I have always liked history. My 8th grade history teacher was named W.W. Davis. Isn’t that cool? If you grow up with the initials W.W., you are destined to be a history teacher. He had horned rim glasses and a handlebar mustache. He always wore a bowtie to class and he fiddled with it when… Continue Reading
Post Simply Free Gena is beautiful. She is articulate. She is poised and has a natural stage presence. She also finished a ten-year prison sentence for vehicular homicide about a year ago. While she will always live with the guilt and regret of that drunken night, God has removed the shame and has given her… Continue Reading
Jakson came to my office last night. That statement is not a HIPPA violation. Jakson is not a client. He is my grandson. Six years old, absolutely packed with energy and vinegar, Jakson is all boy and all activity. Now my office has some interesting things. There is a native djembe that someone gave me.… Continue Reading
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