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A WEDDING MESSAGE
We had a fantastic weekend – all 4 kids were home together and today we celebrated the wedding of a family friend. I had the honor of officiating the wedding and got positive feedback on what I said to the couple, so here it is: Matthew and Elizabeth, you two are about to embark on a great adventure. Unlike anything either of you have experienced up until now. And everyone gathered here this afternoon is rooting for both of you. My wife, Melissa, and I today are exactly one month shy of our 25th anniversary and so I feel like…
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PAUL’S MESSAGE EMBODIED
The American Church sure could use some men like Paul lists in the closing of his letter to the Colossians. In the final verses, the Apostle sends greetings from Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, and Epaphras, among others. Look at the descriptors Paul chooses for some of these men: You get the impression these are a true band of brothers, facing true hardship for the cause of Christ – yet standing firmly beside each other. And then take a look at what Paul says his brothers have been doing or will do: These are men who embody all that Paul has written…
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#2,000
Behind the scenes here on Blogspot there is a counter which keeps track of the number of posts you have drafted and the number which have been published. That’s how I know today’s post marks an important and fairly unbelievable milestone: I have now published 2,000 individual pieces here. I started this blog on November 7, 2010, back when we were first feeling called to serve God in Haiti. In the beginning, it was a way to document my process of downsizing in preparation for moving the family to the mission field. Back then, I determined that each day I…
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WORTHY OF THE TOP TEN?
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Exodus 20:7 Many folks – believers and non-believers alike – are taught the 3rd commandment is a prohibition against cussing, especially any angry outburst using the words “God” or “Jesus Christ”. This might leave you wondering: Why did this command make God’s Top Ten list, right alongside murder and adultery? It turns out there is a major problem with this assumed interpretation: The Hebrew word translated as “take” has nothing to do with speech. It means to bear or to carry. So it seems the commandment’s concept…
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DAY 3 OF FASTING
I attended a local conference today, kicking off at 8:30 am and not ending until 4:00 pm. With breakfast and lunch both on the schedule, I had worried that it would be awkward for me to continue fasting. Or that I would be tempted to end my fast earlier than I intended. But the breakfast was “continental” and nothing too tempting and plenty of people were eating very little or only drinking coffee. No awkwardness at all. There were “box” lunches provided later and I’m sure they were good, but I resolved not to end my fast just because I…
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WHILE MY WIFE IS AWAY…
I have taken an extended break from my daily writing – not intentionally and not for any reason beyond the busyness of life. But when I don’t write, I miss it. It’s been a useful practice for me. I thought this week might be a good time to restart – Melissa is away for a few days and so my evenings are a bit more open. And, I’ve been thinking “the sooner, the better” to restart, since I want to be fully back in the habit of writing daily before we travel to Scotland next month. For tonight’s post, I’ve…
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MEMORIES OF MY HOME CHURCH
I contributed the following recollections for the upcoming 200th anniversary of First United Methodist Church of Shelbyville: First United Methodist Church of Shelbyville was the classroom for much of my earliest spiritual and social development. Reverend Bill Clayton was the first pastor I had any personal connection to. He was not only the pastor at FUMC but he and his wife were friends of my parents and their son James was a friend of my brother Spencer. (We engaged in some prolonged and violent pillow fights with James during those years!) I had just finished the third grade when the…
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THE MOST DANGEROUS IGNORANCE
Hosea 4:6a – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. I am slowly coming to understand how often the nation of Israel screwed up throughout history. In fact, the majority of the record seems devoted to them getting up to one sort of evil or another. Israel’s behavior is like a man who is more interested in a series of one-night stands than in a faithful, longstanding marriage to a loving woman – no matter how perfect she is. He never knows what he’s missing.…
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SLOW DAWNING
It’s funny how slowly my life’s “big picture” sinks in to me sometimes. For instance, at the end of my weeklong introductory trip to Haiti, our small mission team sat in a circle and gave each other affirmations – which is somehow both highly cheesy and deeply moving. When tasked with describing each of our teammates with a single word, one man said his word for me was “teacher”. I thought, “Really? I have never thought of myself as a teacher.” This was about 7 years into my stint of teaching high school English! These days, I recognize teaching is…
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WHAT THE HECK IS MEANT BY “OBSCENE TALK”?
I’m in a pickle. This coming Sunday I will be preaching on a passage from Colossians 3 which commands believers to “put away”: It’s the last item on that list that makes me nervous. I have to admit that now and then – usually for comic effect or shock value or after stubbing a toe – I let a choice four-letter word slip from my lips. I’m just being transparent here. And I can work on it, but honestly I’m not sure I could eliminate them entirely. (Especially upon toe-stubbing.) More to the point, I’m not sure that is what…