Over the course of my 29-year career in ministry I have learned that churches have hidden treasures. And I don’t mean a stash of priceless diamonds hidden in a Vacation Bible School costume that has been stored in a closet since 1968. I am talking about people… Tim is one of the treasures at the church I have preached for nearly 12 years. He is a very reserved man., He served physically and cognitively impaired students in an elementary school…
I am going to start a new business venture. My empty nest is going to become a place of refuge for teenage boys that need to escape maternal wrath. When mom is fired up, it’s just best to leave the country. You need a refuge that is owned and operated by an empathic male that has raised boys of his own. One of my favorite middle-school age boys is Teddy. (not his real name. I have changed the names to…
My firstborn son reminded me yesterday that I used to attempt to conceal Dramamine tablets in Almond Joy bars when he was a little boy. I had totally forgotten! I actually thought it was a really clever idea. MY dad was of the mind to give me Dramamine without the added help of chocolate and coconut. I was just told to “suck it up.” Randall’s comment scared me… What else did I do or say during his formative years that…
I am planning on being a grumpy old man. It would probably be a good idea to go on and tell my kids. But I think they already know. Believe it or not there actually are men that age quite well without the addition of any grumpiness. I know one quite well. He is a widower in his 80’s. A week or two ago it was pointed out to him that there was a man at church who recently lost…
So…are you are a part of one of “those” families? That sounds disturbing, doesn’t it? If you have a niece who always refers to you as Uncle Buck, you could be a part of one of “those” families. When you are 53 years old, and your sisters still get nervous about going out in public with you, you could be the person that is making your family one of “those” families. I confess. I contribute substantially to making those related…
At some point, our friends are going to irritate us. It’s inevitable. Members of our family are going to offend us. It happens. We are going to be tempted to get really angry and blow up! What happens to a relationship, when the breakdown is significant? I was really irked with someone recently. I will forgo the details in order to protect the guilty. But I will share some choices I made that feel really important. I asked myself: What…
I stumbled on this quote from Alexander Graham Bell. “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” One of my friends responded to the quote with this observation. “I know it is true when one door closes another opens. It is the time in the dark hallway that gets to me.” I imagine most of us resonate…
When I was an undergraduate student, my professors did a good job preparing me for the real world. They shared personal experiences as well as material from textbooks. But none of my teachers said anything about swimming with sharks. After nearly 32 years of being in the working world, I am reminded that such a skill is of utmost importance. Sharks are lurking everywhere. They appear in the form of rude and condescending people. They are eager to put others down, so…
As I look back on 2015, I am making the conscious choice to focus on the choices that have caused no regret. It’s a commitment for me, because my mind automatically gravitates to the poor choices. I never have any problem reminding myself of the dumb things I said and did. Here is my list: · I was invited to speak at the church where I delivered my first sermon in 1984. Those kind people asked me to come and…
The media is wasting no time in criticizing Green Bay Packer Clay Matthews for the classless stunt he pulled in the game against the Arizona Cardinals today. After sacking Cardinal’s quarterback Carson Palmer, Matthews extended his hand to help him up. When Palmer reached out for his hand, Matthews quickly withdrew it. It was clearly an act of unsportsmanlike conduct I don’t condone his behavior. And if I were Coach Mike McCarthy, I would have a discussion with him that he…