Confession: This has nothing to do with the sordid tale of the popular book or mini-series by this name, as the subtitle of the article surely reveals. Instead, I use “handmaid” as it was commonly used in Bible times as that of a female servant. Moreover, I use it the way traditional writersused “man” or…
Tag: Family
A Birthday New Year’s Resolution -or- 101 reasons to celebrate
What a week it’s been! I have 101 reasons to celebrate life right now. Last Friday, my baby girl got married to the love of her life and started that incredible journey called marriage. It was a beautiful wedding, well attended, and pulled off without a hitch. I had the privilege of preaching the charge…
It’s the Journey, Man! or, Welcome to Walley World, now go home
One of my favorite Hollywood comedies is National Lampoon’s Vacation. I love it because it is such an accurate caricature of life in the American familyand because most of us who have been around a minute can identify with the characters and their misfortunes. There is this epic journey to Walley World, with mishap after…
Unexceptional beginnings? Don’t stay where you started!
Ancestry.com is an exceptional tool for learning how unexceptional you really are. Likemost people around my age, I spend more time thinking about roots and origins and the “old times” than I did, say, 20 years ago. Can it, then,be a surprise that, when the opportunity to pop my family name into an Ancestry.com search…
Like the rain: a retrospective of this life, love, and marriage
Marriage: Any relationship that stands the test of time must withstand its share of storms. It may have begun with sunshine and song, but the thunderstorms will soon roll in.
Hello, Spring and Happy Birthday, Dad
Dad didn’t pay much attention to his birthday, the way I remember it. Maybe that is because I was a kid most of his time on earth and kids figure birthdays are mostly for them and not so much the old folks. He’s been gone 25 years already. He would have been 76 today. It’s…
Accidental Progress: A Farewell to 2015
Talk about accidental progress! Only, I don’t believe in accidents. I believe in a sovereign God.
A Thanksgiving Prayer you are better off not praying
All across America, families who still pause to give thanks at Thanksgiving are gearing up for the big day of feast, family, and faith. Heads of families or those whom suspect they may be called on to offer grace may have already begun boning up on their prayer life. Some like it more rehearsed. No…
Passersby: remembering not to forget those you met along the way
Arriving at the office before 8AM, I am among the first in the BB&T building. The parking lot is empty, except for three or four vehicles strategically parked in the scant shady spots. The early bird gets the shade… and the windshield presents from careless birds. I’m alone on the elevator for the short ride…
The American Crisis, 21st Century style
If you are an American Christian or hold to traditional Judeo-Christian values, and you are paying attention, you must feel as if your faith, your future, your family, and your country are under all-out assault. I know I do. From the Supreme Court doing their bench-legislating best to redefine what the words “family,” “love,” and…