After 32 years in full-time Pastoral ministry, there are moments when I am still surprised by the confessions I hear! Sometimes it’s not the confession but the revelation of the secret sins of another that shakes me to the core.… Continue reading

New! The word is one we love. A new car, a new computer, a new song, a new… most of us love the new and the novel, convinced that new is always better, and often, it is! My latest computer… Continue reading

In a recent conversation with an uncle who loves to travel, he said he was going to spend the extra money to upgrade their seats on a flight to Egypt to business class. It’s not the cheapest way to go,… Continue reading

For years Bordens, the maker of dairy products, featured a smiling cow named Elsie as their marketing logo. She was alleged to be a ‘contented cow.’ Well fed, safely pastured, and living in the herd, she supposedly produced better milk… Continue reading

I slept restlessly through the first half of last night. My mind kept digging up unfinished business, projects that are demanding attention, ministry demands, people’s needs. Against the many needs I saw myself as powerless, unable to change a thing.… Continue reading

The black and white was tucked away off the road barely in sight, just past the sign marking a 15 MPH drop in the speed limit. As we drove past the classic speed trap, I sarcastically remarked about the police… Continue reading

Last week I took the first extended break from pastoral ministry since my Dad died in February. For much of the time I was short-tempered, depressed, and generally anxious. Even though I was with my lovely wife, traveling in a… Continue reading

The elderly woman lived in squalor, surrounded by garbage, eating only the most basic staples. She refused help from the community and slid out of sight. Months later, when people realized they had not seen her at all, police found… Continue reading

Sometimes my life travels a smooth road, one good day following another; and sometimes it gets really bumpy! This is one of those bumpy stretches! I’m not whining, but I think I have had enough of criticism, disappointment, and unreasonable… Continue reading

Bob (not his real name) is a strong man, a hard-working man who makes large machines accomplish amazing tasks, a man’s man who knows about calloused hands and sweat. As we talked earlier this week, he asked about the church,… Continue reading