Every year I wear a deep red tie with an almost hidden fish symbol buried in large silver circles to our Annual Conference. A careful look reveals a series of crosses emerging from the silver patterns. People always compliment it. Maybe they are simply happy to see me in a suit and tie. I have […]

“Where are you from?”  This is a seemingly easy question for me to answer.  I grew up and lived in the same house from age three until college. My mom still lives there, my dad’s tools hang in his workshop, and a “GI Joe Footlocker” full of old ribbons gathers dust in the attic.  Yet, […]

Watching yellow, orange and brown leaves dance down from the tree tops I opened some Thomas Merton, a good Kentucky Trapist Monk.  Merton speaks of gratitude as an essential part of the spiritual life.   A coffee cup warming my hands and leaves ride on the wind; it is easy to find grateful. Our Creator has […]

Earlier that summer I took my first swim lessons, now I crouched behind the starter’s block about to cry.   Mom’s fear of water drove us to swim lessons at age five.   A month later I faced the unknown with my first race at the Lone Oak Country Club.  What if I come in last?  What […]

A high school freshman slid into the driver’s seat.  His mind turning over roles, responsibilities and options:  should he drive, sit in the passenger seat, or move to the back.   What would mom say?   He unconsciously longed to fill his father’s shoes.   Stinging grief paralyzed his thinking.  Funeral procession move slowly but he only held […]

                                           Martin Luther King Jr.   “The Strength to Love” chapter one:   Rarely do we find people who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking.  There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions.  Nothing pains some people more than having to think. …  Our minds are constantly beginning invaded by legions […]

How do I pray for a candidate?  Even without a clerical collar people share with pastors the concerns of their hearts. It is a privilege to hear these privileged conversations.   I once sat next to a seasoned public servant at a chicken dinner.  I asked “what is it like to be a senator?”   He shared […]