Part-time is Plenty (1 Corinthians 12: 12-31) I recently finished reading a book that the District Superintendent recommended to me entitled: Part-time is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy, written by part-time pastor Jeffrey MacDonald. He says that churches experiencing numerical and financial decline may dread the day when they can no longer afford a [...]
It’s A Gift (1 Corinthians 12: 1-11) I remember that time period in between when I was told I was going to be appointed as the certified Lay Minister for Community United Methodist Church how excited I was to begin a new chapter in my life. And I remembered how nervous I was as [...]
Jesus is for Everybody (Acts 8: 1-17) Back in the Spring of 2008 when I found out I had been offered a position as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County I broke the news to the Sunday School Class at First Baptist, Tyler, that I had been teaching that Teresa and I would [...]
When the Light Comes On (Ephesians: 3: 1-12) I remember this one case I had not long after I started practicing law. I had been appointed to represent an older lady who had been accused of forging the title to a used pickup truck. It had been purchased by a man, now deceased, who [...]
To watch video, please click link below; Thanks to Diane Johnson for filling in for me today. Diane regularly preaches on the fifth Sunday of the month to give me a little breather. It works well in December as there are a lot of moving parts in Advent. If you weren't in church or watched [...]
World Peace (Luke 2: 1-20) The running joke at my house every Christmas for the last forty plus years is my response to what I want for Christmas this year. And every year, when asked, I respond: World Peace. This year my daughter told me that she knew I wanted World Peace, but she [...]
Mary, Did You Know? (Luke 1: 39-55) We’ve all had big dreams growing up. We’ve dreamt of fame and fortune. We’ve dreamt of being a doctor, an astronaut, or maybe President of the United States. Afterall, we’re told that because we live in the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, [...]
God’s Produce Department (Luke 3: 7-18) Did you ever notice how nice and arranged the produce department is in most grocery stores? All the fruits and vegetables look so good and fresh, neatly arranged and recently washed. I like the peppers, bright red, dark green, vibrant yellow, eye-popping orange, and don’t forget the jalapenos [...]
Yes, Even You (Luke 3: 1-6) It’s not that I was naïve growing up or ignorant to issues like racism and exclusion. I grew up in the 1960s and got to see these struggles play out on the evening news and listening in on conversations around the table when the whole family would gather [...]
Stay Alert! (Luke 21: 20-36) When I was a police officer there was an observational tool that we had to learn called situational awareness that would soon, if you were good at it, develop into an invaluable habit that helped you spot irregularities and things that might become problematic. Apparently, I was, and am, [...]