I enjoyed a quick phone call today with a colleague and good friend. She is a wonderful resource for me in the law enforcement dimension of my ministry as well. I called her at noon today, because I need to consult with her on a pending crisis situation. My mother taught me good manners, so quite naturally I said: Am I interrupting your lunch? She told me she was eating in her car, as she made her way to the…
Camp this week has been a little different. Two sessions are running concurrently during the same period. Camp Impact is targeted at younger children. Camp Cornerstone is for students in middle school. Two groups of compers and two staffs totaled in excess of 850 people. That is where it gets interesting… We are not accustomed to working with each other. Cornerstone and Impact have never taken place during the same week. My assignment was to Cornerstone, but I tried diligently…
There was no shortage of attendees at the 50th wedding anniversary party for Thomas and Barbara Mason last Saturday. Their reception was held at the church across the street from the preacher’s home, where they exchanged vows on June 10th, 1960. We all visited with family members whom we have not seen for several years. That was especially gratifying. About midway into the reception I noticed my mother-in-law visiting with some Hispanic guests whom I did not know. She eagerly…
In January of 1960, Thomas Mason purchased a farm near Friona, in the Texas Panhandle. The old farmhouse most likely constructed in the 1920’s, and situated on the half section of land. He was almost like a young pioneer trying to get established in the farming business. How enjoyable could that be without a suitable partner? Living on the farm alone was about to change. He learned from his neighbors across the road that there was a single girl who…
Sit on that chair and don’t move a muscle….Those were the words of my mother when I was conscripted into accompanying her to the beauty shop to get her hair fixed. In the 1960’s women did not get their cut, they got it fixed. I am not sure how they broke it during the preceding week, but nevertheless that was the language. Thankfully trips to the beauty shop for me were very rare, but occasionally neither of my dear older…
The news read as follows on May 20th of last year: Phil Mickelson’s wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the three-time major champion said Wednesday he will suspend his PGA Tour schedule indefinitely. Not long after that somber revelation, Mickelson discovered that his mother was also diagnosed with cancer. It has been a tough year for him.When Mickelson dropped his last putt on 18 yesterday at Augusta to win the Master’s, I was thrilled for him! The…
Last year our mom and pop video store near our home sold their inventory of movies and closed their business completely. Now this month Movie Gallery is selling inventory and preparing to close their doors as well. The entertainment business continues to change everyday. I recall the days of renting a vcr for the weekend, because we did not actually own one! A few years later dvd’s became the industry standard for movies. . It appears to be a…
I love to give unique gifts. I prefer giving things that are unpredictable and totally out of the box. Jan has gone on trips that she had no clue I was planning. I have sent packages to friends that they were not expecting. It is so fun to run across some random item in a store and intuitively know that it would make the perfect gift for a loved one. Books that fit the interests of the recipient are…
Several years ago I was introduced to a term from writings generated by the Church Growth Movement called the Homogenous Principle. Mega churches like Willow Creek in South Barrington, IL experienced exponential growth, because they evaluated their market, and targeted a certain portion of the population. I realize that a single church cannot touch people from every walk of life. In our situation, we are not geared up at the present time to reach out to people who live…
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…