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What Will We Talk About Now?
I am writing this on Election Day 2020. Scanning social media just before I started writing, I saw post after post after post about the election (I even wrote one). It’s been that way for weeks, if not months. Additionally, there have been a slew of posts about the virus, and, in fits and starts, about social justice and unrest. If you were to think back for, say, the last 6 months, wouldn’t you agree that those topics have utterly dominated your social media timeline, as well as, likely, your face-to-face conversations? And, that’s fine. They are all huge stories and have vast importance to our personal lives as well…
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None, Some, or Sum
There is a book that I’m fairly confident is owned by everybody reading these words. In fact, I’m fairly certain that most of us have more than one copy. The book is actually a collection of sixty-six books. Collectively, these books are known by most at The Holy Bible. Sometimes we just shorten that to The Bible. It seems to me that there are some serious questions that need to be considered about this volume. Each of us needs to ask ourselves such questions as: How much (if any) of this book is actually inspired by God?How much (if any) is accurate?How much (if any) is helpful in my own personal life, my family, my…
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We Are All At Risk
I know. I know. You probably don’t want to read another blog post about the coronavirus or Covid-19. I get it. Neither do I, and I certainly don’t want to write another one! However, I have heard this sentence used over and over again concerning the virus. Sometimes it has been talking about those with serious underlying health issues, but when we try to explain that to another person, what we hear is “We’re all at risk.” And that is most certainly true. As I contemplated that sentence the last time I heard it, my mind went in an entirely different direction. I’d like to share some of those thoughts for your contemplation. Some of these…
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An Election Day To-Do List for Christians
A staggering number of people all across the country have already voted, but there is still something special about “the day.” That day–the day of the general election in the United States of America–now stands less than a week away. For weeks and months, we have been wearied by news coverage and social media posts about it. Christians have commented on posts, shared their views, read articles, watched coverage, and tried to think through how to vote. But, let’s be honest, not everything that Christians have said and done leading up to the election has been reflective of people of faith. Sometimes their tone has been dismissive or even mean.…
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The Cold Within
I am often amazed by what I find when I am actually looking for something else. Recently, while I was going through some of my old material, I found the poem below. It is only very loosely connected to what I was working on. After thinking about it for a while I realized that, while the poem may not have been really connected to what I was working on, it actually does connect to all of us. I believe that is true regardless of where we are in life or the situation(s) in which we find ourselves. I hope that you will do as I’ve done. I’ve read it and read it…
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Infinity
If you attended Freed-Hardeman University at a certain time and had a certain professor, you probably will never forget his lesson on infinity. It was a college kid’s dream! The professor simply started at one end of his chalk- or whiteboard and began to draw a line. He then proceeded to continue that line off the edge, around the corner, up the stairs, and out of the lecture hall. That was the end of that day’s class: infinity. As fun and as memorable as that lesson was, it was flawed. You see, when the next class period rolled around, you were still expected to be back in that lecture hall…
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What is Our Greatest Joy?
I’m going to get in trouble with this post. I know I am. But I want to speak to something that, it seems, the pandemic is not causing, but is exposing at a deeper level. Christians are praying people. It is a beautiful thing when Christians pray for one another. Sometimes, that is done in private time, in our “prayer closet,” alone with the Lord. Often, however, it is done as a congregation. We believe in prayer and we pray fervently because we know that prayer is effective in aligning our hearts more closely with the will of God. And we pray about all sorts of things. Hopefully, we spend…
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Nobody Wins
I recently heard a country song from a few years ago that I had never heard before. That’s not too unusual since I’m not a huge country music fan. It’s also not too unusual that the subject of the song was the breakup of a relationship. The nature of the relationship is somewhat unclear, but what is clear is that the relationship is one of a romantic nature. Two people who have spent time together, who had shared a number of experiences, and who may have even shared a name were “calling it quits.” The song expresses a lot of emotions including, but not limited to, sadness, regret, frustration, and resignation. The name of…
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Legacy Recipe: Donna’s Dinner Rolls
Believe it or not, the election is not the only thing that is just around the corner! The holidays are just weeks away, and since I’ve been busy with physical therapy on my new knee, I decided to share a family favorite recipe that will make your holiday meals even better. Donna’s Dinner Rolls Ingredients: 2 cups warm water (not hot) 2 pkgs. Active dry yeast ½ cup sugar 1 Tbsp. salt (I sometimes add just a little more) 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour 3 Tbsp. shortening (softened) 2 eggs (whisked) Instructions: Put water in large bowl and add yeast. Stir until dissolved. Add sugar and salt and stir thoroughly until…
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A Simple Solution for Racial Strife
Recently, I overheard a conversation. I promise I was not eavesdropping; the participants were speaking so loudly that I could hardly help hearing almost every word. One participant was older, and was a man. As the conversation went on, he revealed that he was 80 years of age. The other was somewhat younger, and was a woman. She told the man the year she was born, and it was in the 1960s, so she would be in her 50s; a full generation younger. Oh…the man was white and the woman was African-American. They talked about everything. (They made it rather difficult to read my book!) But, at one point my…
