Is A the most famous chord on the guitar? Probably not. I doubt there is a “most famous chord,” and yet, in the hands of one man in a particular setting, nothing can bring a crowd to life like an A chord. I’m learning the guitar, so when I play an A chord, it is …
A few Sundays ago, I preached through the Ten Commandments and explained that taking the Lord’s name in vain was more than just saying one particular phrase; it is the use of God’s name in irreverent ways. To illustrate, I spoke of the absurdity of using my name in vain. I explained, “No one has …
A gasoline engine will not run on diesel fuel. I know that, and yet, several months ago I had to learn it all over. I picked up the wrong fuel can and poured five gallons of diesel into a gas tank. Everything was fine for a minute, but as soon as the fuel pump began …
I turn 40 next week. 40. It is true, some have mistaken me for much older and some have even thought Angela was my daughter. So, in some ways it is like I have been at least 40 for a while now, but the actual birthdate is next week. On Wednesday, February 3, 2021, I …
I avoid political partisanship like the plague. In 13 1/2 years as a senior pastor, I have never endorsed a political candidate for state or federal office. In fact, the only political candidate I have ever publicly supported is a pastor friend who ran for county council–and even then I did so with trepidation. I …
If you have ever inhaled a moth while riding a bike, you know that somethings do not taste good. When you inhale a moth on your bike, you don’t cherish the moment, you gag and spit and cough. You do everything possible to get that chalky, nasty taste out of your mouth as quickly as …
He was old. But, since I was six, everyone seemed old. In retrospect, I suppose he must have been in his sixties. He smoked brown cigarettes. I remember that they were brown because he sat down in the dirt with me and my brother and pulled one of those lit cigarettes from his mouth and …
It is my opinion that everyone should journal. Not everyone does or will journal, but I really believe that you miss out if you do not keep a journal–even if you only write in it occasionally. Regardless of whether or not you journal, I hope that you will make some effort record the lessons you …
We all want to be the hero. I’ve never watched a Marvel movie and wanted to be Loki or Thanos. Turn on an action movie from the 80s or 90s, we all want to be a Wolverine or Rocky, never the Russian invaders. Even when kids play tag or hide and seek, no one wants …
There was a time when we spoke of kids who did not have access to certain opportunities as “underprivileged children.” Rather than speaking of the underprivileged with compassion, the common parlance of our world today is to reverse the language. Instead of focusing on caring for the underprivileged (the alien, the orphan, and the widow), …