The Komkom Vase

In AD 812, skilled craftsman delivered their masterpiece to the King. The vase, which was about nine inches tall with 202 hieroglyphic blocks, was painstakingly created for the most powerful man in Mayan culture. This vase would become the King's drinking vessel of choice, with no other human allowed to ever use it other than the King.

In April, 2019, 82 fragments of the Komkom Vase, named after the royal owner, were recently discovered in Belize. What was interesting (but sadly not a surprise) were the inscriptions on the vase. There was no mention of the economy, the weather, or anything about the common people the King ruled. For this King, like most people who weld great power, had no use for the mundane concerns of life.

The Problem of Fear

When I was young I loved to write stories. Stories about detectives solving crimes, race car drivers, baseball players struggling to reach the majors and much more. But the one theme I kept returning to over and over was fear. Looking back now the fingerprints of my unresolved fears were all over my life.

I really don't remember confronting my fears, at least not in childhood or in my teens. And though I've experienced my share of pain and loss throughout my life, I don't remember being consumed by fear and dread. Until a fateful night when I was in my early twenties, while hiking alone in Moab, Utah. There was no external catalyst to provoke a feeling of fear but I was suddenly overcome nonetheless. I remember wildly looking around, even stumbling to the point of falling the in cold red dirt, but I couldn't locate the cause of my intense fear. This consuming feeling stayed with me for a few days and then left as suddenly as it had arrived. I couldn't explain it to my friends and there was no reason I could ever give for this experience. To this day I still can't recall any particular trigger for that unusual outburst but I can still vividly remember the emotion that racked my body, mind and soul for what seemed like days. All-consuming fear.

The Power of Duke

The year is 1980. Walking to my car with my friend Steve after working a long shift. I remember it was raining, a steady downfall.  Steve had been talking all day about this new album from his favorite band and I finally agreed to listen to just one song before I headed home.

Now my '74 Nova may have not been a lot to look at from the outside but the inside contained a state-of-the-art Pioneer sound system. The glow from the blue lights of the sound system lit up the interior as Steve handed me the cassette. I pressed the rewind button to play the first song. The whirring finally ended. I pressed play . . .

Relics And The Past

In Rome, in the Vatican Museum, are 28 marble stairs. Once a year the Vatican opens up this exhibit to the general public and removes the wooden covering protecting the marble stairs underneath. These stairs are called the “Holy Stairs” and they were brought here from the palace of Pontus Pilate located in Jerusalem. Tradition says that Jesus Christ ascended these chairs after being convicted by Pilate and beaten by his palace guards. There are three crosses on the stairs that represent the locations where Jesus collapsed and shed drops of his blood. Pilgrims wait for hours for the privilege of ascending these steps and replicating the climb of their Savior.

It has been over two thousand years since Jesus died and was resurrected and people are still fascinated by the relics of his past. Items such as the Holy Grail, The Shroud of Turin, and many more to numerous to list in this post. (You can click here to view a partial list) This desire to touch something that has been used by the Divine, is not, of course, confined to just Christians. And it's not just confined to religious artifacts.