That's me at the right in the photo. I am sitting on a rock on a mountain overlooking the city of Tucson, Arizona. The year was 1985 and I was 50 years-old. I had lost a wife by death the previous year and was in the midst of a major transition in my life. I had no idea what the next day would bring, and I certainly had no vision of what my life might be like in the year 2013 when I would be 78 years-old.
What was I thinking? Probably that the city was engulfed in a heavy haze, and that I was grateful to have the strength and desire to hike a mountain trail high above the city. I was among tall Ponderosa pine trees, where the temperature was cool, much cooler than the usual 100 degree temperature in Tucson.
Today I am in a different place and time. I am still living in Arizona and in the mountain country, but no longer near Tucson. We now live north of Phoenix in a city called Prescott, where the temperatures in the summer rarely gets close to 100, and where in the winter we will have snow.
And today I am in a different place spiritually. Back when this photo was taken I was still a Christian minister. I was raised in a typical Protestant Church and later became a Presbyterian minister. In 1973 I experienced a conversion experience in the desert near Tucson and changed my allegiance from the Presbyterians to the Pentecostals, where I stayed for nearly 14 years. But something didn't feel right about this and eventually I left; in fact around 1999 I walked completely away from all forms of organized religion.
The difference today is that I have learned about the greatest truth in the world, the truth that came to me when I wasn't seeking it, and that I did not know a thing about back in 1985. It has to do with the "30 Day Experiment" that I am writing about. It has to with Love, a special sort of Love that we were created to experience and feel.
If you have not read parts 1 and 2 of the "30 Day Experiment" I suggest that you go back and read both. This will help you to understand what I am referring to. I tried the experiment back in 2006 and it worked for me. Try it; I know it will work for you too.
Let me know what you're thinking.
- Joseph