I am a fan of Walmart. I admit I like the idea of one stop shopping and everything I could possibly want being under one gigantic roof. But the other day Jakson (my grandson) and I stopped in Haynes Hardware. A small store in our neighborhood that has snow shovels piled next to rat traps… Continue Reading
I need to confess to a couple of things. First, I am not a world changer. I mean, I want to make a difference. I want to help people where I can. But I never imagine myself having a very big impact. Now here’s the 2nd confession. I was raised in a pretty legalistic church and I have a… Continue Reading
I have a small cabin in the woods in Dickson County, TN. It is not much, a two room shack with battery powered lights and running water borrowed by hoses (1000 feet of them) from my neighbors well. But it is a wonderful place to escape, to get away, to be quiet and let God… Continue Reading
In the beginning (No, not that beginning!) In the beginning with Chonda and me there were four of us, me, the oldest boy followed by three stair-stepped sisters, Chonda being the usually loud one in the middle. We lived pretty close to both sets of grandparents and what seemed like hundreds of cousins, many of… Continue Reading
I was asked to conduct a funeral the other day. Some “preacher” stuff is hard to get away from. Dug out my trusty black suit. Shined up my black loafers. Put on a nice, freshly pressed white shirt. (Thank you Doris.) And pulled out a nice, appropriate tie. That’s when it happened. All of a… Continue Reading
(This is the message I gave to Call-2-Action today, a Christian business persons weekly group in our town.) There was a woman that came to the well in the middle of the day. That’s a strange time to go to the well. It’s hot. It’s not when we need water most. All of the other… Continue Reading
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
I’m painting the picket fence around our backyard white. It’s not a big yard but there sure seem to be a lot of pickets. I decided to get a paint sprayer and do the job a lot faster. It really worked. Big bucket of paint, long hose, lots of air pressure, and the next thing… Continue Reading
Music, and singing, and the song have always been close to the heart of God. Some writers suggest that the Genesis story that begins, “And the earth was without form and void” could easily be interpreted “and God sang over it.” God has always been about singing. He chanted the stars into existence, and whistled… Continue Reading
I ran this morning. Some days it is smooth and effortless, gazelle-like. (At least as gazelle-like as an old, gimpy, pudgy guy can be.) Today was not one of those days. I was sore at the beginning, winded by mile 2, and pretty much ready to never run again by the time I had finished… Continue Reading