Stressors
I met with a young father this week to make funeral arrangements for his grandmother and aunt, who both died suddenly two days apart last month. He is responsible for making the arrangements because his grandmother was a widow and his aunt never…
Basic Truth
The other day I googled “truth checkers” and started counting how many different options one has. I stopped counting at 20, and then scrolled to see an almost limitless number of options beyond. There even were some that talked about fact checking the…
Reality Check
Sunday morning someone said to me, “Go back on vacation!” He then went on to explain, “The Tigers’ bats came alive while you were gone, then on the first day you are back they get beat 10-0.” The sad reality is that they just are not very good this…
The Secret
I am finding it both pleasurable and valuable to look back at what I was experiencing and thinking in pre-pandemic times. The paragraphs below were first sent out July 6, 2017. I pray that what I have found for myself will hold true for you as well.
Dock Talk
We were sitting on the dock on a sunny 4th of July afternoon. Some held a book in their hand (I’m reading a biography of Dwight David Eisenhour). Others were scrolling through their phones. Music was gently playing in the background. Every once in a…
Duplicate One – Women!
What I am doing that I have never done before is repeating a Thursday's Thirst from long ago. The reason is because I am on vacation and getting old or lazy (or both). It was sent out on this date six years ago. I do not recall who the women were ...…
Summer is Here
Summer arrived a day or two ago – just in case you did not notice! It trumpeted its arrival on my dashboard by telling me that the temperature outside was 100 degrees. That is what I would call a grand entrance – and I love it!
Fearful Distractions
It seems as though anxiety levels are on the rise in more than a few people these days as we are confronted with a never-ending barrage of issues. A couple years ago it was all about the elections. Then came the pandemic.
Sunshine, then Rain
I was confused for a while Tuesday night (not that this itself is unusual) as the start of the Tiger game was delayed by rain. The weather on our deck was beautiful, and there was no rain in the evening forecast – how could it be raining in downtown…
Mortality
I had a conversation yesterday morning with someone (who is younger than me) who had recently attended a funeral of someone who was younger than he. Somewhere in that conversation I said, “I believe that in every year of my ministry I have…