My Name is Sterl
Sep 03, 2010
My wife doesn’t know my name. I know her name, but she doesn’t know mine. She calls me Stuff or Stool. My kids call me Stekl. Maybe, it shouldn’t surprise me because many…
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We Live Our Lives in Chains
Aug 27, 2010
Many people live in a prison. It is not a prison of stone and mortar nor are there bars, but a prison it is nonetheless. It may be a set of limitations imposed by others, but, more frequently,…
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Well, I Take Whatever I Want
Aug 20, 2010
People often say, “We might as well face it, we do what we want to do.” This axiom is often used to explain misplaced priorities when attendance at an event is not as hoped. It is both a comfort…
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Mister Good Enough
Aug 13, 2010
Women waiting for Mr. Right might as well be waiting for Godot. Now, I realize that “Mr. Right” is an old saw for the perfect fella and every girl’s dream, but I think he’s already taken. …
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Like I Was Walking Onto a Yacht
Aug 05, 2010
Time levels our heads. Funny how, when you finally know how to handle something, the opportunity and responsibility no longer exist. “Left Behind” was a book and a movie, but it could have…
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I Understand About Indecision
Jul 30, 2010
“Knowing how way leads to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” With those words, Robert Frost cast a shadow on my life and gave a burden to bear. Rather, I should say, he captured the…
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Someone to Watch Over Me
Jul 23, 2010
In a culture of rolling stones, there is a longing for stability among the most contemporary. Rambling fever notwithstanding, we all want to know that there is a firm foothold somewhere. Problematic…
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If Time Were Not a Moving Thing
Jul 16, 2010
The Apostle Paul said he forgot the past. Sometimes, I wish I could forget it, too. So many things only get better (more tolerable) with the passage of time. Fortunately, time does pass. …
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The Door Open to Me
Jul 09, 2010
Several years ago, a friend, somewhat older than myself, was relating to me his experience as a scholarship athlete on the collegiate level. He was a cross-country runner. In high school, he…
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People All Over the World- Join Hands
Jul 02, 2010
Two are better than one. Not as good as one- better than one. At least, that’s what the Bible says. In a world of loners and lonely, this statement rings especially true. Today,…
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I Can Dream Can’t I?
Jun 25, 2010
The pastor of the church in which I was first employed after college graduation used verse in many of his sermons. A favorite poem of his contained the following lines: “I have dreamed many…
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You Sure Know How to Arrange Things
Jun 18, 2010
It is an incontrovertible fact that we can talk ourselves into anything. Sadly, the road of rationalization has an uncertain and, more often than not, disappointing end. All reassessment is…
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What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?
Jun 11, 2010
Funny how the passage of time drives things from conscious memory. As we make choices, and life hands us challenges, we become far-removed from deeds and thoughts of former time and place. …
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I Don’t Carry Me No Load
Jun 04, 2010
According to studies, both men and women lie frequently (I knew that!). However, there is some difference regarding the things they lie about. One lie the genders share may occur when either…
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Yesterday’s Gone, Yesterday’s Gone
May 28, 2010
For good or for ill, the past is the past. “The moving finger writes and, having writ, moves on.” A great many people are mired in the failures and losses of the past. There may be some…
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I Yam What I Yam
May 21, 2010
A friend of mine once told me, “People are what they are, and either you accept them or you don’t.” Since I believe it is possible for people to make life-changing decisions and alter themselves…
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I Could Have Missed the Pain
May 14, 2010
You cannot travel two roads and be one traveler. I sometimes wonder what things would have been had I taken a different turn here or there in my journey. For me, this is purely an interesting…
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It’s Not You- It’s Me
May 07, 2010
Twenty years ago a man who worked for the Department of Youth Development in the State of Tennessee told me, “Be careful in assigning blame. Everybody wants to blame somebody else. The parents…
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Preaching to the Choir
Apr 30, 2010
Eighty percent of church growth is transfer grow. Eight-ty. I’m just saying. For all the talk of reaching the lost, we’re not doing as much of it as we would like- or could. …
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And a Good Time Was Had by All
Apr 23, 2010
Life is meant to be enjoyed. Jesus promised a full life to His followers. In a sense, eternal life is here and hereafter. Much Scripture extols the good life. Joy is a staple of…
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“C’est la Vie,” say the Old Folks
Apr 16, 2010
It is joy and grief to look back over time. Funny, how things work out. A lot of good and well-laid plans never come to fruition. One the other hand, there are successful works done by…
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Now and Then I Feel the Same
Apr 09, 2010
There was a time when I looked at people younger than myself today as old. I would wonder what it was like to be in their shoes and how much differently they viewed the world than me. As sure…
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The Self-Same Pioneer Moxie
Apr 02, 2010
In few days, believers worldwide will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the culmination of salvation’s plan. Many will usher into the Kingdom of God as His word is proclaimed from thousands…
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Like a Fool I Am, and I’ll Always Be
Mar 26, 2010
They said I daydreamed a lot in elementary school. By “they,” I mean my teachers. My parents were not impressed, but I could go anywhere in my dreams, and living reality was (and is) often…
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Have You Seen Grace?
