The movers are coming in waves, and the first arrived yesterday. Wrapping up, lifting and loading, we watched as they hoisted the days and years of our lives onto their truck.This load will be going to Texas, with furniture for John Mark and Daniela, some dolls and other toys to be there waiting for little Maria when she arrives in February.Later, there will be a truckload for Richmond and another...  Read More

"When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether or not it had happened. But my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so that I cannot remember any but the things which never happened."--Mark Twain, AutobiographyI've been in a sentimental mood these last few weeks—even more than usual. And I've been telling some of my best stories, around the dinner table and dropped into sermons. ...  Read More

There are lots of questions swirling concerning what happens next in the light of my retirement at the end of December. Here are a few that have come to me—  Question: Who will the next senior pastor be?Answer: Well, if we were Methodists or one of many other denominations, a pastor would be sent to us. Appointed for us by a Bishop. But that's not how our system works. There is no outside authorit...  Read More

Thirty-eight years ago when Audrey told me the news that she was pregnant, she did it by giving me a Precious Moments figurine. It showed a young couple, and the words: "For unto us a child is born.” I was a little slow getting the message, but finally I understood that it wasn't talking about Jesus, that we were the people having a child born to us.When I was in the hospital a few weeks ago, John...  Read More

Audrey and I slipped down to Richmond on Friday for a night at the Drury Plaza Hotel. They have an excellent “happy hour” in the early evening that amounts to a full meal, a complete hot breakfast in the morning, and very reasonable rates on top of all that. It’s a new hotel and they are anxious for business.In the wee hours of Saturday morning, we were startled awake by a blaring fire alarm. The ...  Read More

A little stream-of-consciousness this Tuesday morning, the last day of August--WebMD reports on studies of those who live long lives, and the results are predictable. People who survive into their nineties watch their diet, they exercise, don't smoke, take regular naps, and choose their friends wisely. But this, too: they attend church more than once a week!  Regular worshipers have higher levels ...  Read More

Turmoil continues in Afghanistan as thousands try desperately to flee from that country in the wake of America's withdrawal and the Taliban's ascendency to power. Stories of hopelessness, abandonment, and real tragedy are being reported by the hour from that war-ravaged land.But there is good news, too: Over the weekend 5,000 people were evacuated safely from the airport in Kabul. Well, make that ...  Read More

It's a recurring dream that I have. Maybe you have it, too. In it I am trying to get somewhere—usually a church service—and I am hopelessly lost. The clock is ticking, it is passed time to be there to preach, and I am going to be seriously late. Sometimes I can actually see the steeple of my destination, but various obstacles block my path.Well, that nightmare came true for Olympic athlete Hansle ...  Read More

Katie is the physical therapist I've been seeing the last two weeks. She is helping me regain the use of the two fingers on my right hand that I lost with my stroke on July 24. That has been the only lingering physical effect, so I know I have been abundantly blessed. It is still a significant thing for me, though, because I am right-handed. Shaving, brushing my teeth, and... writing require a dex...  Read More

Because the stroke came on so suddenly, and without warning, Audrey has the natural fear that there might be another. She refuses to let me be alone for more than a few minutes. I appreciate the attention but... please.  Read More

I knew almost immediately what was happening. That the thing I had been dreading for so many years was happening to me now. My right hand was suddenly limp by my side, and I felt as though I were in a fog. I learned later that one side of my face was drooping, too. I was having a stroke.Audrey and I were spending the weekend at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Springfield. We are selling our home to ta...  Read More

It was Carolyn Jenkins who came up with the idea: gatherings in a local park on a few Sunday afternoons, just for fellowship. The advertising graphic with my face, superimposed on a Forrest Gump poster—that was my suggestion. Lindsey or Carolyn picked up the balloons. Wayne put out a sign, and Erin coordinated it all. And that was the total of the work and planning that has gone into Pastor in the...  Read More

