Do everything without complaining and arguing,so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. – Philippians 2:14-15 Can I be honest for a second? I really hate this passage. Seriously. Every[…]
Refreshed
Joy and I decided to stay in Kentucky this year for vacation. We had planned to head south and spend time on the Florida beaches that we love. COVID spikes invited other plans and to say we were disheartened is an understatement. I know plenty of people who have kept[…]
Called to Reconcile
Scripture: 2 Cor. 5:11-23 We’re coming out of Independence Day weekend. I spent the 4th with some dear friends – one of whom is a pyromaniac – and we celebrated the freedom of living in this country with a lot of fireworks. I am so thankful to live here and[…]
Spending time…
When I was a teenager, my youth pastors were insistent that to be a leader in our youth group I had to be spending time growing my faith. Pretty much on a yearly basis, they would pull out the “TAWG” talk. Don’t know what the “TAWG” is? It’s an acronym[…]
Who are you?
Things on my social media feed – 1. The golden globes – awards for people who make movies 2. National Championship Game involving Alabama and Clemson 3. Presidential transition These are currently the 3 primary mentions on my social media feed. Normally, I wouldn’t really give much attention too any[…]
To One of My Spiritual Heroes
This week we lost a giant. My mom and dad were church shopping when we first met Larry and Pat Freeman. I was just a little, insecure, whiny, first-grader but within seconds, I had a feeling that these two people were special. While my parents were asking grown up questions, this[…]
Hearing and Doing
“The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in usual place. The lamp of God had not[…]
Joe Maddon, the Rays and 1 Thessalonians
A pastor friend of mine were catching up back in June and he recommended a book to me about my hometown baseball team – the Tampa Bay Rays. Now, it should be stated that my Major League Baseball affiliations have been somewhat wonky. To be honest, I was a fan[…]
VBS as a grown up…
This week has been Vacation Bible School at our church. At last count there were nearly 400 children hanging out for some undersea adventures. The theme this year was “going deep with God” and there are scenes from the ocean everywhere! We even have an octopus named Ocho that hangs[…]
Reflecting on a week
It’s been a very full week! After a Sunday that was crammed from start to finish, I grabbed my bag and headed to Northern Kentucky for this year’s Kentucky United Methodist Annual Conference. I always look forward to AC! There’s just something about seeing friends from across the state and[…]