“The three most difficult things for a human being are not physical feats or intellectual achievements. They are, first, returning love for hate; second, including the excluded; third, admitting that you are wrong.” I used this quote from Anthony DeMello as part of a talk I gave to graduating seniors a few years ago. I […]
What’s the church to do?
This is Temple Baptist Church of Tyler, Texas. It is just an empty building now, no longer a church. The church disbanded years ago. It was the church I grew up in during my elementary school years. I had the chance to see it when Judy I went to Tyler for a funeral about a […]
Some thoughts about the church
I am preparing a sermon for July 19. AAAKH! I have been invited to preach at my former home church in Urbana, IL. The lectionary suggests texts from 2 Samuel (David’s desire to build a temple) and Ephesians where the writer welcomes Gentiles into the church in Ephesus by saying, “You are no longer strangers, […]
My mother was not my best friend
As a university psychologist, I heard many students describe their mothers as their “best friend.” My mother was not my best friend. In my book, mothers, fathers, and spouses constitute a whole different category. They are not best friends. I told my secrets, my stories, my dreams to my best friends. I withheld lots of […]
The Season of Lent: paying attention
If you are like me, much of life is lived on automatic pilot. I don’t pay attention to many of the routine things I do each day. I can go through a meal without really paying attention to what I am eating. I can get through a long conversation and remember very little of what […]
Rebuttal to a rebuttal
This is my response to an editorial rebuttal for an article in which I claimed that sexual orientation, like handedness, is an innate rather than chosen characteristic of a person. I appreciate Robert Dennis’s thoughtful response to my November 1 article. Any time an important topic such as sexual orientation prompts thought and response is […]
It always gets cruel when you confuse innate with willful behavior
(This article was printed in the Abilene Reporter News, November 30, 2014. It is a shortened revision of a speech I presented, also included in this website). When I was first learning to write, I obediently positioned my paper on my desk according to the teacher’s instructions. But when I wrote, unlike my classmates, I […]
Church, don’t be afraid. Be informed.
Religion is declining in its influence in America according to nearly three quarters of those surveyed in a recent Pew Research poll, and most of those thought that was a bad thing. Nearly half of those surveyed indicated that churches and houses of worship should express their views on social and political issues, and a […]
Confusing “innate” behavior with “willful” behavior–it always gets cruel
(A speech given to a men’s group at the Abilene Country Club, October 14, 2014) About two years ago my electric circular saw crapped out. It wasn’t the motor. I had bumped it and dropped it enough to bend the frame used for guiding it, and I could no longer cut straight with it. I […]
Zen and the art of toilet installation
Life has lessons to teach me every time I turn around. Most of the time I miss them because I am busy worrying about what’s coming up or I’m preoccupied with something I’ve already done, fearful that it is going to blow up, figuratively, not literally. In short, I live distracted much of the time, […]