Believe it or not I actually went to church yesterday. I should explain. I don’t serve a hipster church. We have too many gray heads sitting out there on Sunday. And I don’t serve a retiree church either. We have too many kids running around. We have representatives from all five adult generations. I have police officers and convicted felons worshipping under one roof. Yesterday a young couple that recently married were sitting close to a man who recently lost…
Captain Jerry East is officially retired. Jerry had served The Hood County Sheriffs Office since 1989. His retirement marks the end of an era in law enforcement. Jerry was what is often called “old school.” His knowledge of people in the county gave him the ability to defuse tense situations in a way no one else could. He faced precarious encounters in a way that resembled life in the old west. Jerry’s actions with criminals will be the making of…
I do not like to be manipulated. Overt manipulation irritates me. Subtle attempts at manipulation are even more offensive. We have all been there. Someone says: “You just don’t care about me.” Or it is stated: “I just experienced ______ and you never reached out to me.” In many cases, there was no knowledge of what that person was experiencing. How do we deal with those that are inclined to manipulate others? I have a few ideas that I have…
Today we hosted The First Annual Sgt. Lance McClean Memorial Golf Tournament. It was a great event. Sgt. McClean was murdered in the line of duty after confronting an accused sex offender that was threatening the person he allegedly victimized. The proceeds from the tournament will go to Lance’s family. When I got home this afternoon, I went to my closet to make sure my trench coat was hanging in its place. I realize that sounds like an odd thing…
Almost exactly 22 years ago we moved into a new rental house that would give us the opportunity to buy our very own refrigerator. At the time, we had an active 2-year-old running around who needed a place to keep the milk in his sippy cup cold. But, of course, we were living on a shoestring budget. My little conniving mind formulated a plan in short order. I called my mother and said, “Can we have the 1970s gold refrigerator…
My youngest son informed his brother recently that he was: “becoming dad.” Mitchell had taken note of the fact that Daniel was consuming his coffee black. In fact, I think he was drinking Folgers Classic. Mitchell was appalled that his brother was “becoming dad.” The truth is: Daniel’s accuser and younger brother is also “becoming dad” more than he wants to admit. We moved to Granbury just before Mitchell started his third grade year. Monday he will begin his senior…
I spent several years of my life in ministry training. It was a rich experience on many levels, but I was absent on the day the magic wands were passed out. I really do want a magic wand these days. People that are near and dear to me are hurting in unimaginable ways. They are facing the reality of unexpected death. They are grieving. As I strive to serve them, I reach for my magic wand. I want to wave…
Not long after moving to Granbury in 2004, the church I serve decided to conduct a survey of the members in an effort to be collaborative regarding some key decisions. The wording of one of the questions sounded something like this: “If I could change anything about this church, what would you change?” One individual responded in the following manner: “I would appreciate better overall content and delivery of sermons.” Of course I was the person that delivered those weekly…
In 2011, a high school classmate of mine lost one of his close friends to cancer. I really felt for him. His pain was obvious. I wondered at the time what it would be like to lose a peer. I was 49 years old and had never lost a friend that was my age. Little did I know I was about to find out…A season of grief was on the horizon. In April of 2012, my childhood friend Ray passed…
On May 15th, a tornado destroyed an entire housing development in our community. Six people lost their lives. There were numerous injuries that evening too. Needless to say life in our community has not been the same since 8:00 p.m. on the 15th. All of us have been working extra hours to make sure the immediate needs of victims are met. I have learned so much in the past ten days! If the truth be known, I have learned a…