Jon-Mical pitched yesterday against a very good team from Youngstown, Ohio. He pitched well, going 6 1/3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts. We won 11-4. And I suffered through most of the game. There is a unique form of suffering that grandparents endure at ballgames or band concerts. It… Continue Reading
Reading today Psalm 95 and John 18:24-40 When Jon-Mical and Jakson, our grandsons, were little, I began telling them an ongoing story when they came over to spend the night. We would all squeeze in the same bed together, Mimi, Jon-Mical, Jakson, and PoppyC, and they would say,”PoppyC, tell us a story about Backwards Land.”… Continue Reading
MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Say’s It All John 12:1-11 I think they are called microcosms, those snapshots of life that pretty much sum up the whole thing. We had one this morning. I was getting Amos ready for school. He’s 3 and ¾. (Do NOT forget the ¾’s. In fact, he says… Continue Reading
https://youtu.be/9wsbari8pnk?si=mf-fboa0l6dQ8gte Knowing where we start and where we finish is 90% of the battle. What’s even better is knowing that where we start and where we finish is in hands far bigger and better than ours. Begin with God. End with God. And you’ll be able to manage the middle. Don’t forget to follow branchesblog.com… Continue Reading
MondayMatters Lent: Day 36 (yes, I miscounted the days yesterday ) 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 I have a friend, Bryan Duncan, who played in a Christian Rock Band in the 70’s called The Sweet Comfort Band. They came to be in the second wave of the Jesus Revolution that started in the hippie world of Riverside,… Continue Reading
MondayMatters Lent: Day 37 And Then You Die Isaiah 53:7-10 I have good news and bad news. The bad news first. This is a very busy morning. It’s Thursday morning, so I have my weekly men’s Bible study, usually 20-25 guys that meet at 6am every Thursday. We have been studying the lives of the… Continue Reading
We are keeping Caleb and Amos while their parents are traveling. The morning routine is grueling. It’s funny. At home, I am up by 4:30 or 5 every morning, fully refreshed, lots of quiet time, totally prepared to face the day. Here, I scramble out of bed at 6, gulp down the first of several… Continue Reading
I have something in common with that great American hero, Forest Gump. “I’m not a smart man.” I read and listen to incredibly bright commentators and political activists who have a far greater understanding of the state of our nation than I do. They seem to have a grasp of all of the complex issues,… Continue Reading
Monday Matters Lent: Day 7 The New Job When I was in college I got a new job. It was coveted by the kids at Trevecca, at least the ones who had to do serious work to pay their school bills. I filled out the application, did the interview, took the aptitude tests, and, to… Continue Reading
Isaiah 40:27-31 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one… Continue Reading