You May Live in Indiana…
This pretty much sums up my childhood… If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Indiana. You see people wearing camouflage at social events, including weddings. If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t even work there, you may live in Indiana. If you’ve [...]
9|11
I was shaving. Dallas, Texas. Tuesday. the 11th of September. 2001. Running a bit late for work I turned on the news as I was getting ready. Both towers were in flames. There was speculation about other targets, buildings, fires, and planes. They kept replaying the footage of the ‘explosions’ at the Towers. At moments [...]
Off and Running
Two years ago I pick up an iPhone, downloaded a GPS program, and took off down the road. Never been a runner; never wanted to be a runner. But like Forrest Gump said, “Now you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if [...]
White Smoke
Nearly two years ago Sally and I began to sense God saying that our time at Mountaintop was coming to an end. Though we did not understand how or why, we could not ignore the still small voice that speaks to one’s soul in such moments. We prayed, sought God’s direction, and eventually discussed it [...]
Remembering Challenger
Twenty-five years ago today, I was sitting in an elementary classroom in nowhere-ville Indiana. I was in the second grade and my teacher, Ms. Oetzel, was doing what nearly every other teacher in the country was doing that day: pausing their lessons in order to allow their classes to participate in what was a momentous [...]
Delbert Harris
My Grandfather, Delbert Harris, passed away on Sunday, November 7, 2010 during Daylight Saving Time. I had the honor of performing his funeral. Here is his eulogy. Though I tried hard, it is so woefully inadequate in truly describing him… There are two types of moments in life. Some moments, you know are life-changing the [...]
Goodbye to MySpace
At 9:19am on a warm Saturday morning in June 2010, I said goodbye to MySpace. “Omit needless words.” – William Strunk … but why limit it to words? Why not all of life? Less is more. I was an early adopter of MySpace. I joined before there was a Facebook and held on longer than [...]
Cinco de Kevin
August 1 came and went without any fanfare this year. It was a normal day for everyone, perhaps, except me. It’s a day I celebrate every year, but few know of it’s significance anymore. Five years ago I left the Texas sunset behind me and traveled to a new job, a new state, a new [...]
New Cloud Type Discovered
Since grade school I have been fascinated by clouds. *nerd alert* I hate to admit it, but my sixth grade science fair project was on predicting the weather using your own instruments. A large portion of that project included ‘reading’ the meanings of different cloud types. It was very exciting to me and I even considered the [...]
Stoned
They say that you never really deal with your own mortality until faced with it. It was 8:30am and I had been in Biblical Interpretation class for a half hour. In a moment of clarity I realized I was having trouble focusing on the lecture and had been searching doctor’s numbers on my iPhone for [...]
20th Grade
“I know how much education means to you and how awesome of an opportunity this is for you.” My friend could not have summed it better. Six years ago I left the hallowed halls of Dallas Seminary for the last time, not sure where the journey of life would take me or if I’d ever [...]
Yes, I take Chemo
I started something of an uproar on Facebook today after casually mentioning I was headed for a chemotherapy treatment. While it has become a part of my everyday life, to those I don’t communicate with much or those not familiar with my disorder or treatment the word ‘chemotherapy’ is an attention-getting and terrifying term. Hi, [...]
The Crew
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about this group of people… The crew. It has now been over four years since I stood with them as leader of the volunteer ministry they participated in. Some were techies, some weren’t. But no matter. Most importantlym, all were friends. In the ensuing years, many have moved on to [...]
Dead at 15
I did not know him, or his family, yet I can’t get him out of my mind. Curtis Geesamen. A 15-year-old kid who, as many us once did during our summers, joined his church and others for a week-long youth camp focused on fun and spiritual renewal. During a simple game Curtis suffered blunt head [...]
Goodbye, Dottie Rambo
Christian Music lost one of its most prolific and loved songwriters on Mother’s Day. In fact, other than possibly Fanny Crosby, no other songwriter has done more for Christian music. You may not know Dottie, but if you’ve around long you’ve heard (and loved) her music. Writing over 2,500 songs in her lifetime, she was [...]
Lessons Learned
It’s been a few weeks since I lost my pastor and mentor. And oddly, both Sally and I both are still reeling from it. We can’t get it out of our mind and have had a difficult time figuring out why. My hunch is that there are some lessons that need to be taken from [...]
Here's to you, Mr. Robertson
Jesus loves you more than you could know. Oh. Oh. Oh. Dr. E.G. Robertson has been a part of my life since before I had life. He was Pastor of my home church (Connersville Baptist Temple) the year I was born. In fact, he had officiated my parents wedding five years earlier. Though God’s plan [...]
the Bradford Pears
A hauntingly beautiful drive… That is what I get to enjoy on my way to work one week a year because of a simple tree named the Bradford Pear, a tree that lines the last stretch of the journey between the outside world and my working world. For years these sentries have stood towering over [...]
Missing God's Best
Over these past several years I’ve been astounded at the realization of how close I came to missing God’s best for my life in my mid-20′s. Moving to Alabama was not a no-brainer in the beginning. It was the absolute last place I figured I’d ever want to live. Of course, after 5 months of [...]
Libbie McKenzie
We’d been in the hospital nearly 24 hours when I watched them wheel my wife down the hall to an O.R. A “C” it was to be. The day had not been kind to us and the Little One was not in an any mood to come on its own. Sally had been out of it [...]
Best GymBag Ever
For those of you that know, I am a bit of a workout freak. I love the gym. And now I’ve found the perfect gymbag. And I mean perfect! For years I’ve suffered with gyms bags that were too big, too small, not enough pockets, too many pockets, too boxy, too round, not easily carried, [...]
Hometown: Connersville
I’m currently reading a very enjoyable book by one of my favorite people (er, frogs) ever. Before You Leap is a frog’s-eye view of life’s greatest lessons… and it’s opening paragraph has me thinking about home: “The swamp will always be a part of me–and not just because I never quite get that wet, sticky [...]
coming June 14th
“When a child is born, a father is born. A mother is born, too of course, but at least for her it’s a gradual process. Body and soul, she has nine months to get used to what’s happening. She becomes what’s happening. But for even the best-prepared father, it happens all at once. On the [...]
The Odometer Turns Over
On the occasion of one’s birthday, at least in the blogosphere, it seems appropriate to reflect. So reflect I will. Twenty-nine may perhaps be the last birthdate that has a youthy-ring to it. All of the remaining birth years to come will have a 3, or a four, and eventually a 5, 6, or 7… [...]