I have never experienced firsthand a natural disaster in which the physical world around me was literally falling apart. But I have heard some personal stories from those who have, and I listened attentively as they recounted the sheer terror and helplessness they felt in the midst of it. Although we may never encounter a physical calamity such as this in our lifetime, all of us have times in our lives when the warm, secure walls of our emotional world…
When I have the opportunity to lecture at law enforcement chaplaincy training conferences, I often tell new chaplains that they can expect to go through the same emotional cycle that most police officers experience. It looks like this:When you first begin working with people on the streets in a variety of crisis events you are ready to save the world. In the case of an officer, you are going to put every bad guy in a jail for a very…
When my boys were small, I loved to make up wild tales to tell them at bedtime. Such stories were filled with adventure, colorful characters, and just enough violence to fulfill their male hormone driven leanings. Sometimes these bedtime adventures featured a one eyed green dragon, or some other kind of equally hideous creature. Thankfully such animals were only a figment of my vivid imagination, and had no basis in reality. I find as an adult, though, that a very…
The church I served in Wichita Falls was an easy target. Situated in a downtown area right on Hwy 287 and only a few blocks from the railroad tracks; it drew all kinds of people just passing through town. They had all kinds of needs. There were people traveling across country stopping in for gas money. Families living in those same cars often sought much needed groceries and baby formula. Drifters using the rail system to make it to the…
There are times in my day to day ministry that I find myself inclined toward cynicism. In fact, it is a leaning that I have to fight a fairly regular basis. In 22 years of serving in ministry, I have seen enough of the darker side of human nature to fuel such an inclination. I have not always been that way. In my early days in ministry, I was actually a tad naïve and innocent. But that was all before…
I am thinking about Geneva McGhee today. Geneva passed away at age 90 last week. Her funeral will be held in Wichita Falls today. She was in her late 60s, when I first met her in 1987. I was a young and very inexperienced minister. She was kind to me. She treated me like I was actually competent. She attended the baby shower for our firstborn. I was involved in several projects with her over the years, and grew to…
When I was in Target the other day, I saw the employees of an inventory control company carefully counting every single item in that sprawling store. I shivered, as I thought of the idea of being employed in such a role. I am a self-proclaimed walking disaster area. There is no doubt about it. If a company entrusted me with their inventory process, the consequences would be dire. Bankruptcy for that unsuspecting corporation would not be out of the question….
Whatever it Takes is a very moving song performed by the group, Lighthouse. I took a few minutes to watch the music video of this song earlier this week. It includes some pretty compelling images. I recommend it. I ask myself that very question periodically. Am I willing to do whatever it takes? Specifically am I willing to do whatever it takes in every important relationship in which God has entrusted me? It seems that I often come up with…
I was saddened this week to hear of racial tensions flaring up as a result of a black Harvard Scholar being arrested for disorderly conduct by a Cambridge, MA police sergeant. It is premature to make any judgment calls about that particular situation. I am quite sure that there has not been sufficient time for an internal investigation to be completed. That situation stands in stark contrast to what I experienced this week at a church in Cedar Hill, TX….
I am so glad that I don’t own any crystal balls. I really don’t want to know what the future holds. It might be scary! When our boys were born, I did not want to know that life would hold for them at age 20, or age 17, or age 13. I have enjoyed 22 wonderful years in ministry, but I am glad that I did not have a crystal ball when I first started. I did not need to…