I used to drive a UPS (United Parcel Service) truck. Really. This was the job I had when I one day received an apology. I had been working for UPS during college. I was a student at the University of North Texas I worked at the Dallas location in the evenings, loading and unloading trucks.… Continue reading The Apology
Tag: My Story
What I Wish I Had Done Differently
1. I wish I had not wasted energy wanting to become important and instead choosing to focus on my significance in Christ. When I first became a minister, I noticed that some ministers seemed to be more important than others. (Yes, I know they are not. I’m just telling you that is the way it… Continue reading What I Wish I Had Done Differently
Now This is Different — Poem 1
Now this is different. At the bottom of this post is Poem 1. My first poem. I have wanted to try this for quite sometime. What better time to start since April is National Poetry Month. I wrote this with the patient encouragement of L. L. Barkat (Author of Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard… Continue reading Now This is Different — Poem 1
I’ll Take Mercy Over Fairness
I grew up in what seemed to be a very ordinary neighborhood. We didn’t have a lot of money. In fact most of us were just getting by. Down the street lived my friend. I thought that his dad just had to be wealthy. After all, he often wore chocolate brown and white wing tips… Continue reading I’ll Take Mercy Over Fairness
What Has Helped You Feel Less Self-Conscious?
I never intended to be a minister. Never. I grew up in a church. Over the years, there were probably a half-dozen ministers who preached at this church. As a child, I really didn’t know much about them. I only saw them from a distance. Yet, most of them seemed “different.” Not different in a… Continue reading What Has Helped You Feel Less Self-Conscious?
Arkansas Pines and Family Roots
We drove across the southeastern part of Arkansas last week on Highway 278. Our guardians were the pine trees on both sides of the road, standing tall and majestic. My uncle died and my mom and I were traveling to Monticello, Arkansas for the funeral. I love this part of Arkansas. It is a beautiful… Continue reading Arkansas Pines and Family Roots
When You Are In a Dark Hole and Can’t Get Out
I was nervous. I sat in a chair, of a large counseling center located just off the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. I had begun seeing this counselor just a few weeks earlier. I was there because I was struggling with depression. I was in the middle of a church situation that was tough… Continue reading When You Are In a Dark Hole and Can’t Get Out
College, Confusion, and God’s Faithfulness
“We do our best when we don’t know what we are doing.” — Bono Bono spoke these words to Bill Hybels, in an interview taped for Leadership Summit 2009, about working toward making a dent in global poverty and the global AIDS problem. Can you relate to these words? I know I can. When I… Continue reading College, Confusion, and God’s Faithfulness
My Story: Life at the First Church
My early years as a minister took place in a small church in middle Tennessee. The church was in Pulaski, about an hour from Nashville. The little church met in a storefront on the highway that led to Minor Hill. Yes, it was a storefront. Used to be a convenience store. Just across the street… Continue reading My Story: Life at the First Church
My Story — School Years
From kindergarten through high school, I went to a Christian school in Dallas. My parents, along with a number of other parents, helped begin this school just before I entered kindergarten. I have only a few, vague memories of kindergarten. I can remember Mrs. Rich, my teacher, who was a warm and lively person. For… Continue reading My Story — School Years