Early in my ministry I had books of canned sermon illustrations. You could look up any topic and find a story, joke or charming anecdote. For example, JOY: Jesus and Moses were playing golf.... Thank God I rid myself of all those books. They were terrible. Thank God I learned real life was richer, fuller,… Continue reading joy.
Seven years ago today I suddenly, unexpectedly lost a friend, a colleague, my boss, the senior pastor of our church. In that one day, many things changed for many of us. For me, it began a seven year journey of challenges that are best described as a series of gut punches. As today dawned, I… Continue reading Heartache and Light
Life is clearly a series of transitions. We should be used to that by now. So many I know are in the midst of some achingly abrupt and difficult transitions. The hardest ones seem to the be the ones no one asked for. I have friends who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Some are… Continue reading The Teacher
In Christianity, there's not really even a name for that Saturday. No one seems to know what to do with the day in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is such an awful, awkward, painful day. I've heard it called Holy Saturday, but not much. Even the Bible doesn't have much to say about… Continue reading That Silent Saturday
When I was just six years old, my grandfather, my beloved Paw Paw, took his life and so my journey with grief began. I didn't know how to grieve and as you can imagine, my family was upside down. I held it in and made sure I was well-behaved and responsible. Meanwhile, I looked for my Paw Paw everywhere,… Continue reading The Grace of Holy Tears
Today is Ash Wednesday. In the Christian tradition it marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 days leading us to Easter. In our best seasons, Christians use this time for a spiritual spring cleaning; a time of added devotions, prayer and scripture reading. Sometimes we give things up to remind us of what Christ gave up… Continue reading Yes, Ashes
Yesterday in Texas the temperature was pushing 80 degrees. It was a humid 80 too. We turned our air conditioning back on. Today, there is a strong north wind and it is currently in the mid-30s. The problem with this whole weather thing is the lack of transition. It is tough to go from shorts… Continue reading Transitions
