Tag: faith
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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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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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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…
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The Disciple Whom Jesus Loves
John 16:26, 19:26 Written-out sermon delivered @OCC Sunday, January 26, 2025. Christianity is a therapeutic religion. It is alive, relational. It gives us hope and drives out fear. That was the theme of the welcoming sermon the night I arrived for my silent retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani. “What is the biggest threat to…
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Gethsemani Journal
After cancer, I made a new birthday rule for myself. Every year, I would celebrate by either doing something I have never done before or something I fear. Post COVID, I expanded this to include taking a trip by myself, something reminiscent of trips I used to take to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.…
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Advent Hope
(Longhand sermon notes for the first week of Advent: December 1, 2024) I scrapped my sermon twice, once because it started to feel more like I was gathering research for one of my seminary theology courses, and again after I heard a new song. As I prayed about it, God gave me very clear guidance:…
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Abbey of . . . Galveston – Day 2 and 3
I originally intended to keep the unedited journal concept going, but after this evening’s adventure, I elected to simply provide the highlights rather send my readers down the rabbit trail of my internal dialogues with God. Day 2 I had the bright idea to walk to the pier in the opposite direction from the one…
TRA.Perspective 