Browsed by
Author: John Knox

A Service of Remembrance

A Service of Remembrance

Comments 0 Comment

–> Tuesday evening, September 11th, a service of remembrance was held in our community at our beautiful Memorial Lane location.  Memorial Lane has been described as “a one of a kind park to honor and remember all heroes.”  It is reflective of the tremendous respect the community of Granbury has for both military personnel and first responders alike. Tuesday’s service was moving to say the very least.  A group of speakers impacted personally by the events of September 11th, 2001…

Read More Read More

Let’s Turn that Conversation Around and Make it ALL About ME!!

Let’s Turn that Conversation Around and Make it ALL About ME!!

Comments 0 Comment

I had two conversations this week.  I actually had more than two interchanges with other people over the past 7 days, but two stand out.  If an award could be given for being characteristically private, I think I would win first place. I am a very private person.  I don’t tell share my deepest thoughts or feelings very easily.  My inner circle is small.  In light of that reality, I did something out of character for me earlier this week.  I actually shared how an…

Read More Read More

Giving Children the Tools for Life

Giving Children the Tools for Life

Comments 0 Comment

I have a garage full of hand tools.  And they are not cheap ones either.  Many are Craftsman, Snap-On, and Mac brands.  They are plenty of electric saws and drills too.  As I surveyed my collection today, I realized that I had inherited a vast majority of my collection from my father. He was an outstanding craftsman.  He could build most anything with great precision.  I did NOT inherit such genes.  Precision and attention to minute details are not strengths…

Read More Read More

I LONG to be 18-Years-Old Again!

I LONG to be 18-Years-Old Again!

Comments 0 Comment

Several of the most influential mentors in my life have passed away over the past several years.  At age 56, you would think I would not still have so many pressing questions.  At this stage in life, shouldn’t I already have all of the tools I need to navigate the complexities life presents?  I find myself still needing a good word from wise people.  The questions at this stage have a more difficult feel to them.  I find myself feeling…

Read More Read More

A Little Lacking in the Common Sense Department…

A Little Lacking in the Common Sense Department…

Comments 0 Comment

I am a people person.  I tend to focus my energies on relationships and not things.  On the surface, that sounds so good.  But there is a downside to such inclinations.  My common sense is frequently lacking.  Just over ten years ago I attended a funeral service that was related to my chaplaincy work.  It was a service for a precious 16-year-old girl.  My mind was drawn to a family that I barely knew at that point.  I wasn’t paying…

Read More Read More

Just Go!

Just Go!

Comments 0 Comment

I didn’t want to go Friday. I had too much to get done. I didn’t really have time…  A lady from church is hospitalized in a rehabilitation hospital in Ft. Worth.  I needed to go see her Friday morning, but I had so many things in the office that needed to be completed before the end of the day.  I went anyhow.  When I arrived, she was not in her room. (It is a rehabilitation hospital!)  I headed toward the…

Read More Read More

I Have Been Given Many Second Chances!

I Have Been Given Many Second Chances!

Comments 0 Comment

You live in a house for years.  You grow up in that house.  And then the day comes that you never imagined as a kid.  It becomes your responsibility to clean every last possession out of that house and give the keys to a realtor.  Your parents are both deceased at this point. There is no need to keep the family home. And of course, the memories flood your mind.  Images of bicycles piled in the front yard are vivid. …

Read More Read More

Gathering at the Table

Gathering at the Table

Comments 1 comment

We gathered at the table last night.  It’s not just any table.  It’s the Simpson table on 75thstreet in Lubbock.  It’s the table where a number of my values were formed.  It’s the table of my adolescence. It’s the table where I gathered with my buddies to inhale hamburgers we cooked outside during our college years.  But it is also the table where I learned that members of several generations can come together and communicate meaningfully.     My first…

Read More Read More

Are You Serving under a Narcissistic Leader?

Are You Serving under a Narcissistic Leader?

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Sibling Conflict: What will It Take to Reconcile?

Sibling Conflict: What will It Take to Reconcile?

Comments 0 Comment

…you haven’t spoken to your brother or sister in years?  There was a conflict over something that you may not even clearly remember, and that ultimately led to a complete breakdown in communication. Perhaps tensions built over a period of time, and it finally reached a point that you could no longer stand it.  You and your sibling quietly parted ways.  The phone calls ceased.  The visits with each other became nonexistent.  And before you know it, decades have gone…

Read More Read More