
Prison Bars: Seen and Unseen
Anyone who has worked in a prison ministry has dealt with plenty of men and women incarcerated while living behind steel bars. Laws have been broken and you have been found guilty. There is no freedom. Prisoners are told when to wake up, when to eat, when to bathe,...
CLEAN UP YOUR MESS
God’s forgiveness is available, regardless of how broken we think we are.
Patience is a Virtue
“Sit down, be quiet, be patient.” My dear, sweet mother said this practically every day. I got the “sit down” command down pat. As far as “be quiet,” … well, not so much. And sadly, now 60+ years later, I have to admit I never mastered being patient. My lack of...
The Power of One
Behind every great movement of history lies a single individual who had the courage to take the first step. This week, I’m excited to share with you how one action, taken by one person, can be the spark to ignite a movement of transformation and revival.
GIVE HONOR
Give Honor: “to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect” We hear it often. Honor our country. Honor our flag. Honor our fallen soldiers. Honor our first responders. The fifth commandment in the Bible says, “Honor your father and your mother,...
IS REVIVAL COMING?
It’s been all over the news and social media. About what, you say? If you don’t know, then you must be hiding under a bushel barrel basket because revival is and has been popping up in universities and churches all over the country for almost two weeks. A large...
ARMCHAIR EXPERT
America is a nation of sports lovers. I grew up in a family that loved baseball, basketball, and especially football. Every weekend our group of “armchair experts” would gather around the TV to see their favorite teams win or lose. The expert “quarterback” or...
MUSTARD SEED FAITH
We are beginning to see the signs of new growth after a (short) season of Texas-style winter. Grass is greener, bulbs are bursting out of the ground, and I’m preparing to do something I’ve never done before. I have four cuttings from a very old fig tree that are...
EXIT STRATEGY
Have you ever been in a situation that you didn’t want to be in or went to a function and realize all too soon, “this is not the place for me?” It must be human nature. I’ve walked into a room and immediately started looking for the exit. (To be honest, I’ve even...
FEAR NOT
I don’t like math and science. It just isn’t my bailywick … but I do LOVE history. I consume documentaries, totally immersing myself in the era portrayed, imagining how I would act or react under similar circumstances. I guess I like the emotion of history. I also...
CHOICES IN LIFE
When I was young, I listened to my parents (well, more times than not). I didn’t have many decisions to make because they were pretty much made for me, like what to wear, what to eat, when to play, when to sleep, etc. I would get into trouble when I didn’t follow the...
PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
I’ll admit, I’m a pushover for a dog with big eyes and lots of fur – and that’s exactly what we have in our (big) pup Scooter. He’s been with us since he was eight weeks old. When he was 13 weeks he jumped out of the back of our truck and broke his back leg requiring...
SECOND CHANCES
It’s the last day of the year. As with previous years, I’ve been discarding unused items to eliminate the never-ending clutter in my life. I don’t like to “throw things away.” I prefer the term “finding new homes” for these items. Since tomorrow is the first day of...
HE WAITS FOR US
We have a guest at one of our cabins with the cutest floppy-eared pup you can imagine. Little Flip has the energy of a dozen bloodhounds and is just as inquisitive. I see Flip waiting at the cabin for his master. Once he sees him, that tail wags...