The year 2025 felt, in many ways, like another COVID-era year for our family. Travel plans were repeatedly interrupted due to Erica’s health struggles with dystonia. When she finally experienced a short but promising recovery window, we moved quickly squeezing in a long-desired-of family trip to Belize to visit the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Christmas break would be our best chance. Pori had time off from college, Kiran had a brief pause in graduate school, and Rajiv could manage an escape from work. With all five of us available, we decided to make it happen.
Continue reading “UnBelizeable Belize”Glacier National Park – America’s White-and-Blue Glory
Air travel for the Sarvepallis keeps getting more complicated. When we planned this trip, Kiran was in Minneapolis for a veterinary conference, Rajiv was in New York, and the rest of us were in Fairfax, Virginia. With some careful scheduling, and a generous use of Delta miles, I arranged for everyone to converge in Minneapolis, where we boarded our flight together to arrive at Kalispell, an hour from Glacier National Park’s west entrance.
Continue reading “Glacier National Park – America’s White-and-Blue Glory”Sleepless in Seattle to wide awake in the wilderness
The Sarvepalli family added another destination to our annual June travels in 2023—this time heading to the Seattle area to explore Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks while such pristine wilderness in the U.S. is still preserved. To make the most of these vast landscapes, we split our stay between two locations: Sequim, WA, for Olympic National Park, and Ashford, WA, just outside Mount Rainier National Park.
Continue reading “Sleepless in Seattle to wide awake in the wilderness”Yosemite – C’est pas vrai
Sarvepalli’s were no exception as we stood mesmerized with other local and global tourist at almost every turn of the road in this mythical national park – Yosemite. The Forest Fires of July 2022 added an extra layer of beauty to the already captivating scenery – the allure of the glowing red sun and the ethereal whispers from the misty waterfalls. But the trip did not exactly start that way, so let the tale begin.
Continue reading “Yosemite – C’est pas vrai”Ireland – Sunny with a chance of Rain
“Such a wild, iron-bound coast – with such an ocean-view as I had not yet seen – and such battling of waves with rocks as I had ever imagined” – Charlotte Bronte
This was my first trip to Ireland to attend the 34th FIRST Annual Conference at Dublin, Ireland. I assumed the Emerald Isle to be much like Scotland, I found it to be so only in some ways. This Island Country with its winsome narrow streets, cobblestone roads had so much to enjoy. You either saw a Church or a Castle on the streets separated by large grasslands enjoying the daily switch between sunlight and rain.
Continue reading “Ireland – Sunny with a chance of Rain”Return to the middle earth – Costa Rica
We made it again to Costa Rica again after 5 years, this time without my wife (Erica) and my daughter(Pori). Our last trip in April 2017 did not include a beach visit, as it was just a lot to squeeze in. This time I had the excuse of my son Kiran starting his internship at the Wild Sun Rescue as a pre-vet summer intern. The trip highlights have mostly to do with forest and less of the beach than I had thought, nevertheless Costa Rica continues to amaze me at its bio-diversity and beauty.
Continue reading “Return to the middle earth – Costa Rica”Traveling to Infinity – a review
My review of “Traveling to Infinity” by Jane HawkinsThis is a unique book to read in one sense. In some ways, it reminds me of Gerard Durrell’s Corfu Trilogy and Alf Wight’s “All Creatures Great and Small” , both British authors’ creative accounts of their lives. However, this book has a bit more to offer. There is much comedy, laughter, and light-hearted prose in the book, but there is also deep romance, love, struggles, insights and finally what I consider to be practical philosophy.
Continue reading “Traveling to Infinity – a review”Exhortations for the Hebrews
The sprinting words to the finish-line in the book of Hebrews (ch. 13) is about actions and activities of the Hebrew believers so they are adepts for the life ahead. This will be a life of high persecution in the Roman Empire against Jews and Christians. We will explore how this book prepares the Hebrew believers to what is ahead.
H’ Philadelphia meneto
The simple phrase translated “let brotherly love continue” stirring up the believers that they are to be committed in love and service to one another. This brotherly love (2nd love known as Philos from C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves) will welcome strangers – who may be angels, will visit prisoners, will identify with the mistreated. This serving love will carry forward Christians through all that is ahead of them.
The Daily Christian Life
As to their, daily lives, the author encourages them to keep the sanctity of marriage and live content lives in a very Epicurean society that seeks pleasure and self fulfillment. The honorable use of money are practical ways in which Hebrew believers will show their trust in God. The author quotes both Deut 31:6 and Ps 118:6 short passages as familiar words shared during a Passover meal – “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” and “The Lord is my helper, what can man do unto me?” It is believed that Jesus along with his disciples most likely sang Psalms 118 at his Last Supper which was a Passover meal (Mark 14:26). So this brings a stark reminder to the believers of their anointed one, who himself suffered outside the gate to redeem the world.
Sacrifice of Praise and Sacrifice of Good Works
The author uses sacrifice in a new testament way to mean two important things (1) Praise to God (like the aroma of an incense or the aroma of our lives 2Cor 2:15) and the related idea of serving God and other believers with your time, talents and abilities. “Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.” The author urges believers extend good works to the world as a result of heir new life and salvation
Doxology of the Hebrews
Hebrew’s Doxology has some very key ideas as the author tries to summarize the doctrine that brings peace to Hebrew believers. The God of peace and the great Shepherd of the sheep are both actively equipping believers in doing what is good, doing his will and working what is pleasing to him. The author recognizes the difficult words and exhortations that has been written down to prepare these believers for what is ahead. There is no way to know if our lives will face turmoil in the days ahead, but we will be wise to pay heed to be girded and ready for what may be times that are difficult along with a God who is all faithful and true.
Faith that Endures
The Hebrews author reaches this point of saying “What more can I say?” (Heb 11:32) as he/she ponders the faith of Old Testament believers who “did not receive what was promised” (v.39) yet endured. The Hebrews author has foresight to see persecution is coming and will require a commitment from the Jewish believers to endure, not always ending in glorious victories on this side of our lives on earth.
Continue reading “Faith that Endures”Early Heroes of Faith
Hebrews 11:17-29 account of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph) shows how they learnt to let go of whatever is precious to them and lean more on God. This is the process of a journey in faith, growing more dependent on God and relying less on one’s self. This type of faith also led Moses to look for a different reward than the “pleasures of sin” and forego of success here and now, looking for the invisible reward.
Continue reading “Early Heroes of Faith”