It's been a minute since I last posted. My wife and I just got back home from the West Coast. It was a much-needed healing trip. As much as I love watching sunrises from mountain peaks, I think I love sunsets by the ocean with my wife even more.
We've been married for almost 32 years, but we've known each other for nearly 45. Like every marriage, ours has had its share of ups and downs. Through it all, we've learned to reason together and work through difficulties. We still are learning. However, we stay committed during the good times and the bad, in sickness and in health, and for the richer, or for the poorer. I truly believe that until we master those skills in our own marriage—listening deeply, understanding each other, and finding common ground—it's hard to reason together and resolve conflicts effectively with anyone else.
Grateful for the journey and for my wife who's been by my side through it all.
Here are a few photos from our trip:
Sidenote:
There was a solar eclipse yesterday, February 17, 2026. This eclipse coincided interestingly with the Lunar New Year, marking the start of the Year of the Horse (specifically the Fire Horse, a rare combination that occurs only every 60 years). This year symbolizes energy, freedom, forward momentum, bravery, speed, independence, endurance, and vitality.
Today, February 18, 2026, is a remarkable convergence of significant religious observances across different faiths. Today marks the beginning of Ramadan for many Muslims (with the first full day of fasting often starting today or tomorrow depending on local moon sightings) and Ash Wednesday for Western Christians (Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and others), kicking off the season of Lent.
Ramadan:
Fasting during Ramadan commemorates this revelation and serves as a time of spiritual renewal, heightened devotion, self-discipline, gratitude, and empathy. From dawn to sunset observant Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, and intimate relations. The fast isn't just physical—it's meant to foster self-control, avoidance of sin (like gossip or anger), extra prayer, charity, and reflection. It builds compassion for those in need by experiencing hunger and thirst.
Ash Wednesday:
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, a 40-day period (excluding Sundays) of preparation leading up to Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ's resurrection. It emphasizes repentance, humility, and the need for reconciliation with God. The day draws from biblical themes of penitence (e.g., ashes and sackcloth in the Old Testament as signs of mourning or turning from sin) and Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the wilderness.
This overlap on February 18, 2026—right after the annular solar eclipse and coinciding with the Lunar New Year—is quite unique, highlighting themes of renewal, reflection, fasting, and spiritual focus shared across these traditions, even as their specific meanings and practices differ
A few quotes:
"The restoration points to eternal marriage as man’s glorious destiny. The restoration also began to make eternal marriage in the image of God again possible. Therefore all the elements of the gospel point back to marriage as God’s final purpose for mankind.
The gospel is all about marriage and family. The creation was for Adam, and creation was “not good” until Eve was given as a spouse and helpmeet for Adam. From this simple account of man’s origin, we see everything from the stars above to the world itself led inexorably to the marriage of Adam and Eve. As a couple, the two were “the image of God".
Is your marriage in the image of God? Is there godliness about the way you and your spouse interact? Would angels see the image of God in your relationship? These are not just noble notions to be attained in the afterlife, but describe what marriage could and should look like. Is the glory of God within your marriage? “The glory of God is intelligence, or another words light and truth."
excerpts from Preserving the Restoration
...
"The most important marriage skill is listening to your partner in a way
that they can’t possibly doubt that you love them."
....
"In a marriage, both people can be right at the same time, and both people can be wrong. Remembering this is essential for good communication."
....
"When we listen, understand, and respect each other’s ideas,
we can then find a solution in which both of us are winners."
....
"The goal is to have a conversation in a way so that
you can have another conversation tomorrow."
...
"Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood
that they are on the same side."
....
"Learning to communicate in marriage isn’t solved by applying a magic potion
—it’s a path of discovery. ... You’re now both part of a team and you need to proceed
through the rest of your married lives as a team."
Here are a few photos from our trip:
Sidenote:
A Combination of four events this past 24 hours:
- A SOLAR ECLIPSE
- THE LUNAR NEW YEAR
- RAMADAN
- ASH WEDNESDAY
There was a solar eclipse yesterday, February 17, 2026. This eclipse coincided interestingly with the Lunar New Year, marking the start of the Year of the Horse (specifically the Fire Horse, a rare combination that occurs only every 60 years). This year symbolizes energy, freedom, forward momentum, bravery, speed, independence, endurance, and vitality.
Today, February 18, 2026, is a remarkable convergence of significant religious observances across different faiths. Today marks the beginning of Ramadan for many Muslims (with the first full day of fasting often starting today or tomorrow depending on local moon sightings) and Ash Wednesday for Western Christians (Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and others), kicking off the season of Lent.
