I had lunch today with Jaime and Lalo Rocha. They are making final preparations this fall to move to Mexico City to initiate a new church plant. If I can progress in Spanish as fast as Lalo has moved in his command of the English language, I will be in good shape! He is an inspiration. Lalo made an interesting comment about life in Mexico City, while we ate.He observed that marital breakdowns are really having an impact on churches…
Who are you going to call? Who are you going to call when your favorite appliance in your home decides act inappropriately and flood the house with water? Who are you going to call when your car suddenly craters in the middle of rush hour traffic? When there is a major family crisis, who will you call? Who we choose to call under such circumstances is very revealing. It was 1992. Randall was three years old. Daniel was 8 months…
Today was my first day of school right along with all of the public school students. I am taking a Spanish class in a short course format this week. It has been enlightening already. I am reminded of how time consuming it is to learn a second language. There really are no shortcuts. It just takes time and patience coupled with lots of practice. The teacher is exceptional. She is taking a very pragmatic approach that will aid all of…
I am really not gloating that Tiger Woods “choked” during the final Round of the PGA Championship this past weekend. At least I am trying not to gloat… I did not think I would ever see the word “choke” and Tiger Woods in the same sentence though. That is the very word that sports commentators are using today to describe his conduct during the final round of the tournament. I am kind of excited to see a relatively unknown person…
The needs of people around us are inexhaustible. Everyday marriages are crumbling right under our noses. Close friends struggle with addictions. Serious illness and death is a constant reality. And those of us inclined to be unselfish servants at times feel somewhat overwhelmed by it all. I have felt overcome by the darkness of the world we live in recently. I hate what has happened to close and long time friends. I finally realized today that perhaps I am more…
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…
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…