The more I think about it, the more I wonder if part of the reason it seems we as a society have drifted away from observing the solemnity of the day revolved around the shift off of ‘Decoration Day.’ After all, ‘Decoration Day’ has at the core…
Read MoreAll along I knew I would return to writing regularly, but was not sure when or how - until this week. Pondering Mark's account of Jesus feeding the large crowds, we notice in one of the verses…
Read MoreIt was about two o’clock that afternoon when my phone rang, and the matriarch of the congregation was on the phone asking me why I did not preach about mothers on Mother’s Day. Who did I think I was? After all, “People go to church on Mother’s Day with mom expecting…
Read MoreEven before COVID-19 impacted us all, there was a sense in the air from many that the times were so uncertain, and so many changes were on the docket that one could very easily be understood for having a heightened sense of anxiety. No matter the source of our anxiety, be it in Simon Peter's time or our own, we are not only faithful but wise to…
Read MoreADMITTEDLY, IT’S NOT AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE, BUT AFTER SEEING THE HEADLINES YESTERDAY MORNING, I decided to set up another screen in my office to see what would happen in the markets. Not long after I got CNBC going, the announcement came…
Read MoreI could not stop thinking about the church as I watched this amazing scene unfold, for we are about being people who forgive, who reconcile, who welcome home those who have been gone so long. We are in the business of encouraging people to set aside…
Read MoreIn conversation with several of you over these past few days, I think I have said something that might have come as a surprise - my observation that it is healthy for churches to celebrate funerals. I mean this not in a way of alluding to a desire for…
Read MoreTo wit, I wonder if we all understand just how contagious we are and how much of a risk we take with respect to the fact that when we spend time with people - no matter how long or short - we wind up with a far-higher-than-we-might think chance of both picking up that which is infecting them and sharing with them that which has infected us…
Read MoreJackie MacMullan's quote from Kobe Bryant got my attention not because of how it relates to athletics. This quote got my attention because it speaks a truth into the life of the church, and into the life of everyone who professes faith in Christ as Lord.
Read MoreDr. King had the nerve to stand up for that in which he believed. Mahalia Jackson had the nerve to spur Dr. King to share his heart. Do we have the nerve to stand up for what we believe? Do we have the nerve to push one another to articulate our message the way Mahalia Jackson pushed Dr. King?
Read MoreLet's remember that over the previous ten years (2009 - 2018) LSU had a 75.2% winning percentage, so it is not like they were not a successful team. But, yet, in spite of that sterling record of success, Coach O…
Read MoreIn order to prepare to be without my laptop for a few days, I have had to look ahead and figure out not only what I needed to do to prepare the machine to be sent off, I had to look and see what all needed to be done in advance, as well as figure out how I would be able to get essential things done without my regular workhorse…
Read MoreNowhere are any of the assembled merely spectators…everyone had a unique, God-given role to play in this sacred ritual that is as old as the church itself.
Read MoreMuch like a major league bullpen facing a game seven in the World Series, we, the church, are called to operate with an 'all-hands-on-deck' mentality where we are willing…
Read MoreI wonder how often we might find ourselves in a healthier situation if we but allowed ourselves to find good in the midst of grief by remembering those we cherish were present in our lives not because…
Read More
