Category: mental health
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Together We Can
You Can Only Get So High, a song by Richie Sambora, former guitarist for Bon Jovi, is a melancholic song about redemption. There comes a point in life when we can no longer outrun our demons, and we are left with the truth of who we are and what we are trying to avoid. The…
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A Tap or a Tube
Sermonette offered at Ordinary Community Church on Sunday, November 23, 2025. This morning, I want to explore the Parable of the Mustard Seed. A while back, I saw a post on Instagram about the parable of a mustard seed. It gave a new perspective on an old story. I tried to find it again but…
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Dust On Our Bibles
Driving into work this past weekend, a police officer pulled me over for speeding – 30 mph in a 20 mph residential zone. I knew better. I admitted that much to the officer. “Yeah,” I said after he told me why he pulled me over. “I wasn’t paying attention to my speed until I saw…
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Translating Christian Song Lyrics – Days of Elijah
I play drums for my church’s worship band. Today our set list featured songs from the 1990s and 2000s. While learning new songs, I play my Amazon playlist on repeat while driving to and from work. Then, on my days off, I practice on my drums. If it proves a more difficult song to learn…
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Term of Endearment
This past weekend, I attended a beautiful celebration of life service for my sister’s father-in-law. It was the most wonderful celebration of life service I have ever attended, and most of the credit goes to my sister. Throughout this week, I have heard stories about all she has done for her family to shield them…
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Snakes, Turns, and Revelations
In the days following my friend’s stepson’s suicide, I felt a growing uneasiness within me. Fear for myself gripped me, and I could not explain why. I mean, like I said in my last post, I likened the incident to being cut by flying shrapnel, not taking a direct hit. Still, the trepidation began to…
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He’s Never Failed Me Yet
Whenever I preach, I usually share my long-hand notes. Today was not supposed to be a day of sharing because the message I intended to bring is not my own. Most of the sermon would be coming from my former Sunday School teacher, Dr. Richard Leslie Parrott. When I last visited Nashville for my former…
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Up and Up Again
I listened to K-Love while mowing the lawn this morning. The DJs discussed the toll watching too much news takes on our mental health. One of the DJs admitted that all the scrolling, watching, and listening to news about World War III doomsday predictions was making him sick. Part of my post-pandemic PTSD is a…
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No Fear
The text read, “Are you watching the news? Trump is talking. We bombed Iran.” No fear. No trepidation. No move to watch the live broadcast. Later that night, just before bedtime, I briefly changed the channel to catch the highlights. The newscaster reports, “America is at war.” Really? Has it gone that far already? Still,…
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What Does it Mean to be Holy?
John 17:17-19 Sermon I prepared for Ordinary Community Church (OCC), May 25, 2025. Introduction I had pages of notes on holiness and perfection – notes from books, Bible commentaries, and sermons by other pastors. But none of it felt right. The message was spot on, but the delivery style was all wrong. So, I set…
TRA.Perspective 