Jeana sent a picture of a sign she saw at a restaurant in Salado. The sign was printed in the format you would see in a dictionary. It said: “{calories} [noun] /pronounce/kal-uh-rees, Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little big tighter every night.” Now I understand. The fact that … Continue reading May 29, 2019 →

Early this morning, I read an email from Barbara about some visitors to our church this past Sunday. They were worried they were sitting in someone's seat. This reminded me of an experience I had in my mid-twenties. I was a young man stationed at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. I decided to visit the United Methodist … Continue reading May 29, 2019 →

Somewhere on an aircraft carrier, there's a sailor headed towards the Persian Gulf. Somewhere in Afghanistan, there's a soldier on patrol. Somewhere off our coast, there's a seaman on a Coast Guard Cutter searching for drug smugglers. Somewhere, in the middle of nowhere, there's a Marine guarding our nuclear weapons. Somewhere off the Alaska coast, … Continue reading May 27, 2019 →

Yesterday after lunch, I walked into Dennis Hall. Ellen was sitting at the receptionist’s desk. I said, “I’m very important. Where are all my messages?” Without missing a beat, Ellen said, “Your staff is so efficient; they’ve already taken care of everything.” This got me thinking. Do you ever think you are important? I don’t … Continue reading May 23, 2019 →

Last week, when Ray and Linda were traveling in Chicago they passed a Tootsie Roll factory. Since I am big on Tootsie Rolls, they sent me a picture of the sign pointing to the loading dock. I used them in a devotional. The problem is that we have two couples in the church named Ray … Continue reading May 22, 2019 →

This past Sunday in worship, I was preaching what was possibly the single greatest sermon in the history of Christianity, when suddenly, I noticed Ellen and Olivia shaking their heads and making the strangest faces at me. It was clear that they were trying to communicate something but I didn’t know what it was. The … Continue reading May 21, 2019 →

When I first met Shannon, my stomach was a six-pack. Now it's a keg. When I first came to FUMC Temple, all my hair was brown. Now it's predominantly gray. When I first came to FUMC Temple, I met all these little children that we celebrated in church yesterday for graduating from high school. What … Continue reading May 20, 2019 →

Linda and Ray are traveling. She sent me a picture of a street sign with a huge Tootsie Roll at the top with the word "Shipping" underneath and a big arrow pointing right. She wrote: "Ray and I saw this sign on Cicero Ave. in Chicago on Monday and thought of you. We were on … Continue reading May 16, 2019 →

Daily Devotional May 15, 2019 Last year Shannon told me she wanted Bermuda hay for her horses.  Since I raise oat hay for the cows, this meant buying Bermuda seed (which is very expensive), plowing a new field multiple times, using the harrow to smooth everything out and break up any remaining dirt clods, broadcasting … Continue reading May 15, 2019 →

Sunday during the children’s sermon, Mark began to experience some difficulty.  Luckily, the doctors in the sanctuary immediately came to his aid.  The good news is that Mark is doing fine. He sent me the following email Sunday afternoon.  After reading it, I got his permission to share it with you:  “Tom, sorry for the interruption!  … Continue reading May 14, 2019 →