The first parsonage I lived in was very close to a railroad crossing.  Trains were constantly rolling by, blowing their horns to warn everyone to stay off the tracks.  That first night, when I fell asleep, I was immediately awaken by the loud horns.  I wondered how anyone ever got any sleep.A few days later, … Continue reading June 8, 2020 →

Rerun of Daily Devotional June 5, 2018Yesterday, Shannon and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary.  She is one blessed woman. When I told her how fortunate she was to have spent twenty years married to such a good looking, articulate, intelligent, and successful man, she started to laugh. Have you ever heard someone laugh too … Continue reading June 5, 2020 →

A few months ago, as the coronavirus raced across the United States and people started hoarding toilet paper, paper towels, and paper napkins, Shannon decided to do something different. She told me that for meals, we were going to use the paper napkins that had been stored in our cupboard for years.   By using our … Continue reading June 4, 2020 →

Shannon and I have a beautiful, huge Tigerstripe heifer named Roo.  That’s because her mother’s name is Tigger and Shannon was on a Winnie-the-Pooh kick. A Tigerstripe cow is a cross between Herford and Brahman cows, which simply means it can have a very gentle or not so gentle disposition.  Roo is extremely gentle. Monday, … Continue reading June 3, 2020 →

I read this morning's news.  Protests in response to George Floyd's unnecessary death, 26,000 nursing-home deaths from Covid-19, curfews in Los Angeles and New York, White supremacists posing as Antifa to stoke further violence, people refusing to practice social distancing or wear masks, unemployment numbers rising at a never-before seen pace, an economy in a … Continue reading June 2, 2020 →

Friday afternoon, Houston sent the following text:  "Happy Anniversary this coming week.  I think." That was the moment I realized I had completely forgotten my wedding anniversary.  I said a prayer thanking God for Houston's wonderful memory and headed into the house to ask Shannon what gift she wanted for our anniversary. I walked in, gave … Continue reading June 1, 2020 →

Yesterday, as I watched the evening news, I was truly saddened to see all the reports of people ignoring social distancing practices as they celebrated Memorial Day. This got me thinking. Memorial Day is the national holiday where we remember and give God thanks for those who gave their lives so that we may live. … Continue reading May 26, 2020 →

My father came home from Vietnam when I was in second grade. At the time, I didn’t really understand what war was about. The next day he took us to the circus in Houston. As we were standing in line to buy tickets, he suddenly said something to my mother and walked away. As I … Continue reading May 25, 2015 →

Rerun of Daily Devotional May 22, 2017 Yesterday I met with Andrew and Celeste for their pre-marital counseling. It was a very good session where we talked about what it means to be a man and woman that stand before God and promise to love each other when it is easy and when it is … Continue reading May 22, 2020 →

Shannon's cousin lives in Estes Park, Colorado. A few days ago, her husband was shopping at the local Safeway. In order to keep everyone safe, one of the store's policies is that each aisle is one way. While most people followed the rules, Jim saw one woman ignoring all the safeguards and walking down an … Continue reading May 21, 2020 →