Mar 19, 2010
I once told a man that the greatest disappointment of my Christian life was that I had never seen Jesus’ recipe for reconciliation among brothers work. You know, the one where you go to someone…
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Pick Up the Pieces
Mar 12, 2010
What do you do when life doesn’t turn out as planned? What if you give great effort and find it makes little difference? What if everything catches fire? It doesn’t take long for…
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I Know It’s Kinda Late
Mar 05, 2010
I think I’m on the outskirts of middle age. The northern outskirts, that is. Never thought about it or saw it coming. Once, I had the unpleasant experience of being pulled by a peace…
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The Quality of Mercy
Feb 26, 2010
Shakespeare wrote that mercy blesses those who give and those who take. It relieves the guilty of the burden of conscience and the harmed from anger. It is freeing. Twice blessed. …
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The Vices of Virtues
Feb 19, 2010
There’s an opposite reaction to every action. There’s another side to each coin. When part of the world is light, the other part is dark. There are two sides to every story. …
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I’m Fallen, and I Can’t Get Up
Feb 12, 2010
As sure as the sparks of a flame fly skyward, we’ve got problems. When we try to do well, there’s a negative counterbalance. I’m sure I’ve never had a pure motive. That goes for…
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Not a Dream Survived
Feb 05, 2010
Not far from where I live and pastor is a church that formed the template of churches for me in my youth. It doesn’t slightly resemble any church that I ever attended (as a member), and I know…
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Unforgiven
Jan 29, 2010
Clint Eastwood, in his Oscar-winning film, Unforgiven, tells the story of Will Munny, a formerly hard-drinking gunslinger, retired and reformed by his virtuous wife. His debauched past faded as he…
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I Traveled Down a Lonely Road
Jan 22, 2010
“And no one seemed to care.” These lonesome words complete the lonesome title’s phrase in a well-loved song of my youth. I can remember singing it to myself on the swing set outside my grandparents’…
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I’ve Overcome the Blow
Jan 14, 2010
In younger days, I was full of vinegar. Like Will and Ned in Unforgiven. Now, I like vinegar, but it’s strong, and it doesn’t go with everything. Like me when I was young. It’s…
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It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
Jan 08, 2010
Once, I read that the worst lead- in to any story was the words “it was a dark and stormy night.” Funny. Those are the words that I always associated with storytelling in my youth. As a…
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The River of Life
Jan 01, 2010
Over 30 years ago, I related a painful event to my father. In the years since, both the pain and the event have been forgotten, but I do remember the feeling. I felt that I had hurt my reputation…
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The Purity of Irrelevance
Dec 25, 2009
Growth and learning are never final. If we think we have reached the point of complete knowledge, we become like Barney Fife attempting to recite the Preamble of the Constitution to Andy. The…
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Every Time I Tried to Tell You
Dec 18, 2009
Years ago, I came across a sign that read, “I know you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what I said was not what I meant.” I could have written that one myself.…
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Fall on Your Knees
Dec 11, 2009
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said there has been a loss of the serious moral basis of society. True. We live in a day dedicated to excess and enjoyment. The two are often seen to go hand…
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I’m Lonely, But No One Can Tell
Dec 04, 2009
It has been said that most people lead lives of quiet desperation. The statement is both telling and sad. And true. All around are people in despair- afraid or unwilling to share their…
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Thank You for Giving to the Lord
Nov 27, 2009
Every gift of the believer is a gift to God. We don’t consciously think this way unless we give undesignated, monetary gifts, but it is true nonetheless. There is much Scriptural support…
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If It’d Been a Snake…
Nov 20, 2009
I’ve dodged a lot of them. Bullets, I mean. “Dodged” may be the wrong characterization. I didn’t even know they were coming. They missed me anyway. I understood the…
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The Life We Planned
Nov 13, 2009
We are all reticent to leave the familiar. Even if the familiar is detrimental to our well-being, it’s what we know. Few really want to exchange the known for the unknown. This is especially…
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Memories in Bits and Pieces
Nov 06, 2009
I am sometimes amazed at the things people tell me they can remember. Some boast vivid memories of early childhood in the “say that again” category. While I often chalk these up to revisionist…
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Love Hurts
