It was just a 53 acre cattle farm. Probably nothing special to any stranger passing by. It was certainly a beautiful setting, nestled in a little valley in the mountains of East Tennessee, but there are thousands of little farms very much like it sprinkled throughout Southern Appalachia. It was just another lovely little cattle farm–except this one was big enough and special enough to hold the lion’s share of my favorite Christmas recollections. This was my Grandpa and... Read more
The words were projected upon the walls behind the pulpit. As he spoke, the pastor seemed uncomfortable–in fact, he admitted that he didn’t like preaching on this passage because it was convicting for him. Those words really are convicting–they are hard to live up to because we are human and most of us tend toward selfishness. As I read those words, over and over again, I realized just how far I am from living the way I am called to... Read more
There is a fundamental part of us that seems to yearn for something in our past. I don’t know if it is a universal human trait or not. Perhaps there are people who are constantly looking to the future without that nostalgic pining pulling them back to days gone by, but I am not sure I know anyone like that. I think most of us, at least occasionally, are drawn to reflect back on “simpler times” or “the good ol’... Read more
Like most folks who lived in Indianapolis during the 1990s, I have a soft spot in my heart for Reggie Miller. Before Peyton Manning took the Indianapolis Colts to the upper echelon of the professional sports world, Reggie Miller was helping to make the Indiana Pacers a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. Before the Reggie Miller era, the Pacers organization mostly floundered in the bottom half of the league. That fact was particularly hard to swallow for... Read more
As I scrolled through my Twitter feed recently, I noticed an AP story that was shared by my local CBS television news affiliate. The headline read, Trump pauses address to nation to take 2 big swigs of water. I found that to be an odd news story. Why would that be newsworthy? Then I began to read some of the many comments posted below the link. Living in a Red State, as I do, I’ve grown accustomed to the sorts of comments I... Read more
Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, mass shootings–tragedies never make sense and they never seem fair. In the aftermath of such horrific events, it’s human nature to question God. Often, people will take such opportunities to challenge those of faith. We’ve all seen it. Social Media has provided a huge platform for it. Where was your God in the Las Vegas Shooting? How could a loving God allow those poor people in that little church in Texas to be slaughtered as they were... Read more
It’s been a full year now since that most unlikely of presidential elections in American history. For the majority of us, it’s been a pretty tough year. It took some time to shake off the fog of shock and disbelief that enveloped us in the wake of the electoral vote tally that ultimately put Donald Trump in office. Many of us braced ourselves for a rough ride–I’m not sure any of us were truly prepared for what an absurd and... Read more
God of the Universe, have mercy upon me. I am feeling overwhelmed by despair and anguish. It seems the world is crumbling around me. Where is joy? Nothing makes any sense. I am questioning everything and finding no answers. I just snapped at my wife for no good reason, ruining the evening in my own home—the one place where love and solace from the storms of life should always be found. I’ve always been an easy going and relatively happy... Read more
No matter what happens from here on out, it feels the damage is done. We are witness to an era in which our nation has elected a man so totally unqualified to be president that it boggles the mind. Part of me feels bad for Donald Trump. It is clear that he is in so far over his head that he doesn’t know which way to turn. The man can’t put two sentences together. One wonders if there isn’t something... Read more
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Where is the Line Between Unity and Liberty?
Where is the Line Between Unity and Liberty? This question has been eating away at me for a long time. Actually, it’s been hovering over the Christian faith and, indeed, our nation for centuries. Where is the tipping point when individual freedoms begin to erode the unity that holds us together and makes us strong? At what point does the push for unity step on individual liberty and ultimately drive us apart? It’s a doozy of a question and, as... Read more