This week I had the opportunity to spend a couple days in downtown San Francisco. It’s not that I’ve never been to that city before—I’ve just never had an interest in walking its streets. So, my visits have always been limited to quick stops at its airport or meeting with the San Francisco Giants (a…
Category: Pastoral
Celestial Potluck
Terrestrial Potluck Now…we were supposed to have a potluck at Gregg Lake today, but it we are delaying it because quite a few of us are spread all over the country…and beyond. For instance, Tracy, John, and their family are Alaska-way…Winslow is with his wife in Puerto Rico…and I'd have to leave the cook-out early…
The Gospel According to the 2006 Harley Sportster Manual
Owners Manuals With weather like we’ve had the past week, a motorcycle-based sermon seems apropos, doesn’t it? Since I am one who plans for the worst and prefers to keep his skin on his arms and legs, I wear a coat and jeans whenever I ride (along with a helmet). This means that temps in…
A Faith of Equal Standing
Clubs Anyone here a member of a club or other special organization? Maybe a service club like the Lions or the Kiwanis or the Rotary? Or one where your age, plus yearly dues, gets you in…like the AARP? Or perhaps because of a hobby or a cause or a passion…like the NRA or PETA? Or…
Who Knows?
"Whatever." How many people have heard that word as a declaration of exasperation? Now, change the punctuation… "Whatever!" And the exasperation graduates to anger. Go one step further and put it in the mouth of a teenager…and a parent might best translate it as a two word obscene utterance (where the kid can get the…
“I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.”
VISION Last week I shared my VISION for the Antrim Church of Christ..and this week we’ll be looking at the “V”. Before that, let’s quickly review the entire V-I-S-I-O-N acronym…or introduce it to anyone who wasn’t here: V — Values — My vision for the Antrim Church of Christ is that we will only get…
Thank You King James
Considering the news that came from Florida this week (and the horrendous incident and court case behind it) I was surprised to see a commentary titled "Casey Anthony: The System Worked." Alan Dershowitz makes some legitimate (albeit uncomfortable) points, but that's not what stood out in the piece. Instead, it was how Dershowitz explained why…
A VISION for Our Church
Chapel Hill Last week at 6PM on Saturday, not long after I finished preparing for the sermon, a tweet came through from Chapel Hill in Douglasville, Georgia saying, "Our Worship Experience begins now! Join us online" (and giving regular and mobile web addresses to do so). I was in the middle of something that would…
Abracadabra, You’re a Fish!
Does anyone else remember, as a child, role-playing as wizards or witches and turning each other into a frog or a cat or…? It was all fun and games until someone chose the wrong animal. "I am not a chicken!!!" "Yes you are!" Remembering those humorous amusements (even when they went awry) brings a smile…
“Because I said so.” “Really?!”
Mmm…good Yesterday we had our monthly men’s breakfast and meeting…and…thanks to Rick…the food was especially yummy. One of the advantages to my low-carb diet is that it is an excuse to be carnivorous, and within his multiple options were breakfast sausage patties and an omelet-like concoction that included spicy italian sausage. Have I ever mentioned…
No, We Aren’t the Center of the Universe…
One of the advantages to working for Dartmouth College for a couple years was that I could attend one course free per quarter. I did not avail myself enough of that benefit, but I did take one class that reviewed motion picture portrayals of Native Americans. As you can probably imagine, much of the curriculum's…
Even Doofuses Need Jesus
After an article has formed in my mind, I try to think of a catchy title—something that will make the average person at least wonder what the piece is about (while at the same not being a bait-and-switch). As this one continues you will probably be able to guess what I intended to have in…
Indubitably
Power outage I don’t know if anyone noticed, but last week’s sermon was shorter than normal. Good news for those of you who prefer briefer talks…this one will likely be too. The kids are probably praying it becomes the norm. 🙂 Either way, assuming you all were in the area this past Thursday, what did…
Awake!
In a previous article I noted that as the years have weathered my body, in the physical realm I have had to learn to be satisfied with pass/fail instead of "winning" (as in, being happy I was able to get to the top of Mount Cardigan instead of worrying about whether I was passing or…
20 Days
Perhaps one of the worst reports we can hear is that of a baby unexpectedly passing away overnight. As a parent of a three year-old, I don't want to even consider what it would mean to tuck my tike into bed one evening and then find he's no longer breathing in the morning. Can anyone…