(This is a VERY long blog. Last week we began a Sunday night worshio/Bible study in Lebanon at Bates Ford. It was really neat. This is the message from that. Each week we are taking a story from the Gospel of John. I don’t know that I’ll post each week because they are long but… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Branches Blog
Timing and Mr. Tumbles
Mr. Tumbles is my little hideaway cabin in the woods of Tennessee. It’s not much to look at and pretty austere on the inside. There are bunkbeds, a propane heater (nice to have), a tiny bathroom (even nicer), a kitchen area with a little gas stove, and a bookcase full of some of my favorite… Continue Reading
Merry Christmas From Mike and Doris
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Regifting
We have a new word that a few years ago did not exist, regifting. It is the act of taking a gift given you and giving it to someone else as if you chose it especially for them. A number of years ago Doris was in a panic on her way out the door to… Continue Reading
Mary Did You Know?
As an evangelical protestant I am never quite sure what to do with the Virgin Mary, even at this time of the year when her story is so much at the center of our story. Oh, I have a great appreciation for her. I have even added praying the Rosary to my personal spiritual… Continue Reading
Maintaining Your SPIRITUAL Diet
It is a universal complaint, at least in our opulent, obese, western culture. “I was doing pretty well on my diet and then the holidays hit.” Or, “I lost 12 pounds this year and gained them all back between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.” A similar, though reverse-image difficulty is often found in our spiritual walk… Continue Reading
God Peeks
Jakson cheats! Well, maybe not cheats so much as he lets his unbridled enthusiasm and his wonderful curiosity get the best of him. When we play hide-and-seek he can’t keep his eyes closed. I say, “Okay Jakson, Poppy C is going to hide. Cover your eyes and count to 374”. (I cheat too.) And he… Continue Reading
The Ministry of Presence
“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not… Continue Reading
Holding On, Letting Go
It is one of the great challenges of life, how long do I hold on and when do I let go? A few years ago we were fishing and swimming and just chillin’ at the little lake on my sisters farm. The kids, including my two sons were swinging on an old rope swing and… Continue Reading
She’s There Now
Got this text conversation from my son, Josh with his 4 year old son, Jon-Mical last Tuesday, the evening my mother died. I told Jon-Mical that Nanny died. He immediately asked if she was flying now. “Flying?” I asked. “Yes. Is she flying up to heaven?” he responded. I told him she was. He… Continue Reading