As I type these words, a new school year is beginning in our community. By the time you read these words that event may be ancient history to you, your family, and your community.  For some families, this becomes an almost “ho hum” experience. It is just another year with more or less the same students, buildings, activities, etc.  However, for some families, the beginning of a school year means that a child will be away from home for the first time as he or she begins the pursuit of a college degree. For others, the beginning of a school year is a time of transition from elementary school to middle school or…

As you read these words (if you are reading them early on Thursday morning), Jim and I are on our way to Sevierville, Tennessee for Polishing the Pulpit. This is one of our favorite weeks of the year for many reasons. We get to spend some time with at least one of our children and his family.  We also get to see so many people we have come to know and love over these many years in ministry.  The singing is phenomenal, and the lessons put you on a spiritual high.  There is no bad language or immodest apparel.  It’s really a little taste of heaven here on earth. I have…

I think it was the great “philosopher” Yogi Berra who said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” In his unique way, he said something that is really true. The following thought may not be quite as profound as that, but I think that it is also true. I think one can hear a lot just be listening. It might be a bit more accurate to suggest that a person can learn a lot just by listening. It seems that real listening is happening less and less. All you have to do is to watch and listen to some of the “talking heads” on cable news channels. They all talk at the same time. Nobody…

In 1972, a singer by the name of Billy Paul recorded and released Me and Mrs. Jones. Even if you have not heard the song, you might guess that, in the words of the song, “We got a thing going on.” I’m sure that, when that song was released, both preachers and English teachers were disturbed. Preachers (and anybody else concerned about biblical morality) were probably and justifiably concerned about the open way in which two people who had no right to be meeting were, in fact, doing just that at a designated place and time every day. English teachers probably pulled their hair out because of at least two phrases in…

Since I don’t pay much attention to television commercials for alcoholic beverages, I almost missed something I think is important. You may not agree that it is important, but maybe you will agree that it is at least interesting and thought-provoking. The commercial was for Jack Daniels whiskey. Did I really hear what I thought I’d heard? Were they really saying that the town in which this beverage is distilled is “dry?”  I did some checking on the internet and found out that this was, indeed, what they were saying. The sale of alcoholic beverages is against the law in Lynchburg, Tennessee. I found out more than that. I discovered that the entire county (Moore County)…

We have been blessed for the last few days to have a youth group from Arnold, Missouri visiting with us at our congregation in Paducah. There are twenty-four of them including chaperones, and they came our way to knock on doors in our community, invite people to our Vacation Bible School, help with that Bible School, and do other service projects in our community. It has been extremely HOT for the last few days, but they worked tirelessly at the jobs they were assigned. Jim and I were blessed to have one of the chaperones and one of the teens in our home for those few days, and to spend some…