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What the world needs now is another blog, sweet blog, and not just any ordinary blog.

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  You went back and sang it after the “sweet blog”, didn’t you? Not sure it’s true, but here goes. With apologies to Seinfeld, it’s kind of a blog about nothing. Maybe stuff I’ve learned in 72 plus years. At the same time, at the request of my oldest daughter, some of this will be about things I’d like my grandchildren to know. Not sure I’m up to that kind of responsibility, but I’ll give it a shot. Oh, the name. Three Fingers Back comes from the old adage that when I point a finger at you, I'm pointing three back at myself. Another version of that might be that we are most critical of others for things we are most guilty of ourselves. Here’s a little about me: I grew up in rural Montana and spent 25 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. My wife and I retired to Nine Mile Falls, Washington (near Spokane) nine years ago. Most of my Montana and Spokane friends seem to consider me pretty liberal. Most of my SF Bay friends would tell you I’m pretty conservative. No, I don’t thin...
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The Paradox of the Paradox

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  I don’t know about you, but I like clarity. I like things (and people) that are straightforward, good or bad, true or false, right or wrong, easy to understand, and consistent. I’ll work pretty hard to achieve that clarity. I want to know when I’m right, true, and good, and if I’m wrong, false, or bad, I really want to know that. (Of course, my wife would say I’m often wrong, but never in doubt. 😊 ) Life is so much simpler when we have clarity. Clarity of purpose, clarity of which side to choose politically, clarity of whom we believe and whom we don’t. Clarity of action I’m to take on any given issue. Clarity on how I’m to relate to the world. The challenge with that, of course, is that life isn’t that simple. That clarity gets obscured with great frequency. Sometimes it’s because we live in an imperfect world where even our heroes have their faults. A world where our enemies have their good points. And a world where we let ourselves down far more often than we’d like. Al...
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May We Be the People of YHWH

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Content warning:  This post may not be appropriate for all readers. Themes/topics addressed: sexual assault/abuse, child abuse, gender identity. This post is markedly different from what you've seen earlier here. It's one that's been bouncing around in my head and heart for several months, and I feel like it's finally time to put it out there. Its primarily focused for fellow Christians, but hopefully all of you will find something useful in it. And remember, one finger pointed at you means three back at myself. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. In Ephesians, Paul says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (NLT) So why, when I hear Christians using militaristic language like “fighting for the Lord”, “going into battle”, or maybe “the enemy is strong”, do I find myself cringing? ...
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Things My Father Taught Me Along the Way to Teaching Me Something Else

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  My father, Ray Morissette, grew up during the 1920’s in eastern Montana after The Great War (which we now call World War I). That’s a generation that isn’t known for much talking, let alone introspection. He was not a man of many words, but when he spoke, it was usually worth listening. Out of high school he had a full ride chemistry scholarship to Montana State University, but had to come home after one semester to help support his parents. He never finished a degree, but was definitely a lifelong learner. He loved geology and accumulated enough credits from night courses at one of the local colleges that it would have qualified as a major. He even learned Greek and his favorite Bible was an interlinear that allowed him to see both the original Greek from the New Testament and the English translation. All that is to say he was an intelligent man whose mind functioned both deep and wide with an almost infinite desire to learn. He had an insatiable curiosity for just about e...
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Some Things I Learned in 2022

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  Diane usually writes our annual Christmas/New Year missive, but this year I asked to write it. The result was something a little different than usual. The following is an adaptation and expansion of a portion of it. Some things I learned in 2022: When all the kids in the family have turned 40, dad doesn’t have to be the adult anymore. That can take some getting used to, but is greatly liberating when I can relax in it. Becoming a Master Gardener is really, really hard! It even took two years instead of one thanks to the pandemic, but she did it! Astonishing to me how much knowledge and skill Diane has in all things botanical. When you’re 72, a gym workout is very different than it was at 50 And I have the detached tendons to prove it. It seems with age the tendons become the limiting factor rather than the muscle. Bonus mom not only sounds better than stepmom, but better describes the relationship. I still remember when the kids gave Diane a Mother’s Day card th...
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