just enough light

Several years ago I was leading a panel discussion for parents of incoming college freshmen.  The topic of the moment was “Move-in day.” One of the parents on the panel had just told a heart-wrenching story of leaving her daughter at college and crying all the way back home.  Many in the audience of 400 […]

“Pray for Rain.” The sign in the front yard expressed the wishes of lots of folks in this part of the country. We need rain. Living without cell phones, gasoline, or electricity would be tough, but these are optional. Water is not. In that same yard, however, the sprinkler system was pumping about 60 gallons […]

I visited an old friend this past week. I’ve known her since 1984. We spent lots of time together when I lived in Urbana, Illinois. We visited together at least once each week until she moved away in 2002. She moved to a small town near Schenectady, New York and changed her name. I knew […]

“Are you a racist?”  That was a question shouted by a reporter to Donald Sterling as the L.A. Clipper’s owner headed for his car.   It’s a provocative question, but it’s the wrong question for Sterling, and it’s the wrong question for each of us.  Except in cases where a person is hateful or ignorant enough […]

I had the opportunity to preach the second Sunday of Lent at the church I formerly attended, the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, IL.  This is the sermon from March 16, 2014.   When I moved to Texas almost 7 years ago, I decided to engage in a life-style experiment.  I had told people over […]

I had the opportunity to preach in the church where I had been a member of more than 20 years, the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, IL.   When I was 9 or 10 years old, my brother and I took swimming lessons at the YMCA.  Jim was a year older than I.  I was […]

Patsy talked about her last real meal.  The evening before going to the hospital with abdominal pain and vomiting, she enjoyed a home-cooked meal at her niece’s, complete with vegetables picked from the garden that day.  After that evening, and for the 10 weeks until her death, she never had another home-cooked meal, or another […]

Talking with a local pastor over coffee this past week, he lamented about a growing schism in his denomination in which large numbers of conservatives were leaving the denomination.  He didn’t go into detail, but I suspect that the issue behind the conflict was the inclusion and ordination of gays and lesbians. I commented to […]

“The cause of the draught in the Southwest is a lack of rainfall.”  A friend read this newspaper quote to me as we sat together over coffee.  Now, I’m sure the that the climate expert being quoted had much more than that to say about draught, but the stand-alone sentence left us both speechless.  This […]

This is the prayer used at Patsy’s graveside service.  She smiled and approved of it as Judy and I were planning her service with her.   May the sun bring you new energies by day. May the moon softly restore you by night. May the rain wash away any worries you may have. May gentle […]