George Martzen "georgos"

I love to observe and learn from animals. Last week, with a day off in San Diego, we spent some time at the SD Zoo. It is much more than a zoo now, with interesting botanical sections and educational programs. Here are a just a few pictures and observations. I'm not sure what the guy on the right was really up to, whether he wanted to get out and run across the open savanna or just join in with whatever the wild boars were eating next door. Speaking of lunch, we observed numerous animals, including the Siberian Brown Bear here, gnawing on some bones, and speculated what unfortunate visitors might have turned into satisfying meals. Could it also be that animals have a form of spirituality? Might some parent animals teach their young to kneel in prayer? We observed the flamingos strutting around the stream and noticed that the grey-feathered youngons were in the posture of confessional or practicing their bed-time prayer. While some animals are loners, others are very social and m...

One of the joys of missionary itineration is to visit previous places of ministry and witness the growth of past initiatives. One such place for me is Baldwin Park UMC where, in the late 90s we began mapping out possibilities for an intentional hispanic ministry. With the help of Rafael and Toña Rios and some grants cobbled together we began visiting the neighborhoods and community agencies to develop initial networks. Seeing a need to address the concerns of women and children, we established Fe, Comida y Arte as a Saturday program for organizing neighborhood families through music and the arts. Since those days, the couple has gone on to local pastor training and certification. Part of the outcome of these efforts is this group of folk-dancing youth. I was surprised to see them first during one day at Annual Conference. They performed as people emerged from a morning session. They danced energetically again last Sunday during lunch after I preached at Baldwin Park. I bear witness to...

We arrived in LAX yesterday, after nearly two weeks in the southern states - Tennessee and Georgia. The three and a half hour flight from Hartsfield airport to Phoenix, and then to LA moved us from the lush greens of the the Georgian broadleaf forests to spotted green and vivid tans of the southwest deserts. I love the dense green forests of Georgia. Walking the paths of the reserve around the Emery president's residence stirs my historical imagination, to marvel at the desparate attempts by Confederate soldiers to defend their turf against Sherman's haughty soldiers. Or what was it like as the European settlers first encountered the Cherokees? The forests are full of mysteries. We joined a great mob of Americans and friends at Stone Mountain, Georgia for the Fourth of July and although they didn't sing it, I've got Woodie Guthries old folk song spinning in my head, "This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Islands, to the Redwo...