Sir Richard Branson made history on Sunday as the first billionaire to go into space. Riding in his Virgin Galactic plane, the VMS Eve, he and five employees flew to an altitude of 50,000 feet and then rocketed in the smaller VSS Unity to a point 53 miles above the earth—just crossing over the demarcation into what is considered "space." The view was great, and there were a few moments of weightle...  Read More

Gas is now north of $3 per gallon. Just in time for vacation road trips.But we pay it, because we have to get to where we are going.Unless you are driving a Tesla—and then there are issues of battery life and finding a charging station when you need one. No one wants to run out of gas, or battery juice, on a secluded road on a moonless night, or at an inconvenient place between here and Disneyworl...  Read More

Shawn is a doctoral student at Liberty University, working on a study of how introverts can or cannot function as local church senior pastors. He needed to interview several.  Someone gave him my name. First there was a personality test I had to take to confirm that I was indeed an introvert. I passed with flying colors. Then, yesterday, an hour-long interview.After 48 years as a pastor—nearly 16 ...  Read More

"The art of prophecy is very difficult, especially in respect to the future."--Mark TwainSpeculation heading into last week's meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention was universally pessimistic. It looked for all the world like America's largest Protestant denomination was destined for schism if not a complete split. It was billed as a contest between conservative evangelicals and very conserva...  Read More

Flannery O'Connor once said that enough has happened to each of us by the time we're eight years old for us to write about for the rest of our lives. Memories from childhood, someone else remarked, are like those Advent calendars we use in December—under each tab is a surprise. Last night I got to thinking about my earliest memories and about how they impact my life still, so many years later.I re...  Read More

"Let's Roll!", shouted Todd Beamer as he and several other passengers rushed the cockpit on United Flight 93, taking the airplane down into a field near Shanksville, PA—28 minutes from Washington, DC. A regular guy, suddenly and forever he is identified as a genuine 9/11 hero. Several weeks after the tragic events of that day, his wife, Lisa, finally found the emotional strength to clean out his d...  Read More

Back in the day I wrote a regular column with this title for my high school newspaper. Occasionally I enjoy resurrecting it for some random thoughts that occur to me--"June is bustin' out all over," and I am so glad! After the coldest Memorial Day weekend temperatures in over 100 years, it's time for some summer weather! Saturday night I actually cut the heat back on at our house....A new podcast ...  Read More

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."-- PlatoAfter spending two or three nights away from home, when I wake up in the middle of the night in my own bed again, I cannot remember which direction to go to get to the bathroom. There is temporary disorientation, and the fact that the room is mostly dark does not help. I ...  Read More

I have some exciting news! Following the release of new guidelines from the CDC, the Governor of Virginia, and the City of Alexandria, our church is taking immediate steps toward an eventual return to pre-pandemic normalcy.Beginning this Sunday, May 23:1. Registration will no longer be necessary in order to attend worship services. Just come.2. Seating is open—it will be the pew of your choice.3. ...  Read More

Ata, an island In the South Pacific, was thought to be uninhabited. But as fisherman Peter Warner passed nearby, he saw, through his binoculars, evidence of a burned patch of ground where there had been a small fire. Out of curiosity he went in for a closer look.  A naked teenaged boy came running through the surf towards him, and what a story young Stephen had to tell.There were six boys altogeth...  Read More

Our neighbors certainly must have wondered when they saw that U-Haul truck in our driveway on Saturday. Furniture at the bottom of the steep ramp, strewn about and waiting. Was it coming—or going?Well, it was going. We were passing on some pieces to our nephew and his wife. A heavy dresser and mirror. Some tables and chairs. Lamps. Very nice things that we no longer needed or had the room for. Nic...  Read More

It's a story from my college days that I've been telling around the dinner table for years. Unfortunately, my journal was rather sketchy back then, and an account of the exact event cannot be found. At various times I've thought that maybe it was all just a dream.Stop reading if you've heard this.It happened in late Autumn, 1974...I was attending a night class at Virginia Commonwealth University. ...  Read More