On May 15th, a tornado destroyed an entire housing development in our community. Six people lost their lives. There were numerous injuries that evening too. Needless to say life in our community has not been the same since 8:00 p.m. on the 15th. All of us have been working extra hours to make sure the immediate needs of victims are met. I have learned so much in the past ten days! If the truth be known, I have learned a…
I have had several friends that have built new homes over the years. As the construction proceeded, they proudly showed me pictures of the progress. When the house was finally completed, they eagerly shared photos of the finished project. It is a natural thing to share the joy of a new home with friends. Today we served hundreds of people who lost their homes in Granbury’s tornado Wednesday evening. They patiently waited in line for hours to secure a permit…
Last Thursday I enjoyed my weekly breakfast tradition with Ira. His youngest daughter is my age, so he could be my father. Our weekly discussions over The Firehouse Breakfast Special give me material to think about for weeks. His depth of character and understanding of Scripture stretches me intellectually and spiritually. Last week he told me that since his wife’s death he has become very attuned to people around him in a restaurant eating alone. A couple of weeks ago…
I was not the chaplain on call that cool night in March of 1994. But as chaplain commander that particular year, I was on call in the event of a major event that required more than one person to respond. When my pager went off at 1:30 in the morning, I knew it was not good news. Back in the pre-cell phone days, we had to call our dispatcher in order to receive details about the needs of the moment….
I love the character of Eddie Haskell on the classic show, Leave it to Beaver. Eddie’s syrupy if not disgusting compliments directed to June Cleaver make me laugh. His obvious duplicity is equally amusing. Eddie can tell Mrs. Cleaver how nice she looks in one moment and totally ridicule poor Beaver as soon as the opportunity presents itself. But in real life, the Eddie Haskell’s among us are just not amusing. People need authentic compliments. Our friends need genuine affirmation…
Thursdays with Ira have become an important tradition. I think I could write a book about the conversations that we have had over the past several months and it would be well worth the read. Ira is 81 years old. He has been a widower for less than a year. His insights on life take me days to process after we depart from our Thursday morning breakfast meetings. Today’s topic of discussion was rather unique. Ira decided on a whim…
I have edited key details and names in this story to protect the privacy of everyone involved. What place does a 15 year old girl have in a Dallas bar that attracts more than its share of unsavory characters? But that is where 15 year old Morgan found herself on most weeknights. In fact, she had to find a place to lay her head, and get some rest. Her mother’s shift as a bartender did not end until 2:00 a.m….
I am not an expert when it comes to serving our homeless population. But I am very aware of some of the hurdles that we face as we strive to actively express compassion to such individuals. Drug addiction and severe mental illness are among the list of difficulties. In recent months, it has become very clear to me that there is another kind of homeless population. There are the invisible homeless. It seems like a day does not go by…
Yesterday I judged at a UIL Lincoln Douglas Debate Competition in rural Brock, Texas. I thought my debate coaching and judging days were over after Daniel graduated from high school, but that is not to be the case apparently. Yesterday there were several matches where an experienced high school debater was paired with a student that possessed little or no experience in a tournament setting. It could have been the equivalent of me going up against Tiger Woods in match…
When each of our boys started sleeping all the way through the night, it was a big deal. Feedings in the wee hours of the morning soon ceased. Walking the floor with a baby suffering from colic lasted only a matter of weeks even though it seemed like months at the time! Time marched on and they soon reached a point of seemingly staying up all night and sleeping during the day during school breaks. It never occurred to me…