It’s been a rough week for me. I have a lot of things that I want to be doing – things I really should be to doing. But it has been difficult for me to accomplish much. I am very thankful that my paralysis has also been accompanied by a lack of sensation. IRead more

Respite: a brief period of rest and recovery between periods of exertion…; A short period of rest from having to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation (Bing Dictionary) I have spent the last few days in the Richmond Virginia Veterans Administration Medical Center. My annual physical examination had been postponed from May until June.Read more

Readers who recognize these words will no doubt recall that they were spoken by (here, my memory is a bit fuzzy but I seem to think his name was Hannibal something or other) the dauntless leader of the A-Team (TV show back in the 80s?). Wikipedia to the rescue: The A-Team is an American action-adventureRead more

“God’s timing is always perfect – and almost always a lot slower than ours.” “Wait on the Lord.” In less pious words, if you prefer: “Hurry up and wait and then wait some more.” It seems that I have lots of opportunity to gain patience and practice waiting. Once again, I received encouraging words fromRead more

The phone rang early Thursday morning while my “team” (Judy, my wife and Kelly, my aid) were hard at work getting me ready for the day. It was the Chaplain’s Department at the VA Hospital in Hampton: “Are you still interested in CPE? Are you available for an interview?” CPE stands for Clinical Pastoral Education,Read more

A lot has changed since I heard my grandfather respond to the question I had asked years before, “How old are you, Pop-Pop?” My grandfather was born in the year 1900, so was not very difficult to do the math and figure out his age. I vividly recall when my grandfather select was 67 yearsRead more

“I really like helping you Pop–Pop; it makes me feel really good inside.” These delightful words were spoken by my seven-year-old granddaughter, Isabel. Quite often, she delights in taking care of some of my needs. Usually this involves getting me a blanket when I am cold, or the rice bag which her mother made. SheRead more

We live in an age in which we are barraged by information. Often it is quite difficult for us to determine truth from a lie, mere opinion or even preference. Sometimes we think we know more than we actually do. Sometimes we are convinced that we need additional or unavailable information. However many times weRead more

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with uncertainty? Sometimes I do. Do ambiguous personal and corporate concerns about your future threaten and attack you? Yes! According to many Christian leaders, cultural change and moral disintegration pessimistically signal the end or at least extremely difficult times for the church in its present form… Family financial crises loomRead more

Words spoken by an old farmer to a young preacher during a discussion of applying the Bible to everyday living. The old farmer was also a church leader who had been led astray by more than a generation bad teaching. Then feeling the pinch of disobedient decisions, he was demonstrating his emotional response to heartbreakingRead more