Browse the blog posts going back to 2014 – and we also have a Watchwords archive.
- You Just Never Know! (2/15/2021) - It was 1955. I was a twenty-year-old kid in an Army uniform, on a flight from Denver to San Diego, on my way to my home-base, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. My assigned seat was next to an older gentleman, who introduced himself as “Jack” and immediately commented on my Army service... Continue reading
- Abortion, Gay Marriage, and Guns… Oh, My! (2/1/2021) - Yikes. Why would I even think about tackling those topics? At my age and stage, I ain’t afraid of nuttin’! But I have no answers, just partially formed ideas, not big and not especially small. Ideas that are natural extensions of my faith, and maybe my dated thinking. God set... Continue reading
- Making the Team (1/15/2021) - In high school I learned that I made the basketball team! I had worked hard and had made it! As the first game of the season approached, I was thrilled to know that I would start! A couple of errant passes, a missed layup and a foul, and I found... Continue reading
- Stanley B (12/29/2020) - As a child growing up in a neighborhood filled with children, where I was one of the youngest and the smallest, I came to have strong negative feelings about my name, Stanley. The bully-boys in the neighborhood would always say it in a whiny tone, Stannnnleee, oh little stannnnnleee. I... Continue reading
- Writing Barabbas (10/12/2020) - In a matter of hours, the notorious prisoner, Barabbas, is to be crucified. He is angry and frightened. He regrets the kind of life he lived and grieves that he will never be able to make things right. Suddenly, he is a free man, pardoned by Pilate. Within hours, he... Continue reading
- Kismet: Two Life Stories (2/19/2020) - Coincidence. Chance. Accident. Serendipity. Luck. Miracle. A God-thing. We have so many ways of explaining away things that we may not quite understand. Maybe it is kismet, that is fate or destiny, or perhaps a higher power that controls what happens over time, in the future. You may hear about... Continue reading
- Two Little Boys, Two Kitchen Matches – What Could Go Wrong? (1/22/2020) - It was an absolutely beautiful fall day. The hollow behind our church and down the trail, was ablaze with brilliant colors: Reds and oranges and yellows. I had followed the trail down to the creek below, but always with my father or one of my sisters. This time, it was... Continue reading
- A Man’s Reach Should Exceed His Grasp (5/5/2019) - Chicago. A week before Christmas, some years ago. It is cold! Snow on the streets and sidewalks. Then, I heard the voice of God say to me: “Help him!” I looked, there was no one there. Then I heard the Voice again, saying “Help him!”, and I looked again and... Continue reading
- Moments of Beauty (3/30/2019) - You are on a solitary hike in the mountains. It’s an early day in spring, it is warm, the sky is deep blue and wild flowers are everywhere. In short, it is a perfect day and you alone are there to witness this bit of God’s handiwork. There should be... Continue reading
- A Note in the Midst of Grief (1/17/2019) - My dear friend, Last week, I was the speaker in chapel at the retirement community where I live, part-time. I spoke on a familiar topic, God’s love for us, and how that love touches us in ways that we don’t always understand. As you know, God’s love can sometimes seem hard... Continue reading
- Perfection Not Required (1/17/2019) - Recently, I had a casual conversation while on an elevator at a nearby hospital. The person I was talking to told me she had visited her mother who just had surgery. I explained that I had visited a friend of a friend, someone I didn’t know very well. Her comment was:... Continue reading
- Not by Accident (1/16/2019) - I am fascinated by theories that postulate cause and effect. One example is the “butterfly effect” which theorizes that the flutter of butterfly wings in one part of the world will have an impact elsewhere. Sounds a bit mystical, doesn’t it? Is this theory implying that small causes can have... Continue reading
