I’m up in this tree That was built just for me It was planted, I don’t know, About a century ago Only God knew back then About a wee little man Who needed this tree To go out on a limb On his way back to Him. I never stood out Was lost in the…
Happily Ever After: A new way to look at a dream as old as time
Thanks to fairy tales and dreams of happiness and stability in relationships, the dream of happily ever after is the hope of every bride (and groom, as well, one hopes). I think, however, we too often fail to see the “after” part and its importance. A Personal Perspective on Ever After Our happily ever after…
Little Lou, Ugly Jack, and Prophet John: Story #1 from the collection, Character of the Song
Available on Apple Books, Barnes&Noble, and Amazon Kindle I am happy to announce the release of Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John, the first in a twelve-story series I am calling The Character of the Song. The idea is to take characters from popular songs and breathe life into them, to tell their story from…
Florida State, the College Football Playoff, and the will to win again tomorrow
The state of things at Florida State Florida State fans are angry! They hurt. They are confused. They feel they were screwed over by the almighty committee that determines the four schools to participate in the College Football Playoff (CFP). All the Florida State Seminoles did this year was win. They played the schedule before…
Before I forget: living with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Author, speaker, and business leader Gene Strother writes about dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia in his family and offers advice…
The Man in the Mirror is at the Crossroads
The following is what I sang to myself on the morning of my 62nd birthday this past September 28. I sang it and kept adding verses and expanding it, and it grew into this… Pay no attention to punctuation. This is poetry. Man in the Mirror at 62 You don’t look good at all you’ve…
The Gardener’s Limerick (Lament)
Look! It’s a limerick but not as light as most and with a biblical reference.
Texas Rangers win the World Series and I keep thinking of Little Granddad
Congratulations to the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers. And to us, their longsuffering fans. The 1972 Rangers, a transistor radio, Little Granddad, and me It is the Summer of ’72. I have finally hit double-digits in age. Our family of four is crammed into the cramped quarters of an old wood-framed, pier-and-beam house that…
A Radical Dinner Invitation: A Communion Sermon
This sermon is delivered here as it was presented at Chapel Creek Church of Fort Worth in 2019. On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”“As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will…
“Can use Ju Jitsu”: remembering Mom on her 80th birthday
She was born Freda Jo Henager, on October 27, 1943, 80 years ago today. She was the first of five children for William Austin and Nova Dean Henager, and she was the first and last love of my father, William David Strother. She was only 17 when she married David. I was born barely more…
Wise men are not always great: lessons from The Gambler
Wise men are not always great.
I walk around singing. A lot. At home. At work. Getting dressed. Going to bed. I don’t know why there always seems to be a song in my head nor why I must afflict others with it by singing it aloud.
This morning for no particular reason, I woke with Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” on my brain.
I miss the coffee can-do generation
I was raised under the influence of a couple of generations of Americans who never wasted an empty Folger’s coffee can, a King Edward’s cigar box, or a worn-out suitcase.
That Other Place – a tale of grace
This is a tale of grace. It is Sunday morning, and I am driving to a speaking engagement. That is not an unusual thing. Well, it is a little unusual these days but in the totality of my life, it is not. Hundreds of times, I have done that very thing early on a Sunday…
I had a dream! The story my brain told itself
I had a dream… I could remember I had a dream. It was not the noble kind like that of the great Martin Luther King, but it was a dream, and I had it. When I woke, I retraced the steps in my dream because, unlike most of my dreams, I recalled this one in…
I hate Mr. Wonderful!
I hate Mr. Wonderful. I do not hate Kevin O’Leary. Why would I? How could I? I don’t know him. I have only watched him on Shark Tank and followed him on LinkedIn. I hate Mr. Wonderful, the arrogant, self-absorbed, shock-value-laden persona O’Leary fronts. I cannot believe he is actually that person in person. It…
Grave Troubles Be Gone: True Love Never Dies
She’s living proof true love never dies. from Living Proof by Ricky Van Shelton It’s a mystery I can’t explain why,We pay so little heed to the time flying by.It’s a plain simple truth, the surest I’ve knownIt’s a short time here; it’s a long time gone. We’re busy with things that don’t even countNever…
Mony a mickle makes a muckle
Mony a mickle makes a muckleSaid th’ Scot with a chuckleWhen his kilt a slight snag gotTh’ one 100 Sterling boughtSoon his kilt wis sae threadbareHe hud na coverage down under thereWhaur na Scot wears underwear Ye auld scots saying “Mony a mickle makes a muckle” is an old Scottish saying that means, “Many little…
Masquerade
Take your face out that maskThis is all that I askThat you be, can you beReal to meLet me see them old scars,‘Cause they’re part of who you areAnd you ain’t come this farWithout pain I can see the way you standAnd the tremblin’Of your handsYou are a weakAnd weary manDon’t hide your brokenHeart from…
ZZ Top, The gospel, & rock and roll: start where you are but don’t stop there
One of our very first gigs in a small East Texas town was not well promoted. At least, that was our conclusion. After the band loaded in and the curtain opened, we realized there was exactly one paying customer in the audience. We kind of made the best of it playing through the first set,…
The 10 Amendments: reflections on life after near-death
Somebody at the hospital confirms the news: a fatal heart attack, the type known as…the widowmaker. look for me there, by Luke Russert (writing about the sudden death of his famous father tim russert.) I just began listening to a new book on Audible™, Look For Me There by Luke Russert, on my drive into…