The view out our front window during the Snowpocalypse of '21 Just as Covid swept in and locked us all down in March of 2020, my oldest daughter and I started a new routine: going for a run 3 days a week. We’ve kept up with it through Spring, Summer, Fall and most of Winter …
Category: gospel
Papa
Papa Dalton dressed to impress Henry Mathias Dalton. The Reverend H.M. Dalton. Mac. Daddy. He had many names. Which one you used depended on how you knew him. I just called him Papa. He was born at the start of the 20th century, in 1911. His mother died in 1922, after which he and …
Lord, Have Mercy
“What did you just say?” My friend looked at me from the passenger seat, leaning forward for emphasis, as he asked the question again: “WHAT did you just say?” We were riding together and I was driving in my then-typical road-rage-at-all-times manner. When a driver in front of me failed to go as fast as …
Frog in the Kettle
(Note: the pic above was commissioned just for this piece by my oldest daughter. Couldn't be prouder of that kid!) “You’re just like a frog in a kettle...swimming around in the water, not realizing the heat is being turned up on ya slowly.” An old friend of mine used to say this to me every …
The Oddity of Easter 2020
We were going to get up and watch the sunrise this morning, my wife and I. In 22+ years of marriage we have never seen an Easter sunrise together, so we thought catching one would be a nice way to start the day. However, Oklahoma being Oklahoma, about 15 minutes before sunrise, thunder rolled loudly …
Learning to Forgive
A couple weekends ago I had one of those experiences where things line up in such a way you have to either discount it altogether as coincidence, or realize the Holy Spirit is trying to get your attention. I choose to believe it’s the latter. I’ve been reading the book “Coming Clean” by Seth Haines. …
Unfinished Work
Over on the right hand side of our garage is a workbench. It's not my workbench, because it was here when we started renting, but I've laid claim to it for now. On the top shelf sits a nondescript cardboard box: 40” long, 12” wide and around 4” tall. If you noticed it at all …
More Precious than Jewels
If you know her, you know this isn’t hyperbole: my wife is an amazing person. Amanda has a deep love for others, and not just those closest to her. She is, to borrow a phrase, more precious than jewels.
With a Little Help from My Friends
“I feel like a heretic for saying this,” I told my friend, “but I feel I saw Jesus more in our community last year than I did in scripture.” As the words came out of my mouth, I forced a sideways smile to try and hide the guilt I felt inside for even thinking such …
Punching Back the Darkness
I remember Christmas Eve candlelight services when I was a kid, when the room would go dark, and I couldn’t see the face of my brother or sisters next to me. Down front, there was one single tiny flame, one candle, flickering in the eerie darkness. Slowly, one candle at a time, the light of …
