Although I haven't been keeping up with the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis, I have caught snippets of it on the radio whenever I've been in the car. Yesterday I tuned in at 3 PM EST as the defense attorney was making his closing argument. It was hard for me to follow—I suppose because I hadn't been there all along—but I was surprised when the presiding judge called for a lunch break as Eric Ne...  Read More

Journal-keeping has been my obsession since the very beginning of my ministry. By now I have a contemporaneous record of the events that have gone together to make me who I am today.I thought it might be good to look back across the decades to what was happening on this day every ten years ago. Wednesday, April 13, 2011Today was spent doing the usual mid-week things: preparing my sermon outline fo...  Read More

Are you stuck right now?I was yesterday when I received my second COVID vaccination. Audrey and I returned to the CVS in South Boston, Virginia, and walked right in without any waiting. Again, this time I had no reaction to the shot, but Audrey had fever, headache, and the severest chills last night that I have ever seen. She is much better now.The extra benefit in going so far from home was the o...  Read More

anachronism--n. A thing belonging to another time. A chronological inconsistency. A juxtaposition of persons, events, objects, customs from different time periods.I use them sometimes in my preaching, to liven up my sermons.  Always tongue-in-cheek, though. They can be unintentional, but mine are always on purpose. On Sunday, I had most of the recipients of Jesus' miracles in Luke's gospel present...  Read More

The new season blew softly into Austin, Texas on Saturday. We were there to celebrate our son's birthday. John Mark had arrived on just such a day as this, 37 years before. We spent the weekend telling stories about that time, long ago, and many birthday parties since then...COMMERCIAL:  For the best tortilla in Texas, stop by Fuego Tortilla Grill, off of I- 35 in Waco. It was a return visit for u...  Read More

The news is getting better concerning Covid and the pandemic that has so crippled our world. The rate of Infection is decreasing and so are the deaths. There are several different vaccines out there now, more are on the way, and millions are starting to get them. If there is not a big "Spring Break" spike, this positive trend should continue so that by late summer or early fall there may be a retu...  Read More

It seems as though we have been living in March for the last twelve months--doesn't it?On this date, exactly one year ago (it was a Monday), I was at home, sick with sinusitis and a severe case of laryngitis.  The day before, Reed had preached in my place. We didn't know it then, but that would be the last in-person worship service at First Baptist until August.The next day, Tuesday, I went to the...  Read More

My fellow pastors and I spent some time the other day telling stories. About favorite people and memorable moments in our experience at First Baptist, Alexandria. We have been here for various amounts of time, but all of us have fairly long tenure by now (for a church staff, anyway). We sometimes laughed out loud at the tales being told, but certainly smiled every time the names of former members ...  Read More

"The past is our definition. We may strive with good reason to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it. But we will escape it only by adding something better to it." --Wendell BerryLooking for a romantic getaway for the weekend, or a place to vacation for a week this summer? Consider a house in rural Pennsylvania that has recently been turned into a quaint bed and breakfast.Would it matter to ...  Read More

Deciding whether or not to hold in-person worship services can be a tough, sometimes agonizing thing. This month, especially. Forecasts calling for snow or ice to be falling just as we are scheduled to be gathering...This past Saturday we made the right call for Sunday. Thanks to Archie, the parking lot and walkway up to the building were clear and we were able to get in and be together. It seemed...  Read More

I'll be the first to admit that prayer is a great mystery and that there's much about it that I still do not understand, even after so many years in the pulpit.My questions have at times been the same as yours:If God already knows my request before I utter it, why pray?If God has a settled will on the matter, why bother?And do I browbeat Him and cajole long enough to wear God down and bend Him to ...  Read More

All of last week is a blur to me now. It's ten days later, and I'm ten pounds lighter. Audrey and I had a relatively "mild" case of Coronavirus, but this is the first day I actually feel like sitting down and catching up with my journal.We had both tried so hard to stay well during the pandemic. We did everything you're supposed to do. Not just social distancing and masks. Audrey would even wipe d...  Read More

