Year: 2014

Some time ago, a dear friend gave me a special gift of heart-shaped measuring spoons, a memento from her nephew's wedding. Knowing that I would put the spoons to good practical use, she wanted me to have them. So now, whenever I bake, I … Read more

Years ago when I was first married, I made a large poster-like sign of today's verses and proudly hung it above a common staircase wall leading up to our second-floor apartment. I was in love, and I was going to spread it everywhere. Each … Read more

The other day while working in the kitchen, my CD player provided a dramatic reading from Luke 24. The words from the recording that grabbed my attention were about the two disciples' Resurrection Day meeting with Jesus on the road to … Read more

Let me tell about a dream I had last night. I saw a barren tree stripped of all its leaves, ready for winter — no green, red, or gold left behind, just stark and naked in the frosty air — so dead looking — just like we feel in lonely … Read more

When the news came, I knew that the situation was beyond my control. I moved to the upstate of South Carolina in the early 1980s, and jobs were scarce. I had vowed never to work in a textile mill again. Unfortunately, this was about the … Read more

I love debating with other people. It's part of my training as a pastor. At seminary or university, candidates for ministry are taught apologetics through class presentations or theological debates. The arguments usually spill over into … Read more

Every once in a while, we are confronted with statements that question whether the stories in the Bible accurately describe those events or whether they even happened, so many years ago. Many of those events are ones on which our Christian … Read more

My dear friend, Shirl, was close to the end of her agonizing struggle with multiple sclerosis, family breakdown, and abandonment, when she asked me to write her life story. It was her hope that women, who were suffering in any manner, … Read more

I have a car with computers in it. When it detects a fault, it has an instructive ding sound to let you know that there is a message. The more serious the fault, the more piercing the tone, and the more persistent and unrelenting the … Read more

At the jail where I guard, there is a row of lockers to store our clients' personal belongings while they are in a holding cell. The lockers preserve their valuables and clothing from being lost or stolen until they are returned to them … Read more