Jesus in a Shopping Cart

Tonight, at my men’s group, one of the guys asked the group if we ever had awareness of God’s presence during our day-to-day activities, like going to the grocery store. Another guy answered that he didn’t, and I replied, “You mean you don’t imagine Jesus sitting inside the shopping cart as you push it around the store?!” The entire group started laughing, and we got completely derailed at that point. Everyone chimed in with a funny thought about Jesus doing some miracle from inside the cart, like clearing an aisle at checkout, so that you never have to wait in line. Or parting people in the aisles like the Red Sea, so nobody is ever in your way. Or fixing the squeaking, perpetually-shaking wheel on the back of the basket. Or asking for chocolate cereal like a child, trying to convince us that it’s probably healthy. It was a really fun time, and now I can’t stop imagining Jesus riding inside my shopping cart as I fill it with groceries.

Napping Naked

Is there anything better than taking a nap in the middle of a Saturday afternoon without a stitch on? The feel of the soft sheets against your bare skin. The freedom of not being confined or restricted by clothes…to sprawl out across the bed without guilt or the necessity to share the space. Why do we spend so much time doing what is proper and socially-acceptable when we’re entirely alone?! Who cares if you’re wearing pajamas? Who’s going to see them anyway? You’re missing out in life if you don’t take at least one naked nap.

The Roadrunner

There is a roadrunner that lives in a copse of trees near the golf course. I’ve seen him at various times running around the neighborhood, looking for food. In fact, I’ve gotten so used to seeing him that I actively look for him every time I drive by that area. I've named him "Rune," a play on "Runner." I mean, I can't very well call him roadrunner all the time, now can I?

Besides burning up the concrete, he also likes to jump up onto the six-foot tall stone wall across the street from his home. He can make the leap in a single bound (I've witnessed him doing it), and then he’ll run along the top of the wall at breakneck speeds. One day, I was walking along the sidewalk near this very stone wall, when the roadrunner came flying along it from the opposite direction. He stopped when he got next to me, and we stared at each other for a full minute. He was so close that I could clearly see that he had a beard, little scruffy feathers sticking out from his chin, and a mustache (although that might have just been a snake hanging out of his beak). I’ve never been that close to a roadrunner before, and it was pretty awesome.

UPDATE: Apparently, there is not one, but two roadrunners living in that copse of trees. I saw them both today, kissing. At least, it looked like they were kissing. They were beak to beak. I suppose they could have been fighting or a having a very close conversation. I'm assuming that the second one is a girl, and I've name her "Roe," a play on "Road." Of course, I'll never know which one I'm actually seeing now.