Category Archives: Branches Blog

The Other Side of Forgiveness

The Other Side of Forgiveness

We celebrated yesterday. Jon-Mical has graduated from 2 allergy shots per week to just 1. Happy day! We went to the Donut Palace, our favorite classy joint, for chocolate covered donuts with sprinkles. Mimi, Jon-Mical, Jakson, and PoppyC. WooHoo! At one point Jakson (2) turned to Jon-Mical (5) and said in a voice filled with… Continue Reading

Strengthening Your Core

Strengthening Your Core

You know my daughter-in-law and I ran our 2nd full marathon about a month ago. We probably weren’t as prepared as we could have been but we did put in a lot of miles running in the weeks and months leading up to it. We did okay, (we finished, that’s okay enough for me) but… Continue Reading

What Do You Do With The Old Stuff?

I get this question a lot. Does God not heal the addict completely? Am I doing Him a disservice by bringing up that old stuff all of the time. I got an email today just as I was getting ready to write. Never one to waste effort (translate that..lazy) I decided to kill two birds… Continue Reading

John 3: It’s Hard (and Easy)

Nighttime visitors are always a concern. Are they there because they are in trouble? Are they there to cause you trouble? What brings them out at such an inconvenient hour? When Doris and I were youth pastors living in a mobile home on the parking lot of the church in Augusta, Georgia, we had a… Continue Reading

Empty Pots and Perfect Joy

The morning sun rises hot but beautiful over the good-sized village of Nazareth.  The whole town wakes up in celebration and anticipation of the day ahead.  Nowhere is that excitement more vibrant than in the two homes of two young people, Benjamin & Sarai.   Today is their wedding day. Their fathers have been friends since… Continue Reading

New Years Step 1

We are two weeks into the New Year. For most of us the holiday weariness is just passing and we are starting to get our traction again for the winter days ahead. Maybe we are reevaluating our New Year’s resolutions or 2013 goals. I was going to read through the Bible this year but I’m… Continue Reading