There are throw-away people in our society. We don’t admit it. We conveniently ignore this reality, but, nevertheless, it is true. I have been aware for many years that the very elderly among us can potentially fall into that category. About 18 years ago, an older gentleman at a nursing home requested a visit from a minister. The church I was serving at the time was only a few blocks away, so somehow that request landed on my desk. I…
“I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” -Stephan GrelletDaniel interviewed for a full ride academic scholarship this past Monday. I never had to worry about such interviews back in the day. Thankfully Daniel and Randall both have taken…
Be careful what you laugh at… Better be careful what who and what you poke fun of…. I have a pretty good list of the things I haven taken shots at and what the consequences have been for me. Here is a starter: • When I was on the debate team at Monterey High School, I used to stand behind the podium in the classroom and poke fun of preachers. I will choose not to share the content in this…
When I was a Boy Scout many years ago, we went on a repelling trip not from Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo. Repelling down cliffs can be a lot of fun. As I prepared to repel down one of the cliffs we had chosen, the equipment became tangled in some brush. When I reached down to retrieve the stranded gear, I lost my footing and fell about thirty feet. It knocked me out cold. My sisters would tell…
If you see me in a restaurant, I will sit at the far back table with my back to the wall. When I go to the mall, I am very aware of my surroundings. I know who is around me and what they are doing. I even observe what is going on at church very carefully. I suppose doing ministry in a law enforcement setting for 20 years just starts to rub off on your actions! I have learned…
It is a hazard of the job. If you choose a people helping profession, you are going to be criticized, even if you have the best of intentions. . I have made some serious mistakes on numerous occasions. I have used poor judgment more than once! I know for a fact that I have preached sermons that just missed the target completely. All of those things are professional hazards. Humanity seems to get in the way at the most inopportune…
I got up bright and early this morning to make the weekly trek to Walmart. I really did not mind at all. The alternative was not a good one. Go to Walmart or stay home to clean house. It was a no brainer. I looked down the empty hallway, as I grabbed my coat. My mind started playing tricks on me. I saw two litlte boys building a fort in the linen closet. I heard Jan say: Don’t be so…
I had never been out with a college coed, but that was about to change. It was September of 1980. I was a freshman at Texas Tech. There was a girl in my biology class that I was determined to get to know better. The first Tech home game was on the horizon. I could hear my fifth grade teacher’s voice ringing in my head. I could hear her fist pounding on the chalkboard. Opportunity only knocks once! I asked…
My friend Kevin buys albums. I don’t mean photo albums. He is not into creative memories, as far as I know… He buys music albums. I think the last one I purchased was Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road that came out in October of 1973. Naturally I was thrilled when eight tracks came out! I wore out my first Boston eight track completely somewhere around 1977. When I purchased my first car, I abandoned the eight tracks and moved up to…
I have never had a good sense of timing and probably never well. On Valentine’s Day last week, I shared the thoughts from Trey Morgan’s guest blogger with Jan. I thought they very were amusing. The blog included a list of gifts not to give him, and a similar off limits gift list for her. One of the things on the off limits list for a male gift was: mushy cards. In fact this is exactly what guest blogger Amanda…