For God’s Sake Archive

Recently, I found myself in an uncomfortable situation; I was in the men’s section of a local department store buying pants.

In my mind, I am still that young man whose leg length is greater than his waist girth. So, I head to the changing room with two pairs of pants, one pair that agrees with my illusion, the other that I know I am going to purchase.

It’s summertime and those pests are back.

No, I don’t mean the tourists, and shame on you for thinking about our valued guests that way! I’m talking about the bugs, the mosquitos and all their hungry friends, who now lie in wait just outside your door.

I have been a musician since being introduced to the guitar at age 11.

I studied music in high school, advanced in music theory, then pursued a music education degree at a university.

“It’s a win-win arrangement,” Jack’s mother said enthusiastically to a friend.

A party to their conversation, I nodded my head in agreement and added, “It sure is!”

The giant flag on the Camping World site on Hwy. 98 is magnificent.

I see it several times each day on my way to Gulf Breeze, twice in the morning and twice later in the afternoon, and I have begun to notice a pattern in the flag’s activity.

I love button-down shirts, I always have.

Fashion trends are ever changing, one minute, shirts have wide lapels with enough wing area to provide some lift, the next they are sporting the band collar with no lapels at all.

My wife is still unable to drive, so our daily commute adventure to her work in Gulf Breeze continues. I drive, she takes in the sights; not a bad arrangement – for her!

My wife does not miss anything – her observations skills are off the charts. She sees and delights in the smallest details. She should have been a cop.

One night early in January of 1993, my father called with the news that my mother had pancreatic cancer.

As a pastor, I am called on to counsel others with words of hope and encouragement in Christ after they receive such news. I now stood on the proving ground of those words.

A billboard along I-75 declared, “JESUS SAVES!”

A t-shirt depicting Jesus sitting behind a computer also declared, “JESUS SAVES!” What does “Jesus saves” mean?

“We locals call it ‘our Basket Full of Diamonds,’” said the guide as our tour boat glided past the lighthouse in Jupiter, FL in the diminishing light of evening.

My wife and I, both locals, gave one another an incredulous look and mouthed, “We do?”