Jeff Hampton – Page 67 – Jeff Hampton, Writer

October 6, 2022

From a Distance

For Wilshire Baptist Church

I was checking a driving route with Apple Maps on my desktop computer and noticed the current satellite image of our neighborhood was captured on a sunny autumn day. Many of the trees have turned gold and auburn, and you can almost sense a refreshing coolness in the air. It’s a nice view, a beautiful view in fact, and it makes me wonder what God sees looking down on us. Yes, I still hold on to the childish perspective of God peering down on us through the clouds when it satisfies my need for wonder.

September 29, 2022

Clique Bait

For Wilshire Baptist Church

My high school class is gearing up for the 45th reunion, and after sitting on the fence for a month, I’ve finally climbed down on the side of those who aren’t going. Why? Because I don’t know anyone.

That’s mostly true. I’ve reviewed the list of those who are going, and I know most of the names on the list. I knew them in the hallways and in some classes and some by reputation or rumor, but I never knew them beyond that. And with the exception of a handful of Facebook “friends,” I’ve not seen anyone on the list in person in 35 years. I think it’s a little late to try to meet them now.

September 22, 2022September 29, 2022

Change and Hope

For Wilshire Baptist Church

The spider lilies are blooming. It’s the first day of fall and we’re having a late, near-record heat wave, and yet the spider lilies have come up in the yard as they do each fall with their red spidery blooms atop their thin, light green stems. They’re confirmation that change is coming. Cooler weather will be on our doorstep soon.

When I was younger, I looked for signs of fall in other places, but they don’t seem as reliable as they once were. In my memory it was always cooler when school started, but the high schoolers who walk through our neighborhood to school have had to endure temperatures near 100. Football is the ultimate fall sport, and yet last weekend we almost burst into flame under a blazing midday sun as we watched our team. But the spider lilies? They’re the real deal; they know what’s going on.