Sunday started with me not rising to an alarm. I woke and was a bit unsteady at first, but after some coffee and getting started, I was able to move, write, and get ready with confidence. I used the last of my Fair Trade Equal Exchange coffee, but more is inbound. I again skipped breakfast and started on the blog. I had Sunday School to teach and food to bring. I bought sandwich trays and, this time, a cheese-and-meat platter with grapes at Costco for the class.
I wrote until about 9:15, then showered, dressed, and all that. The EV was at 100% charge, and I got in, looked, did not put it in reverse, got out of the car, and unplugged it. The car cannot be driven while plugged in, a good safety feature, and I was happy that this time I looked.
Traffic was now flowing in summer patterns, and my trip to First United Methodist in Beaverton, Oregon, was short, too short. I called Deborah, and we talked for twenty minutes until 10:30, when we exchanged with Emmaus Church, the church buildings, where they had the earlier morning service. The Wesley Hall and Chapel are used by other churches in the morning and early afternoon. The expansion of the buildings to be used (rented) by other congregations helps pay the bills and supports other Christian groups. Being Methodist means we have no doctrine of preeminence and accept other denominations. To us, our ways work, but it does not make us right or better.
I counted forty-two people present for the service and learned that three were watching online. I was distracted by the song “Morning Has Broken,” one from my wedding and a favorite, and I cried as I sang it. Ashley was behind me with her little one, singing beautifully, while I tried to match the pace of the song. I am a terrible and untalented singer. I forgot to take the count and was not ready when Dondrea, our preacher for today, called the usher (me) forward. I got it together and missed someone who wrote their check out. Later, at the final music, I calmly walked back to the altar, raised the check and the counts (written on a bulletin to identify the service), and then put them in the collection plate. After the service, Jack would collect me, and we would put the offering and note into the safe (stuffed in an envelope).
Dondrea, as I covered above, was preaching today. The Name of God is the theme of the new sermon series, and Dondrea is doing Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), God the Creator in Christian interpretations, she shares. She covers that this is the first name of God in the Hebrew text, and one of a hundred names. She explains this name is technically a plural form and that Christians believe it foreshadows the Trinity. It is also taken to how the majesty of God the Creator (a single form does not suffice to cover the majesty of God).
Dondrea, in one of her best sermons, I think (here), says God created relationships and made humans in God’s image. God and we need to be in a relationship, and this is one of God’s creations. That it is not just worship, but to be in community, and in community with God. I recommend the link (Dondrea’s sermon starts at 10:53).
One of the street people joined us and had some food; the meat-and-cheese plate was out early. He would continue to stay for my Sunday School Class. It was my last class, “The End is Nigh,” I would say a few times. When you are doing The Book of Revelation, it just seems the right thing to say.
After the service, I discussed some conclusions using a church reasoning system, TRES, which examines issues through four facets: Tradition, Reason, Experience, and Scripture. Methodists believe that our personal experience should be included in what is usually a three-view process. I covered various topics (not going to reteach the class here), and we talked about how some ideas fail on everything but experience, but we cannot deny these experiences. In the class, I suggest that this is why we have many different interpretations of the Apocalypse and the End Times, and why they are fiercely held.
With the class done, the room cleaned up, and most of the food eaten or packed away, I headed out. Back to the house. I had just a small sandwich roll and a few bits of cheese. I had Dungeons & Dragons with M@ at 5:30. Deborah and I spent a pleasant time just hanging out on the phone. We are both excited to be traveling together again soon. After ringing off, taking care of a few things, I finished the blog.
I was hungry and made a frozen Indian-style Trader Joe’s dinner with Naan and rice. It helped me get my focus back, and I watched another episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, in which most of the Enterprise’s senior staff are turned into Vulcans with poor social skills. The writing seemed a Shakespearean commedy variation on gender switches and mistaken identities. It was fun, and one character went full-Romulan.
That is my character with a custom printed and painted figure, Carter the Great, at the door looking in the room full of out-of-their-mind catering robots. Our characters left a poor review for the place and a copper for the tip.
I traveled to M@’s with roses and mint I got from the garden. We played our 11th Level D&D 2024 characters in the Expedition to Barrier Peaks rewrite for 5E, and now updated to 2024. This is a SciFi crossover adventure that incorporated material for an unfinished Space Opera version of early D&D (back in 1976), which later became Gamma World. We are working with the main computer (in addition to this rewrite) to clean up the ship. We cleared away various problems (details not included here to avoid spoilers and the material is copyrighted) and found ourselves in some fights. It was fun, and Scott and I talked tactics and gaming for about thirty minutes after. Our tactics were chaotic this gaming session.
In the backyard, there is a new Western Tiger Swallowtail. Summer is here. I love watching them flitter here and there.
After that, I read for a while and soon was nodding off. I slept on the side of the bed where Deborah rests when she is here. Deborah called me on Monday morning and shared that she dreamed I was beside her in Michigan, knew it was not true, reached out, and I was there. We both woke this morning happy, and some of the loneliness lifted, but we became impatient for our trip to start.
Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:
BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.
With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.
ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.
HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public
Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs
Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 