Honesty is not the best policy; it is the only policy. In most cases. Obviously, if your loved one asks your opinion on a new haircut that makes her look like some sort of alien or if she asks how you liked that roast beast you could barely choke down, or whether you like the…
September 3, 1983: A day that shall live inside of me
Dateline: Friday, September 2, 1983 The day began like any other day might, if that day included your being a ministry student living in the married couples’ dorms at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, married to your nine-months-pregnant, ready-to-pop high school sweetheart, father of a two year old toddling girl, facing five classes between…
The Waffle House in me…or me in the Waffle House
Sometimes, I feel just like Waffle House hash browns… …scattered …smothered …covered …chunked …diced …peppered …capped …and topped. But at least I am country. Other times, I just feel like Waffle House hash browns. Know what I mean?
Dear Preacher: Do you really speak for God?
Dear Preacher, I have a thing or two to say to you. In church Sunday, the preacher I was listening to was talking about how to listen to a sermon. He was teaching us how to listen to him and apply what he told us. I powerfully resisted the inclination to consider how self-serving such…
I like talking about you, usually—or putting the “I”, “I” in ministry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kxfq_mysyg The idea that anything anybody ever does is 100% selfless is just not so. There are heroic acts of great abandon and sacrifice. But every person is motivated by how he or she perceives a thing, by the values or ideals important to him or her. Selfless Facebook statuses and magnanimous Tweets I see…
Ray Lewis and the culture of convenient and celebrity Christianity
Last night, NFL pundits celebrated the illustrious career of one of the fiercest competitors to ever don an NFL uniform. From the analysts in the booth and studio to the hundreds of media types tweeting sentimental snippets, Lewis was hailed as a great leader, a great competitor, a great tackler…great, great, great. One last time….
My End of the World Speech Postponed Until Further Notice | Merry Christmas, Y’All
It’s (not) the end of the world! I was going to give an end of the world address before December 21st, but then I thought that if the world ended on the 21st, it would hardly be worth the effort. So, I didn’t. Since the world has not yet ended and there is no official…
Mom’s Song (A Life of Faith, Love and Hope)
The life of a catastrophe adjuster is uncertain. One day, you can be up to your elbows in claims and the next, the storm is being wrapped up and you wonder where you will be tomorrow. Maybe you will go home. But, if so, for how long? So, here I am on October 27, 2012,…
Decision 2012: Jesus and American politics
Let’s talk about Jesus and American politics. What would Jesus do? Would Jesus vote for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama for president? Would he vote at all? I am a Christian and a political conservative. Depending on your world view and approach to hermeneutics, you will either say those two go hand-in-hand…or they don’t. But…
Planning your life is easy; living your plan is not
Planning your life is easy. Living your plan is not. We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned to have the life that is waiting for us” ~EM Forster I posted this quote as my Facebook status this morning. Today wasn’t the first time I had run across it. But it…