The Write Angle - Impressions on Paper

March 2024

Hello John,

I was sitting in my counselor’s office early this month, when the Lord gave me something powerful to chew on, right after my counselor reiterated that anxiety is a gift from God. “How is anxiety a gift, I asked, when He commands us to “be anxious for nothing” in Philippians 4:5? He then asked if I knew what the bumps lining both sides of traffic lanes were called and what they were for. I answered, “rumble strips,” and “they’re to remind us that we’re veering from our lane.” He agreed, likening anxiety to rumble strips in that it is God’s reminder that we are wandering from the correct path. Then it struck me–we’re to avoid rumble strips, but recognize them as a gift that can rescue us from great harm. “Wow,” I thought, and immediately blurted out, “Anxiety is the rumble strip of life!” 

Believing this was from God, I remembered a devotion I wrote, after my bike ride across the country in 2018, that is contained in the eBook, Spiritual Musings from the Saddle of a Bicycle. You may enjoy reading it:

Thursday 28 Jun 2018 18:50

Spiritual Musings from the Saddle of a Bicycle #9

Kansas Route 96 is a 300-mile two-lane divided highway that runs east and west. After spending far too many hours pedaling it, I drew the conclusion that Kansas drivers are very courteous. That is because any time one behind me would get ready to pass he would sound a low-grade foghorn once or twice before the maneuver, then again once or twice as he moved back into the lane in front of me. Consistently. If he sounded the foghorn once as he moved to pass, then he sounded it once as he moved back into his lane. If he sounded it twice as he moved to pass, then he sounded it twice as he moved back into his lane. It was uncanny, to the point that I asked a waiter at a restaurant one evening just what kind of foghorn drivers were using to politely alert me both preceding and following a passing maneuver. He said, “Oh, those aren’t foghorns you hear, they’re rumble strips.” Boy, did I feel stupid!

But it made sense -- if the driver went far enough for both sets of tires to cross the rumble strip, I’d hear two distinct soundings, both before and after the maneuver. If he only cleared one set of tires, I’d hear only one before and one after. As I thought about it, I became absolutely amazed at what I allowed myself to believe. Don’t get me wrong; Kansas drivers ARE very courteous, but not because they use foghorns.

There’s a great spiritual lesson here. Jesus claimed to be the only way to heaven. That’s a bold claim. If it’s true (and I believe it is), then it’s important that we not only believe that, but also that we believe in the right Jesus. Not everyone who claims to be Jesus is, and not everyone who claims to represent Him does. This is trite, I know, but standing in the garage does not make me a car, no matter how loudly I proclaim it to be so.

So how can we know that we have the right Jesus? By studying the Word, the holy Bible, and a reputable version at that. That’s where we’ll find Him, not necessarily in extra-biblical documents, nor in claims by well-meaning but misinformed people, nor by sermons that compromise the clear teaching of the scriptures. The Apostle Paul urges us to measure everything based on the Word of God:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Galatians 1:6-9

And he commends the Berean church for doing just that:

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 17:11

Most important, of course, was what Jesus himself said:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

An interesting afterthought: 

In Matthew 11:30 Jesus said, “. . . my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

It’s we who complicate things, making them difficult and heavy. Perhaps we should dig into the Word a bit more.

Back to anxiety for just a moment. A recent Jesus Calling devotional nails it by saying:

“When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying, “Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more.” Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.



Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backward, teaching that peace is the result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed.”

1. I was interviewed by author/editor/podcaster/speaker Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hays February 9th on her podcast, Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem Laced with Morality. It was aired on February 15th, and for those of you who may be interested in viewing it, click here to listen to the podcast.

2. I was interviewed by author Cheryl Ilov March 4th on her podcast, The FemiNinja Project. Once it airs in early May, I’ll provide a link to that as well.

3. Recently, Obee and I spent an evening at the mountain RV, where I was able to productively write and spend time in silence and solitude with God. After a good night’s sleep, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of Obee on the bed (no, I didn’t help in any way)::

Is this a case of extreme bed head or what??? He's cute though, huh?

I’m making good progress on a difficult series of articles entitled Spiritual Musings from the Headlines of a Newspaper: A Spiritual Toolbox for Christians Navigating a Culture of Lies. Completed thus far are chapters on gender identity, sanctity of life, skin color, evolution, eco activism, homosexuality, animal activism, illegal immigration, and most recently, entitlement mentality. I’ve only the epilogue to complete before submitting for publication, unless I think of additional ones; please let me know if you think of any I might address..

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I know I’ve been rough on the English language, as much as I love it, but wouldn’t you agree that it’s quite difficult to master, with all its exceptions and nuances? Here’s a poem I discovered years ago that sheds some light on the topic:

As this update comes to a close, I continue to pray for, and thank God, for you. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-7