Father’s day is next weekend. Be sure and take care of your father next weekend, and if he’s no longer with you, take a moment to reflect on all the things he did for you. One of my friends posted that thought in their facebook status a week or so ago, so I saved it. I saved it because it occurred to me that I have never taken the time to express in specific terms all of the things he…
Jeff was training for the Olympics. He was on the verge of becoming an Olympian runner when unforeseen circumstances derailed his dream. An unexpected injury permanently dashed any hopes of Olympic competition. He was still able to run, but he was not in a position to compete at that level. I cannot imagine the disappointment he felt. His life plans shifted in an entirely different direction. He decided to go into law enforcement. I don’t know how many agencies he applied with, but…
On a particularly frustrating day recently it occurred to me that the sum total of my present commitments and the dreams that I formulated many years ago did not appear to be a close match. On the surface my ideals and what I am actually doing everyday did not seem to be living in the same neighborhood! What do you do when you think that your dreams got up and left in a moving van with the name “Cold Reality”…
One of the perks of being a Baby Boomer minister is the distinct privilege I have had for 24 years now to serve members of the Greatest Generation, as they are so called. I wish now that I had records of every funeral service I have done over the years for WWII veterans, and their spouses. I have officiated at quite a few. In more recent years, I have been honored to officiate at internment services at the Dallas National…
I will call him Roy. He is loud. He usually invades my personal space when he talks to me. His behavior occasionally disrupts my sermons. He has been known to dominate my time in public settings. He bombards with a constant stream of questions every time I see him. He is not a 5 year old. Roy is a mentally challenged man in his early 30’s. After early service was over yesterday, I was particularly tired for some reason. Preaching…
I was not introduced to the phrase “living in community” until recent years. I knew I grew up in “a” community, but I did not realize I lived “in” community minus the article “a.” until that phrase became a 21st Century buzzword. My parents’ generation lived in community too, but it was such a natural part of life I suppose they felt no need to give it an official name. My mother was a native Southerner who found herself transplanted…
This week at a school banquet I heard parents of high school students lamenting their lack of solitude and down time in general. Several of them were parents of younger teens that have not quite reached the driving age. They are in the taxi cab stage of parenting for at least another year. I am sympathetic. I have been there. As I thought about all of our constant busyness, a rather sobering thought occurred to me. We tend to make…
I prefer to play golf by myself on my precious Mondays. I generally put in about 12 intense hours on Sunday, so by the time Monday rolls around I am usually downright anti-social. But this past Monday I happened to pick up and play golf with a very interesting man. He “retired” to Granbury from the Chicago area in 1980. That is a long time to be retired! As I heard his story this afternoon, I soon figured out that…
He comprado una cama de hoy para ser colocado en la sala de recién formado invitado. Compramos nuestra primera casa en 1992, y vivió en varias propiedades de alquiler durante los últimos 8 años. No recuerdo haber tenido nunca un área en la casa designada como una sala de visita! Como ya he arrastrado el colchón y base de resortes a casa de una venta de garaje de hoy, mi mente vagaba de nuevo a esta época del año en 1989. Jan Randall estaba…
My philosophy of parenting seems to be changing daily these days. Now that two of my boys are adults and one is not to far from that milestone I am starting to figure a few things out. I have been extremely fortunate over the years to watch some real parenting pros in action. That was particularly true when the boys were small. I watched parents of teenagers navigate that time in life in a way that I desired to imitate….