Random Thoughts About Living In Tucson

We arrived in Tucson, Arizona, eight weeks ago today. It has been quite an adjustment from living in St. Louis. Here are some random thoughts from my first eight weeks here.

The desert starts to grow on you, the more you spend time in it. The picture to the right is the view I have every morning when I walk. The main road near our home turns into a dirt road close to our house, and there are numerous trails off the road to walk. Tucson is surrounded by mountains on three sides. There is something comforting about mountains. I have enjoyed seeing roadrunners, rabbits, lizards, and quail on my walks. I'm still watching for deer, gila monsters, and javalinas. (wild pig like animals)

Yesterday, while I was walking, I watched five Air Force A-10 fighter jets take off from Davis Monthan Air Force base. I have always loved seeing military aircraft in flight. We have a lot of military aircraft in the air in Tucson. This is a real treat. Davis Monthan AFB is also a storage facility for hundreds and hundreds of military aircraft. I drive by a lot of them on the way to and from work. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing them.

Pima County, our county, is broke, like many counties across the country. I have never driven on so many poorly surfaced roads as I have in Tucson. I imagine the car repair and particularly the wheel alignment sector of the economy ought to be doing good here. Supposedly, there is no money to repair roads. However, almost every main street here has clearly marked bike lanes, complete with signs that tell motorists to give bikes the right of way. The bike lanes seem to be in better shape than the roads. Because the weather is so nice for so much of the year, you can bike nearly year around here.

I have been surprised by how many people have tattoos here. And not just tiny tattoos on shoulders or ankles. We're talking big tattoos on arms and legs and necks and other places. Since it is hotter here, a lot more tattoos show than they would in Minnesota. In Tucson, tattoos aren't found on just younger people. People of all ages have a lot of tattoos. Maybe it's because Tucson was a wild West town in the old days and some of that wild West feel still prevails. Maybe it's because Tucson is "artsy" and more liberal politically. Maybe it's just that I lived a somewhat sheltered life the past ten years in an affluent area of St. Louis where having visible tattoos isn't cool. Maybe I'm just getting old...

This is Mexican food heaven. Between all the tortilla bakeries, restaurants and by-the-side-of-the-road stands, a person could gain a lot of weight living in Tucson. Sometime soon we are going to sample a dish invented here in Tucson called a Sonoran hot-dog. I'll let you know how it tastes. After just eight weeks here, I'm thinking the menu at the marriage supper of the Lamb is going to have to be tamales, enchiladas, tacos, pinto beans and all the other great Mexican cuisine. I've roasted several pounds of green chili in our oven and the smell is overwhelmingly wonderful. Anyone who visits us, and loves Mexican food, is going to be for a treat.

Well, that's it for now. I'll write on again on this topic. We've only scratched the surface of this place in our first eight weeks.

Class Warfare and the Book of Acts

This year I have been reading a daily devotional book by E. Stanley Jones, written in the 1930s. E. Stanley Jones was an incredible missionary to India, South America, and visited many other countries. It is said that he delivered 60,000 sermons or lectures in his life time, sometimes preaching or teaching 6-7 times a day. One of the marks of his life was that he brought Christ to India. His message of Christ and His love was not tied to a church, or dogma, or even attempts to "Americanize" East Indians. His message was simply the Christ of the Bible, who loved the Indian people dearly and gave His life for them.

One of the interesting sections of the devotional book I am reading deals with Jones' view on Christians and possessions. When I first began reading through this section, I thought to myself, this hints of Christian socialism. Jones puts forth the idea that we are responsible for each other. Christ's church, the people, should look after each other, just like the first church, as described in the book of Acts. More on that in a minute. However, the more I read, the more I understood what E. Stanley Jones was trying to say.

Fast forward to one of the political hot potatoes this year. The idea of the "1% versus the 99%", "take from the rich and give to the poor", "there is class warfare in this country", etc. Part of the debate centers on the idea that the richest people, those making over $250,000 a year, can afford to pay a lot more than the rest of us. The other side argues that you stifle small business and business expansion when you tax the people who are most likely to help our economy recover. One party is hoping that the voters will want to have a government that gives them money, or goods, just because they happen to fall into a lower economic level. The other party is hoping that the American voters will understand that the economy must be stimulated by private enterprise and you do whatever it takes to help business begin to expand again.


Acts 4:32-36 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. (emphasis mine) For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales  and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. 

This was the beginning of the dynamic New Testament church. Throughout history, when the church of Jesus Christ really acted like the church, great things happened. A government led program to level out our economy will never work. It may finally result in civil unrest and a collapse of order. But what about the early church? What a magnificent pattern of caring for each other. I'm still mulling this over, but I think there is a lot here that we, as church leaders and parishioners, need to consider. More on this...