Oct 30, 2009
It is an inconvenient truth that love and pain walk hand-in-hand. When we think of the many ways love enriches our lives, we must include the fact that it teaches us to hurt. While I’ve never…
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He Wants to Dream Like a Young Man With the Wisdom of an Old Man
Oct 23, 2009
When I was young, I thought I was older than I was. Now that I am old, I think that I am younger than I am. These thoughts are proved by my actions at the specified times. In youth, I…
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Show Me the Way
Oct 16, 2009
Having been raised in a churched environment, it took some time before I realized the true degree to which society in general is affected by religious institutions. The current state of affairs with…
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Life’s Been Good to Me So Far
Oct 09, 2009
When I was a younger man, I didn’t take much time to reflect. Now, there were times when I was downright soulful, but, on the whole, I was just living my life and moving too quickly to gather much…
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Yesterday When I Was Young
Oct 02, 2009
Recently, my wife and I spent a few days in the western region of North Carolina. We were able to spend some time at The Cove, a retreat grounds maintained by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association,…
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Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself
Sep 25, 2009
One thing none of us is any good at is being someone else. Some tolerate it better than others, but no one is a genuine success at it. There are many reasons for this, but one is certainly…
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Every Time I Try to Get Out, They Pull Me Back In
Sep 18, 2009
Now, I’m a traditionalist at heart. A traditionalist is reasonably comfortable with the status quo. In spite of this admission, I’m a dreamer, too. I try to think of how things could…
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Like a Complete Unknown
Sep 11, 2009
The search for self-actualization and significance is so powerful and primal in life that it seduces everyone. Though some to a greater and some a lesser degree, each individual covets recognition. …
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I’m Sailing Right Behind
Sep 04, 2009
As children, we make assumptions that may or may not be true. Sometimes, we are taught things that are not true. These teachings and assumptions may not be intentioned wrongs, but wrongs they…
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Though You Don’t Believe That It’s True, I Never Meant Any Harm to You
Aug 28, 2009
A great difficulty in life is dealing with the unintended consequences of our deeds. Hindsight is 20/20 (as they say), and even the most wise cannot see all ends. We simply don’t intend…
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Lighten Up While You Still Can
Aug 21, 2009
There are positives and pitfalls at every stage of life. Though we have been able to observe the examples of others, we never really come to understand these things until we experience them ourselves. …
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Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Aug 14, 2009
Last weekend, it was my privilege to become reacquainted with a seldom-seen, long-time friend. He roared into our little city on his Kawasaki and attended Sunday morning worship at our church. …
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It’s Not My Kingdom
Aug 07, 2009
It was a revelation to me that every family was not like my own. We believe things as children that may not necessarily be true. Some of these things are taught us, but many are assumptions…
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The World is Not Enough
Jul 31, 2009
I recall the speaker at a seminar I attended several years ago recounting the successes in his life. He was not bragging, rather illustrating the point of his dissertation. He said that goal-setting…
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Secrets in the Hearts of Men
Jul 24, 2009
Henry David Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” As a pastor of years, I have seen it many times over. The strains of life cause issues too close to divest, and despair…
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Between the Eternities
Jul 17, 2009
I’ve seen “Broken Trail”, starring, among others, Robert Duvall, several times since its television debut in 2006. Set in 1898, it’s the tale of how Prentice Ritter (Duvall) and Tom Harte…
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Membership Has Its Privileges
Jul 10, 2009
Faith Fellowship is nearly 15 months old. The time has flown, as it is apt to do, and God’s blessings are clearly seen. None of us envisioned that we would be able to progress so quickly,…
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You and I Must Make a Pact
Jul 03, 2009
It has been said that the only people that find what they’re looking for in life are the fault-finders. That being true, we’ve all had our share. It’s easier to look on the dark side…
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In the Summertime
Jun 26, 2009
When my oldest son was in high school (forgot what year), he said, “The thing I like about the summer is that nothing carries over.” He was talking about school, of course, but I’ve often wished…
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Go for It!
