Monday afternoon one of co-workers lost her father. He died very suddenly and unexpectedly. I did not know him well, but I always appreciated the brief interchanges we would have occasionally. And I knew him by reputation as well. He was highly respected in this area. As I sat with the family in the tiny family room adjacent to the ER, an interesting fact about his life was revealed. It was his habit to pray the following prayer everyday: “Lord,…
I have a great hair stylist. And by the way, that is the correct way to address an individual in that particular profession. They are indeed called hair stylists. I used to get Bubba down at the barber shop to cut my hair. I am not sure what I am supposed to call Bubba, but hair stylist for some reason just does not fit. My stylist has other professional talents too. It was in the context of a discussion about…
I have been intrigued by the study of generational differences for a long time. The values and lifestyles of the GI Generation, those who lived through the depression and World War II, are obviously very different from young adults in their 20’s. There is on going dialogue about the generation gulf that separates adults of different ages. I see it in a church setting every week. Young adults in their 20’s and 30’s have a very different set of desires…
A number of years ago my mother gave me the kitchen table that our family ate meals on back in the 1950s’ and 1960’s. I was not around in the ’50’s to enjoy those meals, and for me some of the fellowship around the table was spent in a high chair in the ’60’s. It was a drop leaf table that was actually very nice when it was new. By the time it was passed on to me, there were…
Christian comedian Dennis Swanberg tells the story of a church having condensation problems from its air conditioners during a Sunday morning Easter service. A couple of the deacons decided to be heroes, as Swanberg notes. They climbed in the attic right above hundreds of worshippers, in order to correct the problem. As fate would have it, one of the well meaning deacons walked through the sheetrock in the ceiling. According to Swanberg, you could see his legs dangling down. One…
Youth ministers are not supposed to officiate at funerals. Old guys like me responsible for the church at large are entrusted with that responsibility. Some of us do it on a very regular basis. Believe me when I say: it never becomes routine. Sometimes 17 year old kids die. And it can happen very unexpectedly. The youth minster, who is accustomed to planning teen mission trips and directing camps, is suddenly thrust into uncharted waters of service. My wife’s 17…
When I have the opportunity to lecture at law enforcement chaplaincy training conferences, I often tell new chaplains that they can expect to go through the same emotional cycle that most police officers experience. It looks like this:When you first begin working with people on the streets in a variety of crisis events you are ready to save the world. In the case of an officer, you are going to put every bad guy in a jail for a very…
The church I served in Wichita Falls was an easy target. Situated in a downtown area right on Hwy 287 and only a few blocks from the railroad tracks; it drew all kinds of people just passing through town. They had all kinds of needs. There were people traveling across country stopping in for gas money. Families living in those same cars often sought much needed groceries and baby formula. Drifters using the rail system to make it to the…
Why do I agree every year to be the Head Men’s Counselor for Camp Zenith? Why would any person in their right mind want to supervise over 250 high school age boys, and 22 college age counselors? I know one thing for certain. Sanity has nothing to do with it. Around 2:00 this morning I received my annual call. The annual call is generally worded something like this: “You have ____ number of campers out of their dorm rooms.” “They…
My friend and colleague in ministry, Trey Morgan, wrote this on his Facebook status earlier today regarding his son, who is doing urban mission work in Florida:Taylor got a parking ticket yesterday in Miami. He said, “I didn’t even know what that parking meter was.” Gotta to love a small town kid. I am with Trey. The relative innocence of small town kids is refreshing. I see it in our youth group in Granbury. The teens who attend Tolar, a…