Celebrating the Journey

  Everyday I encounter brokenness. Very few days pass that I do not hear at least one story of a relationship that is torn apart by conflict. Sometimes it is about a spouse that has left a person they once loved. Occasionally I hear about longtime friendships unraveling. And then there are situations where someone is conflicted with the church collectively. Stories of brokenness are sad. There is generally significant collateral damage done when two people cannot resolve their differences….

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There are throw-away people in our society. We don’t admit it. We conveniently ignore this reality, but, nevertheless, it is true. I have been aware for many years that the very elderly among us can potentially fall into that category. About 18 years ago, an older gentleman at a nursing home requested a visit from a minister. The church I was serving at the time was only a few blocks away, so somehow that request landed on my desk. I…

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  “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” -Stephan GrelletDaniel interviewed for a full ride academic scholarship this past Monday. I never had to worry about such interviews back in the day. Thankfully Daniel and Randall both have taken…

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Be careful what you laugh at… Better be careful what who and what you poke fun of…. I have a pretty good list of the things I haven taken shots at and what the consequences have been for me. Here is a starter: • When I was on the debate team at Monterey High School, I used to stand behind the podium in the classroom and poke fun of preachers. I will choose not to share the content in this…

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 When I was a Boy Scout many years ago, we went on a repelling trip not from Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo. Repelling down cliffs can be a lot of fun. As I prepared to repel down one of the cliffs we had chosen, the equipment became tangled in some brush. When I reached down to retrieve the stranded gear, I lost my footing and fell about thirty feet. It knocked me out cold. My sisters would tell…

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   If you see me in a restaurant, I will sit at the far back table with my back to the wall. When I go to the mall, I am very aware of my surroundings. I know who is around me and what they are doing. I even observe what is going on at church very carefully. I suppose doing ministry in a law enforcement setting for 20 years just starts to rub off on your actions! I have learned…

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It is a hazard of the job. If you choose a people helping profession, you are going to be criticized, even if you have the best of intentions. . I have made some serious mistakes on numerous occasions. I have used poor judgment more than once! I know for a fact that I have preached sermons that just missed the target completely. All of those things are professional hazards. Humanity seems to get in the way at the most inopportune…

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We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere… It takes years to reach that conclusion. When my high school held its ten year reunion, I just had no desire to go back. Getting kicked off the debate team for disciplinary reasons was still somewhat fresh on my mind. As a new father at the time of that first reunion, I had the image of my friends still…

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I have been asked to speak to a group of middle school kids tomorrow at a local church. What does an old man like me say to middle school students? I actually have a 1996 male model of one of those at home, but I am still at a loss. The speaking context is a basketball tournament, so that put me on a sports track… Do I tell them about my friend who played on the National Championship University of…

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 Am I willing to even entertain the thought, as fleeting as it might be? Am I actually open to even thinking about forgiving someone who has hurt me deeply?  That is the first stage on the forgiveness journey that I identified in the Joseph narrative threaded in the final chapters of Genesis. The second stage involves taking some initiative. Am I Willing to Initiate Forgiveness and Reconciliation? Someone has to take the first step. Someone must call a truce or…

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