It's just not my strength. Gardening, for me, usually ends in disaster! But not for my grandmother. When I was a boy I remember me and my brothers and cousins being conscripted to help Mawmaw "put up" the vegetables from her garden. Corn and okra and green beans, and...
I have a habit of calling what many call “The Old Testament” the “First Testament.” And I do that because too many in the Church treat the books in the front of our Bible as either unimportant or not as valuable as the New Testament. I confess I’ve had a...
We were talking in Bible study recently about “First Principles.” It seems this is something we so rarely consider, but if we miss fundamental truths, we always end up in places we never intended to go. For instance, if you don’t build your life on the fundamental truth that when you say...
The old saying is "blood is thicker than water" and it seems that every culture has some form of this saying to reinforce the idea that family comes first! One of the strongest memories that I have as a boy growing up is my own mother reminding me that my...
Our ladies group at our parish put together a recipe book as a fundraiser for their many ministries. So, one of the leaders approached me and asked "Father, would you like to include a recipe and a message in our cookbook?" Of course, I said "yes." I love to bake,...
The preacher was telling the story of the plight of those in biblical times who suffered from leprosy. They were social outcasts and had to live in leper colonies and if they ventured out, they had to call before them to warn all around the “Unclean! Unclean!” You see...
Sometimes, I hate Facebook! OK, what I really hate is being misunderstood and then I have to scramble to be understood and end up making things worse! Ugh! It seems the harder I try the worse it gets. Do you know what I mean? Have you ever, with the best...
Janis Joplin had a hit record after her death in 1971 called “Me and Bobby McGee” that had a line that said, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Kind of a depressing thought, but then again, the song is about the memory of a happier time and the...
Ah, summertime! The season of vacations, a more relaxed pace of life, adventures, and warm weather. “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy….” Summertime is such a wonderful time of year. But our society is one in which most Americans take little to no vacation time. The drive to produce creates...
“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” All through my life I’ve heard that we should “count” our blessings. If we would do this, we would be protected against falling into the “pit of despair” and we would be...
