Me:
Toronto, Canada – ~319 miles
Chicago, IL – ~279 miles
Detroit, MI – ~164 miles
Indianapolis, IN – ~168 miles
Hamilton, Canada – ~281 miles
Mississauga, Canada – ~307 miles
Baltimore, MD – ~341 miles
Charlotte, NC – ~347 miles
Milwaukee, WI – ~336 miles
Washington, DC – ~324 miles
Nashville, TN – ~330 miles
Virginia Beach, VA – ~429 miles
Cleveland, OH – ~127 miles
Toledo, OH – ~120 miles
Cincinnati, OH – ~100 miles
Airports Within 500 Miles
Key airports within this range include Miles of Me:
Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport – ~443 miles
Chicago O’Hare International Airport – ~295 miles
Toronto Pearson International Airport – ~313 miles
Charlotte Douglas International Airport – ~346 miles
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – ~156 miles
Washington Dulles International Airport – ~302 miles
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport – ~340 miles
Chicago Midway International Airport – ~282 miles
Nashville International Airport – ~329 miles
32 miles: Newark, OH
44 miles: Marion, OH
27 miles: Lancaster, OH
11 miles: Dublin, OH
12 miles: Westerville, OH
10 miles: Reynoldsburg, OH
7 miles: Gahanna, OH
4 miles: Upper Arlington, OH
24 miles: Delaware, OH
8 miles: Grove City, OH
10 miles: Hilliard, OH
43 miles: Chillicothe, OH
6 miles: Whitehall, OH
40 miles: Mount Vernon, OH
27 miles: Marysville, OH
These are straight line distances in a radius around Columbus, Ohio. There are many towns within the total area, so if you're looking for closer places, try a smaller radius.
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