Photo by Aaron Burden on Pexels.com I really enjoy being around people who are sunny optimists. They make the world better. Optimists are best when they are grounded in reality. They know and recognize the reality in any given situation, and they are undaunted. They can maintain their undaunted spirit because they have an innate belief that a better time is coming. Optimists help us most when they create in the rest of us a believe belief that a better... Read more

Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.com Two years ago, the Houston Chronicle published a shocking report of systematic sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The series of articles documented 700 victims of abuse over 20 years.[1] At first, the report was treated with the gravity it deserved. The President of the Southern Baptist Convention, J.D. Greer, commissioned an advisory group to study the issue. The group noted several systemic issues: failure of training, using church autonomy to avoid... Read more

The Wallace Clan at the 50th Anniversary of Wallace and Son’s A big change is coming to my hometown of Rockingham, NC. Due to my Dad’s retirement, Wallace & Son’s Tire Center has been closed. Wallace & Son’s was my family’s business. It provided livelihood for three generations and was an honest provider of auto services to the community. The family just called Wallace & Son’s “the station.” The property has been sold to a restaurant chain, and the buildings... Read more

Photo by Mike Chai on Pexels.co Have you ever wondered what is going on in the world around you? Have you wondered why social media has become a battleground instead of a way to enjoy life? Does it bother you when people cannot allow other to disagree without trying to impugn them? If you answered yes, you might be noticing an important shift in the way our culture works. Those of you who know me know I have a love... Read more

Photo by Aleksandr Burzinskij on Pexels.com Do miracles happen? Are they a fiction of a pre-scientific era? Should the Church still believe that miracles can happen now? Among modern Neo-Calvinists, including luminaries like John MacArthur, a theological trend has taken root. It is called, cessationism, the belief that miracles ceased at the end of the Apostolic era. Drawing from the work of the Reformers, they argue miracles have ceased as a way to authenticate the Gospel. Miracles, God’s intervention in... Read more

Grandmama and Mom Abbie and spaghetti night shenanigans Recently, Molly, the girls, and I were having one of our favorite dinners, spaghetti. When little people eat spaghetti, it is always a big mess. Now, it is an entertaining mess, but a big one nonetheless. This dinner did not disappoint. In preparation for the mess we put the girls in their chairs wearing only their diapers because there is no clothing yet invented that can withstand the horrible combination of toddlers... Read more

Photo by Alex Andrews on Pexels.com On the 11thday of the 11thmonth on the 11thhour, World War I came to an end. The horror of the event is difficult for us living over 100 years after the end of the hostilities to imagine. At the outset of hostilities, the combatants believed the war would be short and that victory was assured. Their miscalculation was colossal. The war was long and gruesome. Statistics tell a horrendous story. Estimates are that 8.5... Read more

Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com Today is election day, and it has dawned on me that my experience with this election is very different from the experience of many others. Some years ago, Molly and I “cut the cord” and no longer have cable TV. We get our TV from Hulu and other online providers, and we seldom watch live TV or network TV. In fact, while the girls are up, we spend most of our time on watching... Read more

Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com One of my favorite memories of my honeymoon is our trip to the Vatican. It is simply amazing. It is beautiful beyond expression and utterly moving. As Molly and I toured the breathtaking city and the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica  I made a little pun. “Molly do you know what this cost? The Protestant Reformation.” I, of course, am the king of bad puns. What I said, though, was true. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther... Read more

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com What is God like?  Humans have a remarkable way of projecting what is inside of us onto what is outside of us. You can see that in the way we describe other people. For example, when we critique others, especially if we do it in a mean-spirited way, we most often use categories that are familiar to us. The behaviors we tend to critique and expand on when we critique others are usually the flaws... Read more