Category: The Spiritual

I hope you have a nice memorial day weekend. Let’s just take time to remember why it’s a holiday. We remember those who have died that we might be free. I was in the military for eleven years, so I am a bit sensitive when folks just use the extra day off to grill, swim and get a little high. I was not called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, but I know those who did. Might I suggest that when we say grace this weekend we take time to thank God for those who gave all. It would also be great if we remember Jesus who not only died for us, but did so willingly and in the most painful way possible. His death not only made it possible for us to be free, but for us to be eternally free. Thanks to all who sacrificed and special thanks for He who sacrificed the most for the most.

I am excited for my grandkids today because it’s the last day of school. My strongest memories are of the last day of school and the summers that followed. The school  year seemed to last for a year and the summer for about a week. On the last day of school, however, it seemed that we would be free for ever. The summer held so much promise. I grew up in Crowley. As a kid we lived a block from the courthouse and the library. Summers were hot and air conditioning not common. The library was air-conditioned. In fact it was the coldest building in Crowley. Every summer they had something called the Summer Reading Club. There were contests for reading the most books. You got to put stickers on a big chart for every book you read. We would go to the library in the heat of the afternoon and would spend hours picking books and leave with a stack. We would go home and try to find a cool place to look through and or read the books. We, of course, didn’t have a swimming pool. It was a great treat to go to the “public” pool […]

I’ve spent the weekend binge watching Netflix and listening to Cajun baseball and softball on the radio. The baseball and softball have been uplifting, the Netflix not so much. I’ve watched movies about a mentally ill and drug dependent soccer mom, a boy running from the Nazis for years on his own because he was Jewish,  the Civil war near its end,  as renegade Yankee soldiers terrorized the South and the women without their men to protect them, and two homeless people falling in love, one a drug dependent woman, the other a repentant terrorist. Seemingly ordinary people can be incredibly stupid, unbelievably evil, and completely self-destructive.  Those expected and empowered to help are often incompetent, over-whelmed, uncaring or just plain evil. Of course these hurting people need Jesus, but more importantly those of us who think we have Jesus need to be more like Him. We need to quit being unthankful and whining about every little inconvenience. We need to take off the blinders that keep us from seeing the hurting, pain and loss around us. Where’s the Christianity that is recognized by its loving and not its self-righteousness. Where are the followers who do more than they […]

Lot’s of times I write a post and then, for some reason never publish it. I am going through some of those old posts now. This should be fun: At our house, the power frequently goes out.  It’s creepy. The only light in our house comes from candles, a flashlight and our “electronics” phones and i-pads. Fear of the dark is one of our earliest and most basic fears. I remember as a kid having to have a night light on. The darkness hid monsters under the bed and in the closet. What makes darkness so scary is that it makes so much unknown. Fear is all about the lack of security. If we can’t see we are insecure. It’s what makes the future scary. We can’t see it. It’s unknown. It’s why medical procedures, new experiences, even new people can be fear producers. When we are kids we are fearful because it’s a big unknown world out there. Growing up doesn’t eliminate fear. In fact as we learn more about our world, we discover frightful things we would never think of as kids. There is unemployment, terminal illnesses, terrorists, and the government. Will we every find love, if […]

When I returned from my morning errands I  noticed an old friend was back. We have about a three-foot alligator who lives in the drainage ditch in the back of our property. When the weather is just right, he pulls up on the bank and suns himself. I haven’t seen him for several weeks and he has grown a bit. It may be time to call the Department of Natural Resources to come pick him up. I wonder where he is for the weeks that I don’t see him. Just because I don’t see him doesn’t mean he isn’t there. He might slip a little further back into the swamp but I suspect he isn’t far away. He probably sees me more than I see him. It’s kind of like that with God. I know that He’s always around. I know that I am headed for a face-to-face meeting with Him in heaven. It just doesn’t always feel like it. When I “feel” His presence my fear and anxiety is minimal and my joy and comfort is maximum. I just have to learn to teach my feelings to match up with reality. I know there are good ways to […]

My granddaughter’s school had a great tradition. The eighth grade graduates would take an airplane trip to Washington D. C. My granddaughter was unlucky enough to graduate the eighth grade in 2001. Parents that year were nervous about airplanes and trips to Washington. D. C. Her class got a bus trip to Colonial Williamsburg. As you might imagine, chaperones for the trip were hard to find. I volunteered. It took us two days on the bus to get there and two days back. It was likely because of that trip that I got the reputation as “go to grandpa.” I have memories of running into a Wal-Mart from the bus to pick up movies so the kids would have something fresh to watch. I remember the rain poured down the entire day we were at Williamsburg and the kids had to dodge the rain running from exhibit to exhibit. I don’t have a lot of memories of my grand-daughter from that trip. I think I was wise enough to know to give her space. What eighth grader wants her grandpa around? Ever since then I’m the one the grandkids call when they miss the bus, have a midweek doctors’ […]

I am convinced that God keeps his children, those who really try to be His disciples in the Sweet Spot of Dependence. That’s the place where we can  most easily put all our trust in Him. This spot is easy to establish for the poor, the prisoner, and the desperately ill. Those folks know they can do nothing to advance their situations and thus dependence on God is easy. The church always flourishes in centers of poverty and persecution. Not so much on the sunny side of the street. Dependence on God is easy for the poor; It’s tough for the rich. Those with money and power and resources fight the illusion that they are in control of their lives. That’s a truly dangerous place to be. The sweet spot of dependence isn’t static. It’s dynamic, moving as our life situations change and our relationship with God adjusts. God will challenge us in various aspects of our lives as we move forward. At some points it may be our health that turns us to him. At other times, rebellious children or unfaithful spouses turn us to dependence on God. For those without independent means, finances is always a dependence […]

I am excited with and for my granddaughter Samantha who is being confirmed today. Most Christian traditions that do infant baptism also do confirmation. It’s a admission that at some point each of us has to make a personal decision to follow Christ. In the Methodist tradition this can occur more than once. That makes sense to me. We are frequently having to confirm our commitment to Jesus. I like to think of it as moving from being just a fan of Jesus to being one of His followers. Jesus called each of the disciples to “follow” HIm. He didn’t ask them to study Him or appreciate, honor or even worship Him. His command and/or invitation is to follow. Following is different from fandom in three important ways. To Know and not just know about. I am a fan of many athletes. I don’t know any of them. If I approached them on a personal matter they would say what Jesus said, “I never knew you.” I follower is in intimate relationship with Jesus and has much more than head knowledge of Him. To seek his face and not his hands. Lots of fans want something from Jesus. They […]