Every morning, while it’s still dark, I water the outside plants.  This includes the newly planted trees as well as all the crepe myrtles that line our back fence.  It takes a while. The hose I use stretches all the way across the yard but is too short to reach the two furthest crepe myrtles.  Yesterday, I noticed … Continue reading Daily Devotional August 8, 2023 →

I had today figured out.  I would get up, walk the dogs, write today’s devotional, get cleaned up, and then head to the church for a large meeting of pastors called The Gathering. So, I got up, put our littlest dog on a leash to go for a walk, and stepped out into the early morning … Continue reading Daily Devotional August 3, 2023 →

Addictions are hard things.  This is especially true in a marriage.  One person’s addiction can impact their marriage and, in some cases, lead the other person into addiction.  It is always best to confront addictions head on and since Shannon is unable/unwilling to admit she has an addiction, I’ve decided, after all these years, to address hers. Shannon isn’t … Continue reading Daily Devotional for August 2, 2023 →

Daily Devotional for August 1, 2023 This week, our church will host The Gathering, which is a three-day event filled with fellowship, continuing education events for the clergy and inspiring worship for everyone. The highlight of The Gathering will happen on Saturday morning when Bishop Scott Jones ordains forty-two new clergy to serve in the Global Methodist … Continue reading →

Margaret is out church historian.  She knows everything.  She even knows where to find Jimmy Hoffa’s body; she just won’t tell anyone. This past week, Margaret sent the following message: “Tom, attached is a devotional from May 16, 2014. It is hilarious. I know you sometimes need to repeat devotionals. You may not have ones from 2014, so maybe … Continue reading Daily Devotional July 31, 2023 →

Yesterday, Shannon called with some bad news.  Our garage floor was covered in water.  Both of us immediately knew the problem.  The air conditioner’s condensate line was clogged. Realizing I was about to climb into our blisteringly hot attic, late in the afternoon, when the temperature was one hundred degrees outside, I decided to throw myself a pity … Continue reading Daily Devotional July 27, 2023 →

Rerun of Daily Devotional July 30, 2018  Every Sunday afternoon for the last few months, an anonymous member of the church has been sending me critiques of my sermons, whether I wanted them or not.  I always enjoyed reading them because whomever was sending them is very imaginative and has a great sense of humor.   The critiques … Continue reading Daily Devotional July 26, 2023 →

For Father’s Day, my grandchildren gave me the greatest shirt in the history of shirts.  It’s a Hawaiian shirt covered in Hereford cows.  Yesterday, I wore it to work.As I was answering Marjorie’s question about why I was wearing a shirt covered in cows, Carol said, “I just think it’s a lot of bull.”  Yep, there’s always one.The … Continue reading Daily Devotional for July 25, 2023 →

Last week, Shannon sent me to the grocery store.  Let me rephrase that since I am the head of the house. Last week, Shannon asked if I would be so kind as to go to the grocery store.  I graciously agreed because she only needed a few items, and I would not have to go into an … Continue reading Daily Devotional July 24, 2023 →

Rerun of Daily Devotional July 18, 2017 Years ago, Shannon and I were eating breakfast at a local Mexican restaurant when I noticed a woman across the room kept staring at me.  After about ten minutes of this very uncomfortable situation, I realized she had recently visited to our church.  I waved and said, “How are you … Continue reading Daily Devotional July 20, 2023 →