belief – Page 11 – DAVE GIPSON

When Everything’s About Race

beliefJune 13, 2020126Views 0Likes 0Comments

These are my two little girls, 5 and 6 years old, asleep in our home. A picture of safety and peace. We adopted them after fostering them from birth. One is part African American, the other Latina. The lives of both me and my wife revolve totally around them. Put simply, we adore them.…

The Explosion Walk

beliefMay 15, 202090Views 0Likes 0Comments

Have you ever noticed that heroes don’t run from explosions anymore in the movies? Seriously, that’s so “last year”. No, the really cool movie hero simply tosses his cigarette toward a fire near him. That fire just happens to be around some massively combustible edifice (gas stations work best for…

“click, click, click…”

beliefMay 12, 2020160Views 0Likes 0Comments

By the way, here’s a true confession… I hate rollercoasters. Yeah, I know that makes me a hypocrite now with all the rollercoaster talk. They say there’s always some point at which an analogy falls apart. For me, it’s where you actually board a rollercoaster. I simply don’t trust those hastily-assembled rust-buckets you’d find at your…

Won’t you be my neighbor?

beliefApril 22, 2020104Views 0Likes 0Comments

I hate finding pictures from my childhood. I’ll be cruising through a photo album and it’s like being blindsided by a 300 pound tackle. Speaking of 300 pounds… I was a fat, lonely kid with a lousy home life and no friends. Seriously, none. A slew of allergies, asthma and a particularly weird skin ailment…

How I Know He Lives

beliefApril 13, 2020176Views 0Likes 0Comments

Growing up in a southern Baptist church, every Easter there were two hymns you had to sing…or you probably weren’t really Baptist. One was “Low in the Grave He Lay”. Most people don’t remember it by that title, but by the bouncy chorus that interrupts the sad, mournful verse. After lamenting the crucified Jesus, suddenly…

Thoughts and Prayers

beliefApril 5, 2020110Views 0Likes 0Comments

When a tragedy like a school shooting or a natural disaster happen, people feel helpless. They wonder what can be done and look for solutions. Then a cycle begins that repeats itself every tragedy. Often they look for someone to blame. One group sincerely believes the answer is a simple, practical one. They propose legislation…

FEAR ITSELF

beliefMarch 13, 2020223Views 0Likes 3Comments

Scared yet? I think my least favorite phrase for the past year is “an abundance of caution”. Like you, this week I’ve turned on the news every morning to make sure the zombie apocalypse hasn’t started yet. Over the next few weeks I believe the things I’ll most be thankful for will be: my Jesus, my health,…

Time Heals Everything…if you let it

beliefMarch 6, 2020539Views 0Likes 0Comments

There’s a devastating song in the Jerry Herman musical MACK AND MABEL that goes, "Time heals everything…but loving you”. The female lead who sings this song eventually dies a drug addict, never reunited with the lost love she's still pining for. So much for the term "musical comedy"! We’re often reassured by well-meaning friends that no matter…

Gipson Family Update: Back to the Beginning

beliefMarch 3, 2020338Views 0Likes 7Comments

So it was around 8 months ago that God led us to leave our home and my pastorate and relocate in Knoxville, TN. It was a step of faith, a hard step, and we hoped God had something special for us on the other side. And indeed He did…just not at all what we expected.…

When God Doesn’t Want You Happy

beliefJanuary 30, 2020164Views 0Likes 0Comments

I recently got a Facebook message from a well-meaning Christian friend: "God has seen everything you've been going through, and He told me to tell you 'IT'S OVER'! Your trial has ended, and now God's about to open up the windows of heaven to bless you beyond your wildest dreams!!!!!" (Full disclosure: I may have…

The Missing Ingredient

beliefJanuary 6, 2020183Views 0Likes 1Comment

My wife’s banana pudding is my favorite. And Dawn's such a great cook, she's even adapted her recipe to my low-carb diet. She now makes her world-class pudding, but with Splenda! And I promise, you cannot taste the difference. Evidently, there are some ingredients you can substitute and still end up with a delicious dessert. But…

Letting Go

beliefDecember 29, 2019141Views 0Likes 1Comment

Some people say, "If you love something, set it free. If it returns, then it's truly yours... ...but if it doesn't return....hunt it down and kill it! Just kidding...sort of. One of the main things we need to embrace about life is not just the " hellos" but also the "goodbyes". For example... I still remember a painful…