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If you grew up in the era of big budget musicals on the big screen (think everything from Music Man to Hello Dolly to the Sound of Music), then ‘La,La Land’ will not seem so unique. It is however an excellent film with lots of heart, great music, enjoyable stars (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling make for an interesting pairing) ‘traditional’ cinematography, and a romantic story line. And amazingly it mostly avoids bad language, and it has absolutely zero violence... Read more

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Dear Friends: As most of you know, five years ago next month, our precious daughter Christy was found dead at 33 in her apartment in Durham N.C., felled by a pulmonary embolism. In trying to do something positive and constructive out of the chaos, I set up a scholarship fund in her memory at Asbury Theological Seminary. The fund is called the Christy Witherington Fund, and it supports female doctoral students seeking to pursue God’s calling on their lives to... Read more

Coming soon to an Amazon near you! Read more

This is a photo I took at the Ansel Adams exhibit in the San Antonio Museum. Read more

I never know quite what to say when I’m talking sometimes to people who have lost a loved one and say ‘well it was God’s will’, when sometimes I know that to be an errant blasphemy on the love not to say the common sense of God. Much of the suffering of life is due to human sin and to say that it is God’s will is just a lie. Of course it is not (to take just the most... Read more

THE CHILD BEARING ‘Saved– by the Child-bearing’ Or so St. Paul once said. Not ‘saved by baby-making’, That’s how that text’s misread. Not ‘kept safe through childbearing’ For that’s not always true. Many a faithful godly woman Have died in labor too. Mary is the Christmas Eve Obedient, well-rehearsed The blessing of her new born Son Would see the curse reversed. What was the curse on Eve you say? Desire, male domination. But Mary conceived without male help And Eve’s... Read more

(Nope, not Jesus, but rather EJV, my T.A.’s brand new baby) MOTHER LOAD From the very beginning The burden was clear Sometimes bearable Sometimes severe Ate from the apple Shared it with him Disobeyed the order Indulged the whim. What was the outcome? The fruit of the act? She ‘knew’ good and evil? She experienced it in fact? Did the earth creature join her? Did he crumble into dust? Did he die in an instant? Or just tumble into lust?... Read more

INCOGNITO He came in incognito, A thinly veiled disguise The not so subtle son of man, A human with God’s eyes. The messianic secret, Left many unawares A God had walked upon the earth And shared our human cares. We did not see his glory, At least not at first glimpse, It took an Easter wake up call, Before it all made sense. The truth of Incarnation, Of dwelling within flesh, Shows goodness in creation, And Word of God made... Read more