Ten years ago, God was doing some amazing things in our lives. (He still is!) Branches had just been born. We were given a building to use rent free while we got off the ground. God was already bringing counselors to us that are still with us today. Doris and I were watching this amazing… Continue Reading
Jakson played his last baseball game of the year last night. They are in an elite league of hand-picked eight year olds. Jakson’s team is not. They are not eight, most of them are six, and they are not elite. They are cute, they are special, they are loved by their mommy’s and daddy’s; but… Continue Reading
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
Okay, you can think bad of me if you want but this is just the way it is. Doris drives everywhere we go. And I sleep. Some of you see the time imprint on these blogs I write, 2:30am, 4am, and you ask, “When do you sleep?” Well, there’s the answer. I sleep in the… 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
It is 3:50am. I have been sitting here for 50 minutes and I got nuthin.’ Jakson hasn’t done anything really funny lately. Doris has kept me in matching shoes for a few weeks. Jon-Mical is just being smart. And Josh and Jacob are progressing toward stardom with no real glitches. Not much to work with… Continue Reading
Yesterday was a superb day at Branches on so many levels. Yesterday Branches Wellness Center opened, a faith based treatment program focusing on weight loss and nutritional counseling. For a long time, we have looked at the connection between emotional/behavioral health and physical well-being. Many of the people we see deal with depression and similar… Continue Reading
Two things were constant when I was growing up, we moved a lot, and we always walked to school. I don’t know how my parents did it but they always managed to find a house that was fifty yards inside the line where the bus would pick you up. If the rule was the bus… Continue Reading
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and He will give you everything else as well.” Jesus Red sweater or jacket? Coffee with cream or pumpkin spice latte? Do I drive today or take the metro? We are inundated with choices. My guess is that we make more choices in… Continue Reading
Simply Free is two weeks from today. It is a heart stirring event that has inspired and impacted hundreds of people over the last decade and has been a personal passion of my wife. God gave the vision for Simply Free to Doris ten years ago and every year since then, for about three months… Continue Reading