I'm a fan of Pinterest. It's interesting, and challenging, addictive, and often, even inspiring. Last night, a posting explained how a mom had led her three daughters in a new approach to Advent last year by creating 25 ideas for Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. Each was put into a brown paper lunchbag and the girls participated each day in one of the random acts of kindness . . . from taping a card and a quarter on a parking meter to surprising their teachers with a favorite beverage from…

Last week, I went to vote early. I expected no one to be there. I was amazed at the lines, the people, the wait . . . and the seriousness of the moment. I don't know when I've ever felt the tension throughout our country over an election as I have this time. A friend of mine posted on FaceBook that she was concerned that after all the political postings on-line, friends would have trouble remaining friends after the election.

What can we as disciples do as our country prepares…

If you've read my blog in the past (which I know is extremely sporadic!), you know that I love stories. And I love the way that God uses these stories from friends and acquaintances to speak to me in a very personal way. I was with three friends at lunch this week, enjoying the food, the conversation, and the companionship. After lunch, one of my friends shared this story with me:

Her family has been going through a lot recently. While the whole family has struggled, her…

My friend Ron passed away Saturday morning. He was a retired educator who was passionately devoted to Christ and who continued to learn and to lead others to do likewise. Ron was an amazing man.

He received word on Wednesday that there was no hope for him and he had no more than 5 days left. His blood had so little oxygen in it that it could not sustain life. He was with a good friend and former pastor when he received the news and spent much of the rest of the day planning his…

A friend from church was telling us about a gift he and his wife received a few years ago. Since both are avid baseball fans, their kids offered them choice seats behind home plate for an Atlanta Braves. Or, they had the choice of the entire family attending the game with seats in the outfield. They chose the outfield, but decided to have their own transportation home in case the grandchildren didn't make it through the game.

That first year, the grandchildren only made it a few…

I haven't blogged in a while. You may not have noticed, but I have.

I've felt guilty about it.

I've thought of a dozen things I wanted to blog about, but then didn't follow through.

That made me even more guilty.

I have feeling guilty . . . 

When I feel guilty for two long, I have a panic attack.

That's never pretty and it brings on more guilt.

And the bottom line is I haven't blogged because I've been…

I've given up on New Year's Resolutions . . . eat better, exercise more, lose weight, study more, be nicer . . . All resolutions do for me is make me feel like a failure. A former student of my posted on FaceBook last night that the gym was packed with people who didn't know what they were doing on the weight machines. Another friend responded, "Don't worry. They'll all be gone in a week."

There's something about the New Year that makes us take a new look at our life and think…

Late last night fourteen of us gathered in a seminary parking lot to pray about the opportunity to share Christmas gifts with the community. Sounds like a normal church outing, but there was nothing normal about it.

The group was not a church gathering, but a gathering of the larger Church that included family members, friends, former church friends, and seminary students.

The gifts were just plates of cookies covered appealingly in clear wrap and…