My sweet bride of almost 26 years has displayed unimaginable patience with the four men she has lived with for a good portion of our married life. One husband and three boys… I have asked for years now what she did as a child that was so awful to deserve us. Her response is always the same: The Lord knew that we could not possibly function without her. She could be onto something there… Today I will tape a video…
I find no pleasure in kicking people when they are down. In fact, I perceive such inclinations as sadistic, self-righteous, and downright mean spirited. If we stumbled upon an injured person, would we give them a good shove instead of rendering aid? We would be horrified if we read something like that in the news. I am so thankful that I am above such hostile and uncaring attitudes. Perhaps I should think again… Let me begin by confessing that I…
For years I thought I was the product of some odd genetic mutation. I am so different from my mother and father. How did I come from their gene pool? Both of my parents were very organized and detail oriented people. That is not me! My dad was a mathematical genius. That is not me either! The list could go on…What happened? Several years ago I started doing extensive research on my paternal grandparents. The experience was spooky in a…
It has been an interesting Mother’s Day. In 15 years, I have never had to miss a Sunday of preaching because I became sick at the last minute. Today was a first… The stomach virus hit late yesterday evening. I am just now thinking I might be able to join the living again. My sudden illness did not hinder my boys in honoring their mother. They went to early service this morning and arrived home an hour ahead of their…
I suspect very few of us noticed that this week is National Nurses Week. It is always celebrated in conjunction with Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12th. Some would say: Who cares? You might care when you find yourself in a hospital bed at the mercy of someone who has RN plastered on their name badge. I am a little partial to nurses. I spend my share of time visiting people in ICU, on the floor at the hospital, or…
I have a lot of irons in the fire. In fact, I have too many commitments at the present time. Some of them will end soon. I do see some light at the end of the tunnel. And it is just a busy time of year. Next school year I plan to cut a few things out of my schedule out of necessity. But there is one effort that will actually become a more significant priority. I have volunteered as…
It is not uncommon for a four year old to have an imaginary friend. In fact, children have been known to have quite an array for imaginary comrades. I even think development specialists would say that an active imagination is a sign of superior intelligence. At least that sounds awful good… Several years ago my youngest son said: My dad is 45 years old and he still has imaginary friends. How disturbing is that? I am sure it must have…
The fall of 1981 still ranks as one of the most difficult and perplexing times in my life. I dropped out of Texas Tech as a sophomore that semester for a variety of reasons. I hated being a business major and accounting in particular. I had a good job that paid well, so why stay in school? And of course there was a girl involved. A very unhealthy relationship ended early on during the course of that semester. It was…
I feel like I should have celebrated my 28th birthday today, but it is not true. I turned 48 today. I can’t believe I am rapidly approaching the 50 mark! When May 1st rolls around every year, I always think of Sudie. Sudie Dean was born on May 1st, 1900. She lived to be 100 years old. I met Sudie as a very young minister in Wichita Falls almost 23 years ago. We soon started celebrating our birthdays together. I started…
Would it happen in Granbury, America? I certainly hope not. A 31 year old Guatemalan immigrant in New York City recently intervened to assist a woman being attacked on a street in Queens. When he intervened to help the woman, he was stabbed several times. Video surveillance cameras from nearby apartment buildings revealed at least 7 people walking by the man as he lay in the street bleeding. Some turned their heads to look. Others stopped to gawk, but nobody…