It was one of “those” mornings as my day got started today. Perhaps it is the change of seasons. Or maybe it is because Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It could be partially triggered by still another friend losing a parent this week. I will attend that funeral tomorrow. Another friend lost his son in a tragic accident earlier this fall. There are probably a complex mix of reasons. But the truth is I felt the pangs of grief as…
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…
When I was about 30 years old, an extended family member asked me when I was going to grow up. I replied “never.” That was not the answer she was searching for. I failed the test. But the truth is I have grown up. I am not as impulsive as I was at one time. I am far more cautious than I was in my younger years. Perhaps the word “tame” is fitting. I am not convinced that is entirely…
I have been experiencing flashbacks the last several days. And believe it or not I really did not do any LSD back in the ‘70’s. I actually did a little research. Apparently having LSD flashbacks decades after ingestion is indeed urban legend. As a matter of fact, my flashbacks have been very specific. They seem to be characteristic of an aging father… The first one occurred Saturday evening. We hosted some friends overnight that have three small pre-adolescent children. It…
I am very particular about who cuts my hair, so I am grateful for my friend Anna. She is a great barber and a better friend. When I walked in the barber shop over the noon hour today, the first thing I noticed was a couple sitting very close to each other on the long bench that lines one of the walls. They were totally engrossed in reading or watching something on her i-phone. And…they were obviously engrossed in each…
Yesterday I was privileged to attend the funeral service for a man that I deeply respected. I learned a lot about leadership from Dr. Phil Sims. But my favorite “Phil story” has more to do with his role as a father… I am a pretty big guy, but Phil towered me. I felt like a little boy in first grade standing next to him. He was also very intelligent, so to say that he could be intimidating is understatement. As…
We took an interesting man out to breakfast this morning. The conversation with him was engaging to say the very least. Topics over eggs and coffee ranged from the needs of aging Vietnam veterans to matters of theological signficance. The interchange additionally veered off into such topics as classic films and the real estate market. I love a challenging conversation, so today was a treat. I should also mention that our dining experience was disrupted by a restless little boy sitting right…
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…
A new school year will begin in a few weeks. Teachers will soon return to the classrooms to prepare. There will be in service days, convocations, and lots of meetings. A new crew of kids will begin the K-12 portion of their educational journey. But this year there will be no calls from the principal telling me that my son threw a rock at another child on the playground. Randall confessed to that infraction as a 5 year old in…
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…