belief

I love to ride my bike here in Florida, especially in the winter months when it’s not quite so humid. When I’m feeling especially daring, I'll take off peddling toward my office located 7 miles away from my home. It’s a bit fatiguing, but exhilarating as well. I’ve found the shortest path to get back…

Our dream house was a 120-year old 3-story Victorian home. It was just a few blocks away from one of the loveliest parks in the city and the same distance from the church I pastored. I could literally walk to work, and did so on many mornings. How convenient! Unlike the other brick houses that…

I thought it only fair that I let you know why I won’t be responding to your posts right now. It’s not because I don’t have anything to say; it’s because I won’t be seeing your posts anymore. I won’t see them because I’ve unfollowed you on social media. And I want you to know…

Today I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I found an old, old hymnal - one from back when I was just a child in church. Then I sat at the piano and started playing through some of my favorites. Most of them no one sings anymore, unless they're surrounded by rocking…

https://vimeo.com/474432196

In 2013, Sunday Assembly was begun in London, England. Founded by Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, it’s a non-religious gathering for people who want the same communal experience believers get in religious services. In other words, it’s a church for Atheists. The biggest question I have with this admittedly-novel idea is this: what would you…

...my new book is coming this November!

I think my least favorite phrase for 2020 was “an abundance of caution”. I turned on the news every morning to make sure the zombie apocalypse hadn’t started yet. The things I’ve been most thankful have been: my Jesus, my health, and my Disney+ account.  No church, no theater, no sports…who knew waiting for the…

“To die would be an awfully great adventure” – Peter Pan I sat at the bedside of a dying woman that day. She had asked for a pastor to come to see her, and knew her time was at an end. After a few pleasantries, I asked her what she wanted to talk about.  Mostly,…

Her funeral was on a sunny Spring day several years ago. My mom’s sister Jewell had struggled with cancer and finally succumbed. She was in her 80s, so no one could say it came as a surprise. But what did startle us was just how spry she’d become post mortem. Before I go any further,…

We got back in town last week from my father-in-law’s funeral. It was an emotional journey for us all. “Papa” was quite an accomplished pastor and missionary, and served as patriarch of the family. We knew he was seriously ill, but expected him to overcome the cancer like he’d done 15 years before. But then…

Once I was a thief… for about 6 times each week onstage. A few years ago, I played Jean Valjean in a production of the musical Les Miserables. It was a life-changing experience, and a story that continues to teach me. As a newly-released convict, Valjean robs a Bishop who had shown him kindness. When Valjean is…