Category: Shalom Talk

Casual, aimless Monday musings from Dan and Pepper

Author Pepper

Psalm 113:3
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.

I enjoy camping and hiking, sometimes alone but usually with Dan. Recently, Dan and I camped at Black Hills Rockhound Area in Graham County, Arizona for a night, collecting rocks that might be geodes for Dan to open later.

While at Black Hills Rockhound Area, I wanted to walk down to the wash (dried river bed) to hike. Although I didn’t expect to find geodes, I enjoy exploring dry washes as they feel like transitioning between ecosystems. However, getting into the wash was tricky due to fields of prickly pear. The solution is to follow the steer poop trail, which leads directly to a spot where you can descend into the wash gracefully.

We then camped at Owl Canyon in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, Arizona. The high Sonoran Desert offered stunning views. Our campsite was on a canyon rim that overlooked a riparian Activities included hiking, creek splashing, and enjoying picturesque sunrises and sunsets.

Next Monday Clifton Arizona

The Bible is non-linear, and the books aren’t in chronological order

The Bible is a collection of individual documents pulled together into one series over time. Because of this, the Bible doesn’t read like a single timeline—it jumps around. And while the Bible contains many narrative sections, it’s not all narrative. The Bible also includes songs, wisdom literature, decrees, and letters written by religious leaders.

Isaac Watts, 1707

Verse 1
Alas, and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred Head
For such a worm as I?

Verse 2
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Verse 3
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the Mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Verse 4
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear Cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

Verse 5
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
‘Tis all that I can do.