Growing up, I knew people with disabilities, but I didn’t really understand that world. In our church, there were two young men with mental challenges. Doug lived across the street from the church and had the intellectual ability of about a six-year-old, but he was very strong. Doug liked the sexton, Al Brown, who treated … Read more
It depends. Unloading in church during prayers or the sermon would be a total disaster, really bad. However, when tripping while running alone, a burst of lalochezia might be helpful and therapeutic. I was a PK (preacher’s kid), which can carry stigmas. My biggest stigma was being fat (they called me “Crisco Kid”). To avoid … Read more
One of the most depressing images in my ninety-four years of life is watching the illegal, immoral, and uncontrollable goon squads of ICE, masked and armed to the teeth, chase and take down people they consider immigrants, primarily because of the color of their skin or the place where they work. Every time I see … Read more
The lectionary for the fourth Sunday after Advent (December 21, 2025) included reading the story of King Herod ordering the death of two thousand male Jewish babies aged two and under in retaliation for the Wise Men not telling him where Jesus, “the newborn King of the Jews,” was living (Matthew 2:1–22). I have heard … Read more
The other day, I asked a woman if she went to church. She responded, “I’m a Bible-believing Christian!” It was an innocent question with an unexpectedly strong response. Jesus taught me to ask a question when answering a question (he asked 307 questions), so I asked, “What do you believe about the Bible?” Here’s how … Read more
Our quick trip to Hawai‘i lasted only six days, but during that time some fantastic events happened. In the last three blog posts, I shared some. Here is one more. In 1967, while in New York City, I visited Covenant House, a shelter providing services for homeless youth. I did this because I knew that … Read more
I received this notice from our tax preparer, “Joe,” on January 3, 2020. “I trust you will respect my decisions. In an effort to be totally transparent you need to know that—after much study and thought—I have NOT received any of the shots. And I will no longer wear a mask at my income tax … Read more