I need a double dose of the “Charlie Principle” today. My friend Charlie Goin lives in Woodward, OK. He is one of those characters that you don’t soon forget if you ever meet him. He is one of the most generous and kind spirited people I have ever known. He is also the worst driver in the state of Oklahoma as well as being a world traveler. Charlie is just a character. He shared something with me about 10 years…
I have been in Torreon, Mexico most of this week lecturing for church leaders at an annual seminar. The schedule is pretty intense with short breaks after each presentation. I shared the time with three capable speakers. I am generally given practical ministry topics to address. This year I focused on family concerns for families serving in ministry. The best part of the seminar for me took place after all of the lectures had already been delivered… Several of the…
There is a group of four of us delivering lectures for the next two days on behalf of church leaders serving all over Northern Mexico. Most of the participants traveled via bus to get to this event. The school hosting the seminar provides breakfast and a homemade noon meal. (The food is great!!) This annual two day seminar is one of the rare opportunities for this group of people to have a continuing education experience. Staying in a hotel and enjoying the company…
One of the things that I have enjoyed most in my travels to a number of cities in Mexico over the years is the bustling atmosphere in the downtown areas that continues well into the evening. The sidewalks are full of people. Street vendors are common. Small specialty stores of all kinds stay open at least until 10:00 p.m. There appears to be a real sense of community among the people. Last night when we arrived via a commercial airline…
Eleven years ago I received a manila envelope with a cordial letter and a vhs tape. The letter was an invitation from Gil Sanchez, who directs Casa De Le Esperanza, a children’s home in the Northern Mexico state of Chihuahua. Somehow Gil became aware that I had led groups of medical professionals to conduct free clinics in several Mexican cities. That prompted the invitation I received in the mail in 2000. The vhs tape was a promotional video telling the…
In a recent blog post entitled: Things I’ve Learned About the Preaching Life Since I Quit, my friend and esteemed colleague Dan Bouchelle lists 5 things that he has indeed learned since leaving ministry on a church staff six months ago. All of 5 of his insights are excellent, but I am just going to share the first one in this forum. I am not inclined to whine about my role as a minister (except occasionally on Monday mornings when…
Some of my friends laugh when I tell them that I get excited about trips to Lubbock, Texas. But my classmates and other friends that grew up out there can appreciate my enthusiasm for West Texas. Yesterday I made a quick run to Lubbock to pick up 40 copies of a hymnal that is printed in Spanish. Time did not allow for me to visit with longtime friends, but I did manage to grab a bean burrito at Taco Villa…
I encouraged the church to participate in a media fast today. Fasting from media would entail refraining from television, internet, video games, and even our cell phones. I am told that a couple of our teenagers start squirming when I mentioned a fast from text messaging. Teens get the bad rap when it comes to being hooked to everything electronic, but that is not fair. There are retired couples at church that stay glued to cable news constantly. They are…
I am an organizational virus. My contribution to the cause is to complain. I know you have met me before, because I exist in most societal institutions. I am the person at your place of employment who gripes about everything from the work load to the way that the toilet paper is mounted in the restroom. And somehow I manage to worm my way into non-profit organizations that are trying to do something helpful in the community. I am the…
I am way past the point of being effective as a youth minister. But if I was completing my graduate level education today, I would be drawn to a form of youth ministry that urban churches everywhere should consider embracing. Teens’ living in impoverished homes is nothing new. But in more recent years there has been a significant increase of students that are homeless. On the surface, Granbury appears to be an affluent bedroom community to Ft. Worth. It is…