Blog Article Archives

Yesterday without much fanfare and just a bit of sulking, we experienced our very last first. It was the very last first day of school for the family. Aaron, our youngest, is now a senior and so the rituals of closing a summer with the first day of school are now...

Come on…admit it…we have all nodded off in church. Blame it on a lack of sleep; a stressful week; or just that you cannot quite connect with the preacher who is trying to articulate the nihilistic culpability of Pilate in light of modern consumeristic tendencies…see,...

I have to be honest; church has not always mattered to me: As a teenager church did not matter much when it came to my dating life, unless there was a pretty girl in the youth group. Amy was and still is a pretty girl, but she was not in my youth group. Church did not...

My nose is not much in terms of looks, which is too bad since it is more or less the center of my face. It has been broken twice – once when I was six and fell face first from a silo and again when I was a teenager while playing football. It is a bit crooked, wide,...

The last few years my reputation as a farmer has suffered. I have planted and labored in the fields only to find the deer and other varmints beating me to the harvest or droughts beating down my plants or insects beating down my hopes. It is enough to make a...

  Summer is the time for travel: to beaches; to ballgames; to the mountains; or just simply wandering along the back roads of Georgia and taking in the sites. Summer, in other words, is the time for road trips! Have you ever been on an honest-to-goodness road trip;...

Day 9 Soon we will be making our way to the airport in Delhi (our flight leaves at 3 AM) and head back to the United States. This has been a tremendous time with Sam Bandela and participating in just a bit of the CBF work he is overseeing in Nepal. Regrettably we were...

  Day 6 Nothing like waking up to a view of the Himalayas! The morning was clear and the view from our room was outstanding. After a nice simple breakfast we hiked through the village of Nargakot and took in the scenery. Even though this is a “tourist” area because of...

Day 3 Hard to believe that it is only until day three that I can post of my first night’s sleep, but such is the way of air travel and time zones. Sam (the CBF missionary), Milton and I share a room here in Kathmandu and while we each have our own cot there is hardly...

The first leg of our trek was happily uneventful in the grand scheme of travel. My overhead bin was already occupied with what looked like a tour bus load of luggage. Eventually I found enough space for a shoe box and with so maneuvering, shoving, and cajoling I was...

As much as time and WiFi connections will allow, I will be blogging about my opportunity to speak in Nepal and India. Last summer I was invited by Sam Bandella, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Field Personnel to Nepal and India to come and speak to Christian workers in...

Philosophy New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy, by Robert J. Spitzer The Physics of Immortality, Frank J. Tipler Religion/Spirituality Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom Jesus Wept: When Faith and Depression Meet,...

Last weekend Amy and I did something that was good for our marriage and good for our souls. We were having an early lunch together right after yoga class and I reminded her that I did not have any commitments that day or the next. Furthermore Aaron would be away at...

Most every year, following Christmas Day, I try to take a few days and backpack up in the mountains of North Georgia or North Carolina. I admit that it is, weather-wise, somewhat of a gamble. In years past I have found myself trudging through snow and generally frozen...

There are plenty of places where I am completely out of my element: department stores, especially the cosmetic section; a golf course, any golf course; and watching an episode of “Glee” on television. I do not pretend to be adept in any and all environments. Barns,...

How have your “Holidays and Holy Days” gone so far? For me they officially started with the annual Jr.-Sr. Backpacking Trip (which has now been dubbed “Back to the Wild”). It was a great walk in the woods for a few days and the only incidents encountered were a few...

Not so many years ago when my boys were toddlers the church I was serving as pastor was very close to our home, which happened to be the church’s parsonage. Most everyday I would go home for lunch with Amy and the boys. These were very simple years of ministry....

Brenda Williamson captured this beautiful sunrise as we were flying out of Athens Our wake-up call roused us at 3 AM in order to have time for a cup of coffee before boarding our bus for one final journey – to the airport and then home! We left Athens around 7 AM and...

Before I get to Day 12 let me say a few concluding words about Day 11. We headed for a “late” lunch at 2 pm. I believe I have mentioned before but Greeks eat both their lunch and supper much later than we do. In fact, it is fairly common for the traditional suppertime...

I finally have internet access! How did the world get along so long without it? Anyway, we have had a long day today and it is now 11:31 PM in Athens. Nonetheless, below is an update of our last several days. Sorry there are no pictures. I will have to add them later....