My post this week just happens to coincide with a special day in the life of a special young man. Today, my son turns 18. That means that both of our kids are now legally adults. I guess that empty nest really is drawing near. Turner is a delight. Is he perfect? No. We still have things to work on. But it has been nothing short of impressive to watch him mature and to work on some of his shortcomings himself. He has a heart for doing what is right, and that is all I can ask for. When Mary Carol turned 18 something struck me, and it has struck…

Our family moved to Cookeville, Tennessee from Lawrenceburg when I was young, and while I have few clear memories of our life before that transition, those that remain are special to me. My first friends in elementary school, my first watchthrough of the original Star Wars trilogy (a core memory), the building where I first remember attending church, and many others standout in my mind. However, there is one memory that I hope I will have for the rest of my life. Actually, the image in my head is a composite of many similar days throughout the years. It always includes the swing-set in our backyard, with the woods behind…

Donna sometimes tells about an incident that dates back to the days very early in our marriage when both of us taught in a public high school. She had given her class an assignment and had refused to accept what one boy turned in. The reason for the rejection (and the failing grade) was that the boy had submitted something that was very inappropriate.  When the boy’s mother learned about this, she called Donna and let her know (in no uncertain terms), “I’ll have you know, that I did that assignment.” I suppose that she thought this would give some sort of legitimacy to her son’s project, could “bully” Donna…

Depending on the translation of the Bible with which you are familiar and/or the resource you are using his (its) name may be spelled and pronounced differently. He (it) was a god called “Molech,” “Moloch,” or “Molek.”  According to britannica.com, this was “…a Canaanite deity associated in biblical sources with the practice of child sacrifice.” We will not get into the gruesome details about how those sacrifices were carried out.  I would be surprised (and disappointed) if those who are reading this are not appalled by that information. I can almost hear the incredulous reactions. Most of those reactions would have to do with how barbaric it would be to…

Not long ago, I heard a short snippet of a song that I had not heard in years. As I thought about it, I don’t think I had heard so much as a single note of the song in at least 20 years. But immediately, upon hearing those few seconds, I remembered a little more. Of course, I did a little online digging and found the full song. While I can’t tell you I remembered every word, it was remarkable how much of the song was still in my mind somewhere. And that was true despite the fact that the song had run up the charts and then quickly back…

It has been a long time since I was a full-time youth minister. Since then, though, one of the joys of my life has been that, at each of the three congregations for which I have preached–Lebanon Road, 9th Avenue, and Central–the elders have specifically told me that they would like me to have a part in helping with the youth program. What fascinates me a great deal of the time is how little has changed. Oh sure, there have been technological changes and other things like that, but people are people and, just like Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Tragically, one of the things that…