What Did You Sign Up For?

October 22, 2021

There are two things I have never done (actually, there are millions of things I have never done). But you know what I mean. The first is that I have never walked into a military recruiter’s office. But I imagine some of their spiel, “Come see the world”; “The GI bill will be waiting for […]

Capacity Crowd

March 25, 2021

Let me provide some visuals. The latest Apple phone has just come out. Lines are out the door and around the block, hundreds of would-be customers hoping to get to the front before the last one is sold. The Seahawks are in the play-offs. Season ticket holders have gobbled up most of the seats but […]

Is It Over?

January 14, 2021

Is the sun setting on America? No one knows. He does, of course, but we don’t. The temptation is to assess matters based upon snapshots and not videos. Snapshots capture a moment in time. Videos record much more. A photograph of Russell Wilson surrounded by three imposing defensive linemen doesn’t look good. A video doesn’t […]

Even My Chap Stick?

September 10, 2015

We were finally at the front of the serpentine line. Once there, we knew the drill. Jacket, belt, and shoes in the bin; cell phone, wallet, and loose change followed. I proudly removed all my liquid toiletries, slipped neatly into a clear gallon sized zip-lock bag. I say proudly because this was the first time […]

Ina and Frances

January 15, 2015

I went looking for Ina. We’d never met. I was visiting her at the request of an old friend. Ina is dying, serving out her last days at a local convalescent home. She was in room #221. When I walked in, there were two beds separated by a curtain. I asked the first lady, “Are […]

Tired Sermons

October 16, 2014

I’m no movie critic. But I am a pastor. That means I still get to comment on movies. Even though I took a class in college called “Introduction to American Film,” my opinions on plot, character development, cinematography, and the like are, well…no better than just opinion. The pastor in me, however, gets to make […]

Hats

September 19, 2014

Hats do more than cover up an old man’s bald spot or conceal a woman’s bad hair day. They can designate responsibility. State patrol officers wear a good-sized brimmed hat. I suspect it is this way so the rain doesn’t get in their eyes when they’re writing us a speeding ticket. What I do know […]

Give Me Sober

September 4, 2014

Lakewood Church in Houston is the nation’s largest church (43,500 members). The face, voice, and smile (literally) of the congregation are Joel and Victoria Osteen. In a recent message to the mammoth congregation, Mrs. Osteen said: I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we’re not doing it […]