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Uncle Bill finally made it back to church after 70 years. He stood at the doors of that same church as a young man and had been denied entrance. Yesterday, they let him in. He grew up as the son of a Brethren minister. As a teenager, he determined that he would follow in his […]

First Sunday in Lent, March 5, 2017 Monday (March 6, 2017): Psalm 32; 1 Kings 19:1-8; Hebrews 2:10-18 Tuesday (March 7, 2017): Psalm 32; Genesis 4:1-16; Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Wednesday (March 8, 2017): Psalm 32; Exodus 34:1-9, 27-28; Matthew 18:10-14 Thursday (March 9, 2017): Psalm 121; Isaiah 51:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:3-7 Friday (March 10, 2017): Psalm […]

C.S. Lewis is revered by many Christians for his wonderful stories and contributions to the world of Christian writing.  I must confess that I have yet to read the “Chronicles of Narnia.”  I read “Mere Christianity” back in college; though I wasn’t a very attentive reader back then.  “The Great Divorce” allowed me to wade […]

I finished my first book of 2013 about 3 weeks ago.  The Monster in the Hollows is book three of the Wingfeather Saga written by Andrew Peterson.  I must first confess that Andrew Peterson is my favorite musician, therefore I could be accused of bias.  Nonetheless, this book is a heart warming adventure from cover […]

Let’s start with the beginning. Our faith story declares –In the beginning God… We are told that God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and end.The essence of our faith centers on our understanding of God. While there are other components that shape and inform our faith like the Bible and tradition, it is […]

E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist missionary in India. He became a light of love and grace that earned the respect of many people. He had influence with many leaders in India, including Gandhi. The witness of Christ that Jones lived out still provides an example for all of us. In his autobiography, A Song […]

The following article is one I found on Tumblr—-I thought it was worth sharing. I attended a lecture this week that was by no means groundbreaking in originality, but immensely refreshing to hear.  In the midst of a discussion about parables, my Bible professor noted, “A faith that is centered upon getting into heaven is […]

I will begin a series of blogs entitled Theology Matters soon. I would appreciate anyone who has questions concerning theology to let me know. Email or call and let me know what questions you would like considered in this blog. My number at church is (256) 379-2813. I invite you to join me in this […]

This summer Vickie and I had an opportunity to visit an island called Curacao. One of the fun things we did was ride a catamaran. The place we were staying had created a harbor that was safe behind a rock wall. The wall protected people from the wind and waves of the ocean. Riding the […]

The Face of Immigration in Alabama Tonight I visited an undocumented couple in need of housing. They have a young son who they love and care for. He is the reason they came to Alabama. They wanted him to have a chance for a better life. He was born here in the United States and […]

From One White House to the Other A group of Baptist pastors and ministers from across the country were invited to the White House for a nonpartisan briefing concerning public-policy and justice issues. I received the invitation from Dr. Robert Parham, Executive Director of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville,Tennessee. I was honored to […]

Familiar site driving around this morning. Hundreds of yellow hardhats and volunteers and disaster relief trailors line stretches of winchester road today. Everyone working hard to remove debris, cut fallen trees, and clean up trash. I believe that God is with us during the storm and that God smiles big watching God’s people respond with […]

Recently Vickie and I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii. I wrote a paper for an International Conference on Arts and Humanities and was asked to come and present the paper. The conference was sponsored by the University of Hawaii. The paper was entitled “What the Heart Knows – Theopoetics and the Renewing Power […]

We live in the South where we like our tea sweet, our talk slow and our religion hot. We pride ourselves on being neighborly. We practice hospitality and compassion with our neighbors. If someone is sick we take them food, if their house is destroyed we help them rebuild. We even wave at complete strangers […]

Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins has created an amazing amount of criticism—and all of it coming before the book has been released! The criticism comes based on a two and a half minute video introduction that features Bell basically asking questions concerning heaven and hell. The video segment doesn’t attempt to answer the questions. The criticism comes […]