Blog Article Archives
Mr. Goodbar
Years ago when I was just a fledgling young adult I stumbled upon a stack of old candy bar wrappers that my grandmother had carefully saved through the years. A dozen or so “Mr. Goodbar” wrappers had been devotedly pressed like wildflowers on exhibit and preserved as...
A Little Walt Whitman is Good for the Soul
I dream’d in a dream I saw a city invincible, to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth, I dream’d that was the new city of Friends. I keep a copy of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass on the end table by my reading chair. I read snatches of his lines in the early...
Stump Removal
It took four weeks of intermittent, hard labor but I have taken care of a stump in our front yard…mostly. It all started with the ice storm – ICE2K14, or icepocalypse, or whatever you want to call that event one month ago. We had several trees come down during the...
Ashes to Ashes
I love the rich breadth of Christianity, which means I am open to “new” ways of experiencing community with fellow believers. Observing Ash Wednesday (this year it is on March 5) is an old practice for believers around the world but fairly new to most Baptists. For...
Snow Day 2014
It seems like the “Snowpocalypse” of last week is a distant memory. All traces of snow are gone and our friends in Atlanta have returned to normal routines. Living in Georgia all of my life, I have had very few snow days, so nearly every one of them is memorable. I...
Don’t I Know You?
Not so many days ago I was involved in a rather innocent exchange with a gentlemen seated to my right at a banquet. His name was Dr. Clarence Williams. We were seated at the head table because I was invited to give greetings on behalf of the religious community and...
Seeing Things in Hi-Def
We bought a TV. There, I said it. I have confessed our indulgence. We are conspicuous consumers just like everyone else. For the first six or so months of our marriage we did not even own a television. Amy’s grandmother gave us her old set, complete with knobs that...
Jingle Bells and Shotgun Shells
Have you ever retrieved mistletoe from treetops? There really is only one way – a twelve-gauge shotgun. I know this sounds a bit drastic, but take my word for it the stuff grows in out of the way spots on a tree. First you find an oak tree whose branches are marked...
A Journey Up the Mountain and Back
For the fourth year in a row we have taken a group of High School juniors and seniors on a backpacking trip. Many of the youth have never been camping, let alone backpacking, and so this is a time of new experiences and a shared journey. And what a journey it was....
Up in Smoke
This past weekend I found a couple of hours to do something I have been putting off since we moved to Augusta – clean out the garage! Well, in particular, what I did was clean out a couple of filing cabinets that were taking up space in the garage. They were stuffed...
MIA
A few nights ago I was leaving the church rather late – about 8:30pm or so. It had been a long day, I was tired, and I was ready to get home and stare blankly at the television and think of nothing for a few minutes before heading to bed and starting all over again...
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes…
…and in your hair, your beard and your clothes. During this time of year, Amy and I like to take “retreats” up into the mountains and camp. There is nothing particularly rugged about it – just a few days enjoying the outdoors and God’s handiwork. Some folks have beach...
My Little Garden of Eden
I love my backyard, I really do. I often say that two of my favorite rooms of the house is the back porch and the firepit at the edge of the woods. From both vantage points I can watch the world go by spinning. Just this morning while it was still dark an owl was...
One Last Trip
Jake Malone has pretty much travelled all over the world as well as throughout this great country of ours. Along with his beloved travelling companion Delores, he has led church members, family and friends to exotic places like searching for the Loch Ness Monster, as...
Benedictions and Invocations
Those words usually come in the reverse order – invocations and benedictions. An invocation is a prayer offered at the beginning of something where we are asking that our hearts may be full and open to receive the presence of God in this particular gathering. In...
Look and See
This past weekend we took in a couple of days camping in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ordinarily I am not much for camping in the middle of the summer, but temperatures were mild, the trees were in full leaf, elk were grazing and the rivers and creeks were still swollen...
Every Year it is the Same Battle!
As in years past, deer have found my roses, peppers, tomatoes and black-eyed susans. They are not that fond of my herbs, but really enjoy the Gerber daisies, apparently as a garnish to the potted geraniums nearby. Last weekend I saw a doe – fat and slick – languidly...
Fortieth Day of Lent: Reflections on the Cross
Cross of Glory This cross is fittingly used for Easter. It is a simple Latin Cross with a rising sun placed behind it. Like most every cross examined, this one too has many variations. In many traditions, as the sun rises, Gloria, an ancient Latin doxology, is sung...
Thirty-Ninth Day of Lent: Reflections of the Cross
The Arrow Cross This is also called a Cross Barby or Barbee in heraldry. In Christian use, the ends of this cross resemble the barbs of fish hooks, or fish spears. This alludes to the Ichthys symbol of Christ, and is suggestive of the "fishers of people" theme in the...
Thirty-Eighth Day of Lent: Reflections on the Cross
Cross of St. James The Cross of St. James is adapted from the Cross Fitchy by adding a cross fleury (the arms end in fleurs-de-lys) or a cross moline (the ends of the arms are forked and rounded). In heraldry, it is also called the Santiago Cross or the cruz espada....
Recent Comments