Ramadan:
Fasting during Ramadan commemorates this revelation and serves as a time of spiritual renewal, heightened devotion, self-discipline, gratitude, and empathy. From dawn to sunset observant Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, and intimate relations. The fast isn't just physical—it's meant to foster self-control, avoidance of sin (like gossip or anger), extra prayer, charity, and reflection. It builds compassion for those in need by experiencing hunger and thirst.
Ash Wednesday:
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, a 40-day period (excluding Sundays) of preparation leading up to Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ's resurrection. It emphasizes repentance, humility, and the need for reconciliation with God. The day draws from biblical themes of penitence (e.g., ashes and sackcloth in the Old Testament as signs of mourning or turning from sin) and Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the wilderness.
This overlap on February 18, 2026—right after the annular solar eclipse and coinciding with the Lunar New Year—is quite unique, highlighting themes of renewal, reflection, fasting, and spiritual focus shared across these traditions, even as their specific meanings and practices differ
Footnotes;
2 comments:
Posted in "That We Be One", Adrian's blog, Peace in Paradise, TBM Blog, Face Toward Zion, and Anonymous Bishop and thought I would try to post here:
A follow up to ___’s “What the heck is going on here lately?!” post, I guess I’m wondering the same [because of how quiet it has been]. But, to make the question more specific, I’ve been thinking about the Mousetrap talk. I plan to listen to it again today.
On Dec 20, Denver said this was his most important talk and it would look different in a few months. Well, it’s been a few months. That was more or less the Winter solstice. We’re coming up on the Spring equinox. I’d say that qualifies as a few months, but I’m not sure the talk looks different to me. That’s why I want to re-listen.
I’m just wondering if it looks different to anyone else?
I’d love to pose that question more generally to the whole Covenant Christian body, but there doesn’t seem to be a good way to do that. I don’t have much visibility into these other places, wherever they are.
I can look on Adrian’s blog, but there hasn’t been much activity there. I know there’s a Slack space, but I think that’s only for the women. I think there’s an email thing, but I think that’s only for the women. I guess I can reach out to people individually, but I’m not sure where I would start and what the point would be.
So, I can pose the question here and I’m certainly interested in responses here. But, this is a pretty small sample size. The Covenant Christians don’t seem to be much of a body. More like disembodied parts. A hand here, a leg there, maybe an ear or a nose. But, not really a body.
I can’t help but feel a bit sad about this.
Someone responded to me on https://joyfulwells.blogspot.com/ asking me "...what do you think he meant (both before and after you listened to the talk again) and what are you hoping the people take away from the talk?"
[By the way, just so I don't spam this blog, here's an email address where people can reach me if they want to respond privately: mypreoccupations@gmail.com]
Here's my response:
Thanks for your response. And I have to apologize (I suppose to the blog author) for spamming this blog with something that doesn't directly relate to the post. I likewise spammed other blogs and also posted in a couple of places on Facebook.
Anyway, I have to say that listening to it again impacted me more or less the same way as back in December. I'm struggling to get a grasp on what has happened over the last 7 years, because while I've been following the movement since the 10 talks, I have kind of been doing my own thing in my own family for the last 7 years. But, I've felt like it's time for me to re-engage.
So, I only have rough ideas of things that have happened and the challenges we're facing. With that said, the following really stood out to me this time around:
"...We want to go to Zion, get to Zion, see Zion, and we wrongly think anything or anyone that delays our determination to get that accomplished is of the devil. We fall prey to the misconception that someone else is delaying our achievement, when the fault lies inside of us.... We lack the character to be led gently and gradually in character development, choosing instead to be trapped into thinking our fellow Covenant Christians are hindering us. If you can think of the person, or people you blame the most for preventing us from achieving Zion, then you have identified who you need most to learn to love. You won’t ever go to Zion without them. Unless you are of one heart and one mind with them, you are unfit for Zion. Let that idea remind you of just how unlikely it is for us to escape the devil’s perfect mousetrap designed for us...."
And then couple that with the following:
"...We engage in the process of persuasion, but may frequently fall short of persuading. When our efforts fall short of persuading, we have no authority structure that allows us to impose an outcome on others. Failing to persuade is to be expected. No artificial deadline that appeals to a vote can ever remedy the failure to persuade...."
This reminds me of the April 2018 letter posted on Recorder's Clearinghouse. One group (the authors) saw another group as hindering the process of being obedient to God. The language of the letter lays blame on the group that was seen as hindering the process. I think these two excerpts from the Mousetrap talk don't leave any excuse for such a course of action.
In our haste to do something that we believed constituted being obedient to the Lord, it seems to me that we broke the more important commandment. Perhaps the statement of principles was irrelevant and the real test went completely over our heads. I think there's a very real possibility that this is the case.
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