God’s Produce Department (Luke 3: 7-18) Did you ever notice how nice and arranged the produce department is in most grocery stores? All the fruits and vegetables look so good and fresh, neatly arranged and recently washed. I like the peppers, bright red, dark green, vibrant yellow, eye-popping orange, and don’t forget the jalapenos [...]
Yes, Even You (Luke 3: 1-6) It’s not that I was naïve growing up or ignorant to issues like racism and exclusion. I grew up in the 1960s and got to see these struggles play out on the evening news and listening in on conversations around the table when the whole family would gather [...]
Stay Alert! (Luke 21: 20-36) When I was a police officer there was an observational tool that we had to learn called situational awareness that would soon, if you were good at it, develop into an invaluable habit that helped you spot irregularities and things that might become problematic. Apparently, I was, and am, [...]
Spoiler Alert! (Revelation 1: 1-8) I love books and movies of almost all types. And it doesn’t matter to me whether or not I know the outcome. Who would read a book or watch a movie if they knew the outcome? Yeah, I get that but sometimes the backstory is more interesting than the [...]
Need to Know (Hebrews 10: 11-25) When I was a cadet in the Houston Police Academy, we were told by our instructors that there were two types of knowledge: good to know and need to know. Good to know information usually fell into the commonsense category of a handy piece of information that could [...]
But I Am Guilty! (Hebrews 9: 24-28) Back when I practiced criminal defense one of the first things I told my new clients after I patiently listened to their side of the story was that they had three options. Their first option was to enter a plea of not guilty and demand a jury [...]
If You Had Been Here (John 11: 32-44) It was last year in December that my younger brother passed away suddenly. He had mentioned to my mother that he wasn’t feeling well and noticed blood in his urine. She urged him to see a doctor, but he declined reasoning that it was probably [...]
I Want to See (Mark 10: 46-52) One of the good things about Facebook is that occasionally you see a post worth seeing, one that makes you feel good, one that makes you smile. I saw one some time ago that was really heartwarming and made me smile. It was a video of an [...]
Ask Not (Mark 10: 35-45) On January 20, 1961, newly elected President John F. Kennedy delivered his inaugural address in which he announced that “we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” He wanted his address to [...]
Too Much To Ask (Mark 10: 17-31) In 1789 John Wesley, the founder of our Methodist denomination, preached one of his more famous sermons entitled, “The Use of Money” in which he emphasized one of his most well-known mantras: Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can. He noted [...]