I had been so concentrating on the Coronavirus these last ten months, I guess I took my eyes off of other things just as dangerous. One of them slipped up on me.So, last Wednesday, I found myself lying on a table in the Cath Lab at INOVA Fairfax--awaiting a catheterization of my heart and arteries.It's different when it's you.It all started a few weeks ago when Audrey went behind my back and sched...  Read More

"The LORD will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.”--Zephaniah 3:17Because we were unable to meet at all for those many months, I am now working through the backlog of people awaiting baptism. And, because of an abundance of caution, I am only baptizing one person each Sunday. So that's every week now. And I am loving it.Most ...  Read More

"The problem with most people is that they are not up to anything significant.”-- Walker PercyI love the beginning of each new year. It gives me the opportunity to do some course correcting and even to remake myself into more the person I've always wanted and intended to be. Janus, for whom many believe this month was named, was the Roman god who had two faces--one looking to the past, the other f...  Read More

2020 Year in Review"Happiness is not another place, but this place. Not for another hour, but this hour."- Walt WhitmanA SUMMARYOne day seemed to melt into another. Weeks and months were like that, too. I could write this year of Covid off as a disaster but, re-reading my journal just now, I am reminded that there were many moments that rose up and distinguished themselves by sparking joy in my he...  Read More

John Mark and Daniela walked into our house just as we were leaving for the concert Sunday evening. They had driven in from Texas, with overnight stops in Memphis and Bristol, and were exhausted. We left them to get refreshed, then joined them again after church for supper and a movie on Netflix. They are both working their jobs from the house this week.Last night we were featured in Carolyn Jenki...  Read More

One of my favorite non- religious holiday songs is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.  I heard it again on the radio the other day and was struck by the line:"Let your heart be light. Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.”I thought:  what an appropriate sentiment for this difficult year now ending, and our hopes for 2021. Next year our troubles will be miles away.I did a little res...  Read More

Lots of things are different about the season this year. Some of the usual calendar signposts are missing. I have to remind myself that the days are indeed growing short until Christmas arrives. Here’s a little stream-of-consciousness on the subject—We are doing much less decorating than usual this time. I've finally convinced Audrey that "less is more." We put our tree in a new place and hung the...  Read More

"I find the nights long, for I sleep but little, and think much."- Charles DickensI have no trouble falling asleep at night-- usually within three to four minutes of hitting the pillow. But Audrey says that I snore and keep her awake sometimes. And that my legs often kick involuntarily during the night. I mentioned this to my doctor and he suggested a sleep test. That's an overnight experience in ...  Read More

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”-- Marcus CiceroWe have always known that God wants us to be thankful. And that it is a trait of all people who are well-adjusted in life and pleasant to be around. Researchers now tell us that grateful people also have healthier hearts, sleep better at night, and are calmer and happier. Thankfulness, it turns out, h...  Read More

Among the questions I get from church members quite regularly are ones that relate to my preaching. "How do you prepare?", people ask. “How long does it take? Do you practice in an empty sanctuary or in front of a mirror? Are you disappointed when no one responds publicly during the invitation song?”I take all of this as sincere interest, although I realize it is possible that the questioner is me...  Read More

Thoughts about this word on a Tuesday morning--There's the show, of course.I think we were all saddened to hear of the death of Alex Trebek. He was the erudite and classy game show host who fought so valiantly against pancreatic cancer but died on Sunday morning.Jeopardy was a part of my life even before Trebek began there 36 years ago. In college, I used to watch and play with my dorm mates in th...  Read More

Well, today is the day. The final day of voting in this year's Presidential election. It is possible that we will know, by late tonight, who will be leading our nation for the next four years. But it is just as likely that it will be a week or more before everything is clear and we have a definite winner.Like you, I am so ready for this to be over.But I still haven't voted. I'm old fashioned on th...  Read More