I recently did a writing exercise recommended by Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones. I sat in Starbucks with an open newspaper and started combining random ideas and images to form the most absurd vignettes possible. Here are a few of my favorites. ***** A carpenter built a home out of cinnamon sticks and […]
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Our Ships Are Burning!
Filed Under: Stories
“What is that smoke over there?” “It’s our ships. They’re burning.” “Who set them on fire?” “I did.”
Two Men Went To The Temple To Pray
Filed Under: Stories
Two men went to the temple to pray. One was an American Christian and the other a Pharisee. The American Christian stood tall, and with outstretched arms, prayed, “Lord God, thank you for allowing me to be born in this great country and for making me who I am. I could have been born in […]
The Secret I Learned From Victoria
There is always a penalty for procrastination. Mine was that I had to step into a Victoria’s Secret to finish my Christmas shopping. A just punishment for putting it off until it was too late to order my wife something online. I braced myself as I walked the parking lot. This is no big deal. […]
Mispronouncing a Nice Funeral
Everyone hopes for a nice funeral, and with the exception of evil dictators, mass murderers, those who text while driving, and a few really annoying Sooner fans, I’d say just about everybody deserves one. You live a good life, put in your work, and endure your trials. You have every right to expect a nice […]
Two Brothers
Filed Under: Stories
Once there were two brothers. Growing up, they did everything together. They lived out in the country and didn’t have any neighbors close by, so they became best friends. As adults, they chose separate careers, but remained close friends. They’d see each other at church, get together to watch football, and go over to their […]
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Filed Under: GH, Kingdom of God, Preaching, Stories
A crowd has gathered to hear him teach. Their eyes are swollen. Their cheeks red. They are grief-exhausted. They’re waiting for him to speak. Everyone who has ever suffered a heartbreaking loss or backbreaking disappointment or has come out on the short end of the stick in a battle with darkness is there. Adam and […]
National Lampoon’s Mexican Vacation
Back in May, we took a trip to Cabo San Lucas. We were able to go because we had some generous friends give us a week in their time share. When we checked airfare the tickets were over $600 per person. I thought about calling our friends and asking if they had forgotten to tell […]
A Retelling of an Old Story
Filed Under: Stories
Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was an American Christian and the other a Pharisee. The American Christian stood tall, and with outstretched arms, prayed, “Lord God, thank you for allowing me to be born in this great country and for making me who I am. I could have been born […]
Stella Hereford
I preached Stella Hereford’s funeral earlier today. She was 87. Unless you already knew her, you wouldn’t have had any reason to get to know her. Several years ago she fell and broke her hip and spent her last few years on a walker. If you saw her hobbling in and out of church on […]
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons