My heart has been ripped right of my body this week. It has been taken out by force, placed on a hard surface and stomped on. I suppose I really should explain. I am doing my second year residency this week for my master’s degree in mental health counseling. (I know…what kind of nutcase goes back to school at age 51.) But here I am taking a course this summer in counseling children and adolescents. The written coursework was great. …
Reading the newspaper is dangerous business. There is no telling how a particular article may impact your life. Last week I played in a golf tournament with a marine. He is not an active duty marine, but years ago it was pointed out me that there is no such thing as a “former marine.” During our golf round he shared a story that continues to impact me. He got up one morning and read the newspaper. That’s not an unusual…
It was an annual tradition at Wind Point Elementary School. A photographer would set up in the school hallway to take individual pictures of each student. They even provided combs for Dennis the Menace types such as myself. As part of their services, they assembled a class picture featuring every student in that particular teacher’s room. Last night at the 35 year Horlick High School Reunion some of those class pictures from at least two elementary campuses were floating…
I typically spend my day off doing exciting things like mowing the lawn and catching up on laundry. But I am not complaining! After preaching three times on Sunday and teaching an adult class, I am ready for some reprieve. I thoroughly enjoy the solitude that yard-work and laundry afford. Yesterday was different. The preceding Sunday had been a hard one. On that Sunday I commemorated the line of duty shooting death of one of the deputies I served along…
Not many people are fortunate enough to attend two high school reunions. In fact, I am aware that many consciously choose not show up at any kind of reunion. I attended school in Racine, Wisconsin through the 7th grade. I will reconnect with friends from that era of my life at the second reunion next month. Two weeks ago I attended my 35 year high school reunion. It wasn’t at all what I expected. There were a few things I…
About 7 years ago I was assigned to teach a middle school age Sunday school class for a quarter. I actually enjoy teaching that age group. And this group was particularly lively and engaging. One Sunday I was discussing the conversation that Jesus had with a woman from Samaria. I pointed out the cultural norms of that day that he plowed over. And during the course of the conversation, I made some applications to racism in more recent years. I…
I am about to decide that choosing be inclusive is like swimming upstream. The choice to exclude is made with relative ease. But it takes a conscious choice to be inclusive. I have been reminded of this reality in the past few weeks, as the coordinators of my 35 year high school reunions continue to work diligently finding and communicating with ALL classmates. I should explain… I went to school through the 7th grade in Racine, Wisconsin. My classmates that…
I heard a story about a man that left our church many years ago. I asked a simple question. Why did he leave? I was told something was said to him that was very offensive. What was said? I inquired. When I was told what was actually said, it did not sound very offensive. It was probably in poor taste, but it seemed like a comment that was by no means intentionally hurtful. But the comment caused the man to…
Who are you going to invite to lunch? I saw an image and accompanying article a few days ago about a fire station in New York. The firefighters at that station have a tradition of invited a wounded veteran to join them for lunch. Their hospitality spoke to my heart. My first reaction was: Who am I going to invite to lunch? I like to eat with my friends. We like the same eating establishments. We have things in common….
Last week I heard about two friends that were exchanging text messages. As the conversation was about to end, one of the friends affectionately texted: “I love you.” Now the other half of this friendship intended to text back: “I love you too.” But predictive texting is what it is… The response ended up being: “I love you fool.” A seed was planted for a major rift in that friendship, but thankfully both of them got a great laugh out…