Jun 19, 2009
In Rocky III, Clubber Lang faced down Rocky in the ring saying, “Gonna bust you up.” Without emotion, Rocky replied, “Go for it.” The old Underdog cartoons panned at the critical moment, “Looks…
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Where Did Our Love Go?
Jun 12, 2009
Our lives are shaped to a great degree by the things we love. As I have become more experienced (ahem), I have noticed in myself a deepening love for some things and a cooling interest in others. …
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Now, You Can Tell By The Way I Use My Walk
Jun 05, 2009
I know a couple of people who have tattoos reading, “Don’t Judge Me.” Both of these individuals have spent considerable time before actual judges. It is virtuous for a person to be non-judgmental,…
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I’ve Done a Lot of Foolish Things That I Really Didn’t Mean
May 29, 2009
One of the things I’ve learned about people is that when they say, “I don’t know” they’re not lying. Now, I don’t mean they are being totally honest, but the truth is that sometimes that…
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You Can’t Make Me
May 22, 2009
Believe me, I’ve tried. To make folks do things, I mean. Things that I wanted them to do that were either against their nature, beyond their scope or against their will. I’ve done…
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My Reality Check Bounced
May 15, 2009
Every day has enough trouble of its own. Jesus said that in His days on the earth. Boy, is that true. It takes looking back over enough troubled days to understand it, though. Other…
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I’ve Always Been Famous…Just Everybody Didn’t Know It.
May 08, 2009
Once, in a fit of humility, I told my wife I wanted to be famous. I hated to say it even then (many years ago), and now it seems downright carnal. Really, though, I don’t think I’m the…
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You Owe Me None
May 01, 2009
Maybe it’s the self-absorption of our times that makes us think they are worse or better (you pick) than any other era. I don’t believe it’s unique to our day, rather the perspective of those…
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I Don’t Wanna Fade Away
Apr 24, 2009
The greater issue in so many things we face today individually and collectively is what has always been called the “slippery slope.” It’s hard to say that many things in life are wrong in any (or…
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They Say It’s My Birthday
Apr 17, 2009
On Sunday, I’ll be 52. That’s exactly backwards of what I want to be. You know, all the things older people told us were true that we don’t realize until we get there really are. …
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Consider the Possibilities
Apr 10, 2009
One day, a man found a snake in his barn. It was cold, and the snake was stiff and nearly dead. The man took the snake into his house and tried to revive it. As the snake warmed, it showed…
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A Way for Us
Apr 03, 2009
Twenty-odd years ago, I was moving to a new pastorate when my car broke down. My wife and I were following the moving truck, and they just kept on going. It was several hours later that I made…
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Forever Man
Mar 27, 2009
Real life is boring to some people. I mean the necessary things that make up normal living. There’s just not much pizzazz in the routine. Think of the mind-numbing, endless cycle of…
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Be Nice!
Mar 20, 2009
“You’re not no account, Ernest T, you’re just…ignorant.” As the weight of despair lifted, Bass cast a serene look at the sheriff and said, “You’re just bein’ nice.” I wonder how often…
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Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Mar 13, 2009
Eternity is a breath away. David, Israel’s warrior-king, said, “There’s a step between me and death.” True. There are many ways we may leave this plane of existence and enter the next. …
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Don’t You Know that You are a Shooting Star?
