I learned yesterday that a good friend has died. June had not been well for the last several years, nonetheless, her death came as a surprise and has evoked bittersweet emotions.
I was hired for my first ministry position by a pastor with 40 years of experience. “You don’t serve people,” he sagely said to me, “you serve God, and people are served in the process.” He advised a…
If you have ever watched the myriad TV shows about antiques, you know that haylofts in unused barns can yield some surprising treasures. Someone in the past places a valuable, unused item in a place…
About 35 years ago, my wife and I purchased a house next to an older, Lebanese couple. One afternoon, after lunch, I was about to head back to the church, when I saw my neighbor. I waved to him. He g…
After four years of loyal service, my laptop keyboard seems to be failing. Certain, high-volume letters now require more persuasion. Often, I must double back to coax their participation. One frequen…
I was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family and have fond memories of the tactile “smells and bells” of the mass, the priest lifting the censer, rocking it back and forth, the pungent scent of inc…
It was the end of a workday and, as is our custom, my wife and I were “debriefing” one another. I initiated, “How was your day?” My wife’s workdays of late have been exceedingly busy but today was le…
I have been a Christian for 40 years, having put my faith in Christ Jesus on April 2, 1984, in a small church in south Florida. I began to perceive familiar things differently my mind being renewed i…
In thirty-five years of ministry, I have had several speaking engagements, some at conferences, and many at churches. That is not remarkable for a preacher. What is remarkable is that many of those e…
My wife and I pray together most mornings before one of us leaves the house for our workday. Our prayer is always the same, “Lord, we are yours and this day is yours. We ask you to fill us with your…
