About this website
Why Outland, by the way?
First off, Outland is a locale mentioned in a couple of Lewis Carroll's lesser-known books: Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded. (Although they tend toward the maudlin at times--and that's not surprising, considering when, by whom and for whom they were written--they're delightful books. Well worth finding, even if you have to read them online.) In those stories, Outland is one of the outlying provinces of Fairlyland.
Second, at one point the tagline at the top of my weblog said that Outland is more than a place, it's a state of mind. For believers and followers of Jesus, Outland is here and now. Outland is this world we live in. We are not natives; we are aliens and strangers. We are passing through, on our way to our home. We hope for and long for another place, a place we have not yet seen.
Some of us live as ambassadors, some as spies. Some of us live in relative comfort, welcomed or at least tolerated by the people of this world, and have gained power and wealth. Others of us face less pleasant things: jeering, imprisonment, beatings and death. Some of us have wandered destitute, pursued by our enemies, and at times, killed by those who hate us and the kingdom and king we represent.
For now, we live here like strangers in a foreign country, dwelling in tents. We are looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. For more information, go read Hebrews 11.
Finally, I live in Fargo. How outlandish is that?
(By the way, this Outland as has nothing whatsoever to do with that Outland.)
About the author
I'm married, the father of three kids, a homeowner, born and raised a North Dakota farm boy.