Mar 06, 2009
Time has only starting bothering me recently. The passing of it, I mean. When we were children, each day seemed endless. It is said that, barring a trauma, the ages below 10 years are…
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When I Ruled the World
Feb 27, 2009
I used to rule the world. My experience was my world, and I never gave much thought to the wide world beyond its borders. But the wide world was there and not that much concerned about me. …
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It Ain’t Me, It Ain’t Me, I Ain’t No Fortunate One
Feb 20, 2009
In 1986, I was at a ministry crossroads. I’ve been there many times since then, as well. And, whatever you do, you’ve been to the fork in the road. Like Tom Hanks standing at the…
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Easy Like Sunday Morning
Feb 13, 2009
The first day of the week has been the day traditionally set aside for worship. The precedent for this is Jesus’ resurrection and the tradition of the early church. Of course, there is nothing…
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If I Lay Here…If I Just Lay Here…
Feb 06, 2009
Several years ago, I was making a stop at my oldest son’s elementary school. It was a cold, Missouri morning, and some snow was on the ground. When I got to the bus lane (in front of the…
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It’s Not Personal…Only Business.
Jan 30, 2009
I know a lot of people. And I don’t know them, too. There’s too much in life to get to know anyone very well. We do more because we can (and have to) leaving little time to develop…
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Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow
Jan 23, 2009
For good or for ill, the past is the past. You can’t unring a bell. It’s been said, “The moving finger writes, and, having writ moves on.” As one seasoned by a few years, there are…
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I Just Had to Let It Go
Jan 16, 2009
Now, I’ve been a pastor for over 25 years. In all that time, I have been a member of a single denominational group. It’s the same group in which I was raised. It’s where I fit. …
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I’ve Been Out Riding Fences
Jan 09, 2009
I’ve got rambling fever in my blood. The wandering spirit is a friend of mine. Having been familiar with the writings of Rudyard Kipling from my youth, I’ve been entranced by the voices…
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A New Order of Things
Jan 02, 2009
In many ways, a new year is not significant in the continuum of time. By that, I mean one day is not any more significant than another in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, we take…
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Nobody Else Here, No One Like Me
Dec 26, 2008
I’m special. That’s not a joke- it’s true. It’s not a statement of pride. There’s an upside and a downside to it, but I’m special, and that’s…
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The Ghost of Christmas
Dec 19, 2008
Christmas memories flood back this time of year. The excitement of past events warms our hearts, and the poignant sadness of long ago still hurts a little. Dan Fogelberg wrote of “that old,…
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So Long as We Have Hands to Clasp
Dec 12, 2008
It may be easy for Christmas to elude us. We’re reminded of it on every hand, yet we feel it less and less. Sometimes, I don’t even think I have time for it. It’s something else…
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If Only in My Dreams
Dec 05, 2008
You know, I’ve always been a dreamer. Since I was a child, my mind has wandered the fields of imagination. Once, an elementary school teacher of mine noted that fact to my parents. …
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Thank You. Thank You Very Much.
Nov 28, 2008
Gratitude doesn’t come easy. We all intend to be gracious and grateful, but it eludes us. So, we have to keep reminding ourselves. It may be that thankfulness runs opposite our basic…
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You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Nov 21, 2008
One of life’s great discoveries is finding out what we want. Seems a little strange since we begin grasping for things early and professing our displeasures whenever our wants are unmet. …
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What Love Is
Nov 14, 2008
“I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.” So said Forrest to Jenny in one of my favorite movie scenes. Love is a basic human emotion and desire- to give and to receive. Like many…
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Don’t Bring Me Down
Nov 07, 2008
To the most advantaged, living is hard. To the disadvantaged, it can, at times, be unbearable. Since this is the common experience, it behooves us to be more understanding. More compassionate. …
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But, I’m Different
Oct 31, 2008
Isn’t it funny how everybody looks different? Many of us are people watchers to some extent. And while we are watching them- they are watching us. Doesn’t the variety of human manifestation…
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I Don’t Wanna Be
Oct 24, 2008
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be another person. Now, this is not envy. It’s curiosity. What would it be like to have another person’s responsibilities? How does…
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Free Your Mind
Oct 17, 2008
I was sitting in the chair at Birdwell’s Barber Shop, lost in the 60s, when I saw it first. It was confusing, counter to previous experience and against my intuitive beliefs. I wouldn’t…
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The Way to Live
Oct 10, 2008
“I have finally found the way to live- in the presence of the Lord.” The man who penned these words is known worldwide for his successes, excesses and pain. A life of searching taught…
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