Jakson prayed on Easter Sunday. He looked his very Easter Sunday best, pink pants, long sleeve blue shirt, hair slicked back, fresh out of the deep theological experience of 6-year-old kids church. The whole family was gathered. We held hands in anticipation of deviled eggs (What! On Easter), chicken casserole, and sweet potato pie. Josh,… Continue Reading
Reading today: Psalm 65, John 6:15-40 Remember Richard Rohr. He says, “All language about God is necessarily symbolic and figurative. Actually all language is metaphorical. Words are never the thing itself; they can only point toward the thing, which is exactly why “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). As James Finley, a CAC core faculty… Continue Reading
The Calling of Reconciliation Psalm 53, John 1:35-51 On Tuesday Josh and Jennifer were explaining Lent to Jon-Mical and Jakson. They were telling the boys how some people traditionally give something up for the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter to honor the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. Jon-Mical, who… Continue Reading
Good morning! Here we go for 40 Days of Reconciliation during Lent. I am anticipating God working in and around me as I focus intentionally on Him. My challenge is that during Lent, from now to Easter we give something up, take something on, read the scripture daily, and pray daily. (I recommend praying three… Continue Reading
Doris was pregnant while we lived in a mobile home in Augusta, Georgia. I was the youth pastor there and we lived on the parking lot beside the church. It would get so hot during the day that everything not metal in our little trailer would melt, Doris’s makeup, big fat Christmas candle, the glue… Continue Reading
About this time of the new year I am remembering again what a louse I am. The New Year’s Resolutions are starting to wane. I said I would run a 1000 miles this year and I haven’t been to the gym in a week. Looks like I’ll be running 40 miles a day in June… Continue Reading
This weekend my friend Wayne and I backpacked the Fiery Gizzard Trail on the Cumberland Plateau near Monteagle, Tennessee. It is both breathtakingly beautiful and gut-wrenching brutal. We hiked 17.5 miles over the 2 days, 13.5 the first day and 4 the second. We slept (and I use that word generously) in the middle of… Continue Reading
Usually at the beginning of the year I make plans and set goals for the coming months. I don’t do resolutions but I lay out the agenda for the coming year, write down the objectives and map out the necessary steps to get there. I don’t always accomplish all of my goals but one thing… Continue Reading
I love my daughter-in-law but she cries a lot. Especially when it comes to watching her boys grow up. That’s okay. I usually cry with her. Last week we had a tearful moment. Jon-Mical who is 7 was having his first official sleep over at a friend’s house. He was excited all day. Packed his… Continue Reading
REAL REPENTANCE I was saddened to read the internet headlines yesterday that Billy Graham’s grandson Tullian Tchividjian has resigned from his pulpit at Coral Ridge Presbyterian, a high-profile church in South Florida, after admitting he had an affair. I heard Tullian speak a couple of years ago and he is a gifted communicator. I have followed… Continue Reading