Celebrating the Journey

I know better.  I really do.  I know that there are unethical and incompetent leaders in every facet of society.  But when you work for individuals that maintain high standards, that reality is quickly forgotten. I forget that there are leaders that think nothing of being untruthful.  It’s a way of life.  And there are others that are master manipulators.  And still others never do anything wrong.  Have you known that person?  And then there are so called leaders that are masters at criticizing their colleagues, but when…

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When you make the conscious choice to be generous, you really have no idea what you are doing.  You think you are fulfilling an immediate need, and likely that is the case. But generosity has a way of taking on a personality all of its own once it is released by an unsparing person. Most generous people are actually clueless.  Very early one morning well before dawn I was called by one of our police officers to deliver a death notification…

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I am not a trained medic.  But I have had enough training in basic first aid to be able to instigate a few life saving techniques.  I know what to do if someone has a gaping injury that is causing profuse bleeding. All of us should possess such basic skills.  It might save someone’s life. Are we skilled in a similar manner when it comes to emotional first aid? I am thinking about someone whose heart is bleeding profusely. I…

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When I was an undergraduate student,  my professors did a good job preparing me for the real world.  They shared personal experiences as well as material from textbooks.  But none of my teachers said anything about swimming with sharks. After nearly 32 years of being in the working world, I am reminded that such a skill is of utmost importance. Sharks are lurking everywhere.  They appear in the form of rude and condescending people. They are eager to put others down, so…

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Earlier this week I delivered two lectures at Abilene Christian University regarding the role of a law enforcement chaplain in times of crisis.  During the course of conversation a dear friend shared one of those quotes that has a way of staying with you. She said: “You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to show up.”  Two days later I was reminded that this statement is indeed true… A friend is caring for his mother in Arizona. She…

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Serving the community has been the theme of my sermons for this quarter.  I am using “community” in a geographical manner.  I am urging the church to serve the people that comprise our town.  We are what one writer calls a “rurban” town.  We are not rural but we are not urban either.  But we are fairly eclectic group of people.  In that line of thought, a comment from a friend reminded me that I overlooked a key lesson that…

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In the reading schedule we are doing at church this year, we read the section today that describes the inhabitants on the island of Malta showing the Apostle Paul and his companions “unusual kindness.”  (Acts 28:2).  My immediate reaction?  I want do that…I want to show people “unusual kindness.” But what does that look like? I tried to remember times that others have showed me such unusual kindness. It didn’t take long to remember… In 1998, my family attended a…

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It was one of “those” mornings as my day got started today. Perhaps it is the change of seasons.  Or maybe it is because Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It could be partially triggered by still another friend losing a parent this week. I will attend that funeral tomorrow. Another friend lost his son in a tragic accident earlier this fall.  There are probably a complex mix of reasons.  But the truth is I felt the pangs of grief as…

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