On Saturday, I will be officiating at the funeral of Ron Sides, church member, community leader, husband, father, grandfather, motorcycle rider, and good friend to many, including me. Just five weeks so, we buried his lovely wife, Martha. Several times in the last few days, I have thought and said, “How am I going to be able to preach this funeral?” Ron was one of the first to offer friendship to me when I came to Krum not quite four... Read more
We’re about a third of the way through the season of Lent. The roots of the fast should be beginning to form, possibly even a few green shoots coming up now as we use this time for good self-examination, the development of holy habits, and the continuation of our observance of our chosen fast. I often speak and write in gardening metaphors because I think the process of gardening gives good insight in the way God works in our lives.... Read more
So, how’s it going? For all who decided to observe the church season of Lent this year with a fast of some sort, here is the question: How are you doing with it? If you chose to fast from something that had made its way deep into your soul and daily habits, you should be encountering some significant trouble with it by now. The first few days tend to be fairly easy–a determination to honor the vow made before God... Read more
Wednesday, February 17, 2010, marked the beginning of the Christian season of Lent. It is that yearly time when those Christians who observe the liturgical year take an intentional and honest look at their hearts and the state of their relationship with God. For some years now, I’ve seen this time as a place to do a thorough cleaning out. Like an old-fashioned “spring cleaning,” it is a splendid and specified period to take a thorough spiritual inventory. With that... Read more
This column is titled, “A Pastor’s Thoughts” and for nearly four years now, I’ve written weekly about some of the things bouncing around in my brain as I live my life as pastor. Today, my thoughts have settled on death and funerals and loss. Last week, Martha Sides died. Martha left her elegant and purposeful mark all over Krum, and all over this church that she loved and served so well. From shrubs planted near the front door to furniture... Read more
“OK, in German, nouns have four cases: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. Here, let me show you what I mean in this sentence.” I overheard this conversation in a sandwich shop recently as I had settled myself for a late lunch with time to work on a message I needed to prepare. For the next 30 minutes or so, I heard this patient tutor work with a novice student of the German language as he tried to give her a... Read more
Rainy, cold night, perfect for good sleep–until the mobile phone, rarely far from my reach, begins its buzz and tone around 3:30 a.m. Notification about a church member about to go under because of a personal crisis. I appreciated the notification, and both the notifier and I agreed I could take no further action until later that day, so I returned to my bed, my side no longer warm because of the length of the phone call. Sleep, however, had... Read more
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United... Read more
For many reasons, I can’t get the situation in Haiti off my mind right now. I go to bed at night wondering how many more will die there this night. I sleep in comfort, aware that breakfast awaits me in the morning along with good work that I love and find both challenging and fulfilling. From what I can tell about Haiti, long before the earthquake, only the tiny elite enjoyed anything like this. UNICEF estimates that only 2% of... Read more
I suspect about everyone has seen or heard the story now. A preschooler in Mesquite does not want to have his hair cut in order to conform to the Mesquite Independent School District’s dress code, and his parents support him in his refusal. For the time being, he spends his days in the school library, being taught by an aide while isolated from the other students. The civil libertarians shout, “Of course he has the right to wear his hair... Read more
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