Celebrating the Journey

I read an article recently about facebook statuses that need to come to a screeching halt.  I have to confess that I chuckled at a few of them.  The author made the case that leaving people hanging with vague status updates does not promote deeper friendship. Shocking statuses are equally destructive in the realm of interpersonal communication. And then the author calls for an end to what he called “the private message.”  He is describing the practice of “telling one…

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In 1985, we moved to Abilene so I could attend graduate school.   Jan did not have a job and I did not either.  The only certainty we had as we packed our few belongings into a rental truck was that I had an 80% scholarship for the master’s degree program that I had been accepted into at Abilene Christian University. We had enough money saved for a month’s rent and groceries.  On a Monday morning in April of 1985, we…

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Sometimes you ask the wrong guy an important question…Or maybe I have it backwards.  Perhaps in this case he asked the right guy. It was Friday afternoon.  I took vacation days for the entire week to work on schoolwork and chores around the house.   But as it turned out, I was the only minister on our church staff in town that day.  So I got the call… A man called the church office requesting a minister to come and visit…

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The walking wounded are easy targets.   If you want to communicate your prejudices, or just be downright hateful, you won’t miss the mark if you find someone who is already struggling with life. They are perfect targets for negative messages, caustic comments, and sarcastic humor.  Believe me your message will not go unheeded.  You will hit the target without a doubt. There is no need to wait around for a damage report.   You will successfully crush the person that is…

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I love to read.  My reading interests are wide and varied. But even when I am engrossed in a particularly good book, I still find the need to stop after a series of chapters and take a few moments to absorb the material.  Bookmarks are a good thing.2013 is nearly over.  Quite frankly I am ready for the year to come to an end. I would like to close the chapter entitled “2013” and after a very brief bookmarking open…

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Believe it or not I actually went to church yesterday. I should explain. I don’t serve a hipster church. We have too many gray heads sitting out there on Sunday. And I don’t serve a retiree church either. We have too many kids running around. We have representatives from all five adult generations. I have police officers and convicted felons worshipping under one roof. Yesterday a young couple that recently married were sitting close to a man who recently lost…

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I do not like to be manipulated.  Overt manipulation irritates me.  Subtle attempts at manipulation are even more offensive. We have all been there. Someone says: “You just don’t care about me.”  Or it is stated:  “I just experienced ______ and you never reached out to me.”  In many cases, there was no knowledge of what that person was experiencing. How do we deal with those that are inclined to manipulate others?  I have a few ideas that I have…

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I spent several years of my life in ministry training.  It was a rich experience on many levels, but I was absent on the day the magic wands were passed out. I really do want a magic wand these days.  People that are near and dear to me are hurting in unimaginable ways.  They are facing the reality of unexpected death. They are grieving.  As I strive to serve them, I reach for my magic wand. I want to wave…

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Not long after moving to Granbury in 2004, the church I serve decided to conduct a survey of the members in an effort to be collaborative regarding some key decisions.  The wording of one of the questions sounded something like this:  “If I could change anything about this church, what would you change?” One individual responded in the following manner: “I would appreciate better overall content and delivery of sermons.”  Of course I was the person that delivered those weekly…

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In 2011, a high school classmate of mine lost one of his close friends to cancer.  I really felt for him.  His pain was obvious.  I wondered at the time what it would be like to lose a peer. I was 49 years old and had never lost a friend that was my age.  Little did I know I was about to find out…A season of grief was on the horizon. In April of 2012, my childhood friend Ray passed…

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