I recently ran into someone I knew in college at the mall in my home town. He was THE DUDE on campus. He married the campus beauty and received an assistantship at a prestigious law school in the northeast which allowed him to return home and begin a successful law office. Amazingly, he remembered me….
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What is Honor?
I told my son to live with honor and He looked at me as if I was quoting Shakespeare. My grandfather taught me the definition of what honor is. I believe if he were alive today, he’d put it this way: Honor is patience with those you love, not speaking harshly, respecting people who do…
A Different Kind of Resolution
I hereby resolve: to not take myself so seriously. to not win arguments to love the people nobody seems to be loving to connect on a deeper level with my friends to be honest in my conversations to treat myself like Jesus treats me to leave people alone when they want to be left alone…
Sing While Bleeding
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us; And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed; And free us from all ills, in this world and the next! Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) wrote the hymn quoted above. Ornate, yes,…
Six Steps to Simplify Christmas
Holidays can get complicated. If we don’t pay attention our debt grows, our peace shrinks and our stress expands. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 6 ways you can make Christmas a simpler, more beautiful season. 1. Heighten your gratitude. Paul reminds us that anxiety and gratitude don’t mix: Do not…
We Get What We’ve Got: A Lament
When the church has disolved into fear and unrest, When mercy and love are no longer the test. When debaters use words from a seamy bordello When justice is gone and our backbone is jello. When the enemy wins without firing a shot And we lose all our scruples, then we get what we’ve got….
Prayer of a Messy Follower
Thank You Jesus… You’ve been so faithful to this messed-up follower. You restore my sanity on a weekly basis. You reach into the nothingness and give me everything I need. You’ve been far greater and more powerful than everything I’ve faced. If I did anything good, it was because of You. You have never given…
Five Survival Sayings (Read, Believe, Repeat… Constantly)
Theological elitists, keep moving along. There’s nothing that will interest you here. Jacked-up sinners, like me, pay careful attention. We all need a few easy-to-remember axioms that get us through the day. As a man of habit who has struggled with self- condemnation through the years, I’ve white-knuckled these truths in the middle of my…
7 Pastor Traps on Mother’s Day
Beware of the trap game. In sports, the trap game is a game played against an opponent generally deemed to be easy to defeat. As a result, a person or team may not prepare as they are looking ahead to next Sunday. For pastors, Mother’s Days are often trap Sundays. But there are a few traps we can…
4 Prayers I Wish I Didn’t Hear in Worship
Public prayer is an awkward experience in most churches. It’s really a strange set of circumstances. Someone comes up to the microphone and is speaking to God and we are praying along. Hopefully. Sometimes, if you think about it, it would sound a little weird from God’s perspective. Prayer should be the ultimate spiritual communion between…