I live in bear country. I’ve only seen one wild bear since we’ve lived here, but we’ve heard other “reports.” I was told long ago that when you see a bear you never forget it, and you can’t help but watch it. They are both awesome and scary at the same time. We saw a black bear in our back yard last summer. It was just wandering through and was there such a short time I didn’t even have time to run for my camera. A few weeks ago I found bear tracks on my walk. I heard from others that there had been a black bear wandering in the area. Walking on a trail alongside bear tracks is both exciting and unsettling. I share my “quiet place” with such creatures. These last few weeks I keep looking for more tracks, though certainly by now the bear is taking a long and well-deserved nap. God is more awesome than any bear, powerful, inscrutable, in some ways unpredictable. He is always present. I have this notion that perhaps I should feel the same excited, fearful anticipation of God’s presence all through my day.

Bear tracks in the snow:
Realizing that I may not
Be alone out here.

We have a beautiful campus here at Baptist Bible College and Seminary in PA. I love to walk around the cross-country trail when I can. I also enjoy writing haiku from time to time. Here is one I wrote a while back that seems particularly appropriate to the cold-snap we are “enjoying:”

Pond surface hardens;
An icy armor shields the
Fish from winter’s bite.

Whether this will become a regular blog or not remains to be seen. I may comment from time to time here on matters of nature or theology.