The deed is officially done. The school shopping has been completed. It will be my last year to take Daniel school shopping for his K-12 education. He will begin his senior year in just over a week. We found bargains at Ross, Kohls, and Target. And we had a blast. The final stop of the day was at Rack Room Shoes.I like the buy one, get one half off deal. It gives me a good excuse to buy a pair…
Youth ministers are not supposed to officiate at funerals. Old guys like me responsible for the church at large are entrusted with that responsibility. Some of us do it on a very regular basis. Believe me when I say: it never becomes routine. Sometimes 17 year old kids die. And it can happen very unexpectedly. The youth minster, who is accustomed to planning teen mission trips and directing camps, is suddenly thrust into uncharted waters of service. My wife’s 17…
Hiding under the seemingly secure cover of denial is very appealing. Living in a state of denial is the best way to avoid the coldness of reality. So we set up our little tents of denial, and we crawl in them, thinking that they will protect us from the elements of reality. Unfortunately it never works. The unrelenting winds of reality blow those tents over in a matter of seconds, and leave us exposed once again. We found ourselves tangled…
It is the second week in August and quite naturally I have Furr’s Cafeteria on the mind. That is what I should be thinking about. Every year, during the second week in August, my mother took me school shopping. We always shopped at Anthony’s, which later became Beall’s. I bought my first suit at Anthony’s to wear at high school debate tournaments. It was an Angel’s Fight suit, which reflected the disco era of the late ‘70’s. I felt like…
It is time to move on. We all reach very decisive moments in life. Times when new commitments are made or old ones are renewed. The brief moment in time, when commitments are solidified, is of utmost importance. It is man and a woman saying their wedding vows to each other. It is a decision to remarry that same spouse, after a divorce has occurred. I know of two couples who have done just that in recent years. It is…
I was stunned. I know at my age there is no excuse to be surprised, but for some reason I was really taken back… I visited with a man recently who had traveled a great distance to attend his father’s funeral. I asked him a few casual questions about his father, and found out quickly that he knew very little about his dad. He was actually very forthright. He told me that he had not seen his father for nearly…
Over the next several weeks, dads across the nation will be moving their 18 year olds into college dormitories for the first time. They will not find the experience nearly as joyous as the high graduation ceremony. Oh, I have so much to say these unsuspecting parents. They have quite a road ahead of them in the next year or two. Most universities require students to live in the dorm for at least a year. Some schools even require a…
I did it again last night. You would think that I would know better. I participated in after midnight talking. You have heard of such a vice? It can be a very a scary mode of interaction. Perhaps a definition is in order. After midnight talking is the type of interpersonal communication that takes place late at night, when everyone is tired. Fatigue does a number on healthy inhibitions. After midnight, we are more inclined to say things that we…
I came home today. When I say I came home, I mean that I actually drove to my hometown, where I grew up. It is a good four hour plus drive. I had lots of time to think. The closer I got to home the richer my thoughts became. I even thought about the prodigal son making the long trek home. I wondered if his thoughts became richer, as he got closer to home. But you know that they say:…
I have never experienced firsthand a natural disaster in which the physical world around me was literally falling apart. But I have heard some personal stories from those who have, and I listened attentively as they recounted the sheer terror and helplessness they felt in the midst of it. Although we may never encounter a physical calamity such as this in our lifetime, all of us have times in our lives when the warm, secure walls of our emotional world…