I remember when I was in college I wanted to be a counselor.  Differences in how people respond to situations fascinated me, and I particularly enjoyed abnormal psychology. I also enjoyed child psychology, nature versus nurture, and how children reacted during different circumstances and to various types of people.  And, how situations in childhood could … Continue reading Why do you stay? →

Flannery O’Conner wrote, “There is a moment in every story in which the presence of grace can be felt as it waits to be accepted or rejected even though the reader may not recognize this moment.” We have been talking the last few weeks about Jesus being the Bread of Life and what that looks … Continue reading How should I live? →

There is a poem by Portia Nelson that tells the story of self-discovery.  It goes something like this: I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost… I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. I walk down … Continue reading What should we do now? →

It was Winnie the Pooh who said, “Some people say that nothing is impossible.  Well, I do nothing every day.”   It was Audrey Hepburn who said, “I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.” … Continue reading What do you mean I have to stop? →

There’s a story written by a brilliant, moral fiber of our American South.  An author of significant renown who, upon hearing about the death of a neighbor, said, “I did not attend his funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it.”  This witty man of significant depth of character, two … Continue reading What should I ask for? →

Thomas Wolfe wrote an incredible story about a man named George Webber.  George, our protagonist of the story, writes a scandalous yet, from his perspective, accurate reflection of his experiences growing up in deep-south Libya Hill.  Initially, when news of a hometown boy’s story gets published, the town is overjoyed that one of their own … Continue reading Who does he think he is? →

“The sun lay on the grass and warmed it, and in the shade under the grass the insects moved, ants and ant lions to set traps for them, grasshoppers to jump into the air and flick their yellow wings for a second, and bugs like little armadillos, plodding restlessly on many tender feet.  And over … Continue reading Suffering, Relationship, and Baptism →

Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote: “Below the thunders of the upper deep; Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, His ancient, dreamless, uninvited sleep The Kraken sleeps:  faintest sunlights flee About his shadowy sides:  above him swell Huge sponges of millennial growth and height; And far away into the sickly light, From many a wondrous grot … Continue reading When is this going to get easier? →

“Once there was a tree…. and she loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when … Continue reading Are you sure it’s me you really need? →

I’m not a joke teller.  I couldn’t even tell a knock knock joke to save my life.  I always get the punch line wrong or I forget to tell an important nugget of the story that is critical to making the joke actually work.  So, if you ever hear me tell a complete and funny … Continue reading Did Jesus Redefine ”Family”? →