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Let’s Eat!
Growing up in my family, some of the most wonderful and enjoyable times were spent around a dinner table. We’d eat and talk and laugh and just enjoy each other. Here in a couple of weeks, I’ll drive to my hometown and my entire family will gather together and eat, laugh and just enjoy each other again. Side Note: There is a chance that the same old stories that have been told for years, will be told again except even more embellished. I’m just saying! I don’t know if that’s the same thing for you and your family but I think I’ve had some of the most profound and impactful…
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It’s A Choice!
Recently, I had to ask a volunteer ministry leader to step down from their leader position because they posted online that they did not agree with the vision of the church we serve in. It was not a one time instance and in fact, had been the position of this person for some time. I was not surprised considering every time we met, he questioned the church’s direction on just about everything. He’s on board with a different kind of church and really… that’s ok! The problem I have is that this person CHOSE to go to the church and made the choice to want to be a leader in…
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The Church and Mental Health
Every weekend at my church, I’m responsible for being available to pray with and minister to people as they come to the church seeking help with their current life challenge or problems. It’s an interesting position to be in because some weeks, I literally just talk to people and help greet. Other weekends, I definitely earn my pay, especially when we have someone come in that is mentally unstable or perhaps even chemically impaired. That’s when it gets interesting! Some seek money and some seek prayer. Sometimes, they just need to verbally throw up and need a shoulder to cry on. At the end of the day, they want something…
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Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable!
It’s said that infamous gambler and gunfighter Doc Holiday’s last words were “This is Funny” and its thought that he said that because he assumed or even expected that he would die in a gun fight and not in a rented hotel room, flat broke and eat up with tuberculosis. In other words, things just didn’t turn out the way he thought it was supposed to and to him that was funny. In no way can I compare to Doc Holiday and I certainly don’t want to but recently I switched roles in the church that I serve in from Children’s Ministry to the Care Ministry. For 22 years I’ve been teaching…
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The Magi Got it!
I was leading a lesson the other day about the Christmas Story. Not the movie but the actual story about Jesus coming to earth as a baby thing and I noticed that the kids I was teaching were all squirming in their seats and restless and bored. It’s not that I was teaching in a boring way or that the content was boring. I think it was because most of the kids in the room that day had already put the Christmas Story on their mental shelves and had other things on their minds. Just from the conversations I heard, most of the boys in the room were much too…
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A Little Story About a Volunteer!
Thought I would share a little story about a volunteer in my ministry named Dori. Dori is in her mid 50’s, married and has three children. She worked for over 20 years at a local brick manufacturer and was let go last year because of Covid. Actually, she lost her job because the government actually paid the brick manufacturer’s hourly workers more to stay at home and be unemployed. The problem with that is that Dori was in administrator for those workers and if she has no workers to oversee, then she was left without a job. Doesn’t seem right to me but to some in DC, that kind of…
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The Value of a Soul
As a children’s minister I’m often caught up in the day-to-day oversight of making weekends happen. Are there enough volunteers? Is the curriculum ready? Do we have enough Cheerios? You know, the stuff that makes Sunday great for all children’s ministries everywhere. As the lone paid staff member in the children’s ministry, I rely on the goodness, dedication and hard work of a team of volunteers who make it all happen, each and every week. I would be lost without them to say the least. The preparation for Sunday is essential and has to happen every week, but the challenge I find is that with everything it takes to make Sunday’s happen all of that…
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The Great Gift of Wisdom!
That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” I love this passage from 2 Chronicles chapter 1 not only because Solomon knew his position in life but that he knew he couldn’t do…
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So Much to Be Hopeful For!
Below is part of a sermonette that I was recently asked to give at a community-wide, canned food drive event that a local charity was holding in my neighborhood. As you might expect, there really wasn’t that many people there considering the current social distancing challenges any large scale event poses. So, I thought I would just share this with you. Enjoy! The other day my wife had the morning news going while she was enjoying her morning coffee. As I was getting ready for the day, I sat down with her and we went over each other’s schedule. As we were talking, I couldn’t help noticing that the news covered about…
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Take off the Mask!
On Thursday of this past week, Texas State Governor Gregg Abbott mandated the wearing of masks inside or even outside places where the public gathers or assembles. Churches were once again exempt from this mandate and though I appreciate that gesture, our church has made the decision to have all staff and volunteers wear them. All for the sake of trying to slow the spread of Covid-19. What’s interesting is that one of the biggest things we constantly bring up in our church is that if you want to help get rid of the virus of sin in your life, you have to take off your mask and be fully known…
