Heidi and I just visited six national parks in seven days. Our son and daughter-in-law joined us for an unforgettable week. We went from Capital Reef, to Zion, to Bryce Canyon, to Canyonlands, to Arches, and to the Grand Canyon. It was amazing! I have been getting back into trail running and the altitude has been beneficial. We have had mostly great weather, but also had a night at 23 degrees and a little bit of snow. Now we are in Tucson, Arizona, staying in the (vacant) home of Greg and Barb Morse, who are in Eureka.

During the last two days, we were able to spend time with Jim and Betsey Hayford (who we worked with for years), Ron Pinkston (our former supervisor), Nate Adams (a good friend from our time in Seattle), and with Leland Rounds (our district admin). Tonight we will have dinner with Curt and Rachel McMurray-Branscombe. Tomorrow we will have dinner with Molly Lyons (she lived with us for a while in Seattle). We also hope to see Becky Hubler (who is here in Tuscon right now) and the Lemmons (Conner and Christie). Who would have thought so many of our friends would be living here! There is great wisdom to be gained through such relationships.

It is a reminder to us of what is most important: People. Especially our friends. I hope you will take the time to connect with someone today to invest in intentional friendship.

Next stop: Saguaro National Park. Then two nights at Joshua Tree, and then to Ventura for Easter (which is also Heidi’s birthday). From there we will be working our way north. Heidi and I are preaching on the 24th in Ukiah at the River Foursquare Church.