Two men who were in their middle 40’s died, both unexpectedly, just two weeks apart. I was asked to conduct their funeral services. The two lives were a study in contrast! One man wasted his life; burning through relationships, drinking… Continue reading

A father I knew adopted the drill sergeant as his ideal! His kids addressed him as ‘sir.’ Orders came down that were not to be questioned. In many ways, he was a good father and provider except in the most… Continue reading

What must it be like to be fatherless? I cannot imagine for from the dawn of my memories, there are father images in my mind. “My Dad…” is a phrase that comes so naturally to me. My earliest recollections are… Continue reading

In some choices I make as a disciple of Christ there really is no choice. There is no need to sit around pondering, “should I steal that beautiful car?” It’s no-brainer that I won’t be getting drunk this weekend! If… Continue reading

Between Young and Old Last night, I had this strange moment when I felt suspended between two generations. On my left was my father, on his 75th birthday, very ill with cancer, in a hospital bed in the living room… Continue reading

Gaining Wisdom After a meeting on Monday evening, Don and I were talking about a man whose opinions have been trumpeted across America for 20 years on talk radio. This man is often correct in his insight, but he is… Continue reading

Debra (not her real name) came by my office yesterday. When my secretary brought her in, it was obvious this was no ‘stop by and chat with the Pastor about the weather’ visit. When she started to talk, the grief… Continue reading

Occasionally I allow myself to dream about what I would do if I were a rich man. My thoughts usually run along the lines of philanthropy: I could help that person, pay for some project, fund a scholarship, etc. Sunday… Continue reading

Since I was taking care of Dad on the night shift, I was up early on this first day of 2009. About 5 AM, I started to channel-surf through the cable news networks to see what was being reported for… Continue reading

Prior to arrival of personal computers and online banking that make keeping a checking account in order so much simpler, I remember the end of the month chore called ‘balancing the checkbook.’ It seemed that there was always at least… Continue reading