I saw the movie, Elvis, and was surprised. It was as much about his manager, Tom Parker, as it was about Elvis. In retrospect, I think that was good, maybe a lesson. Without it being the centerpiece, the story of insecurity and self-centered greed was portrayed in...

This week, August 12, was my 88th birthday. If I were not prone to reflection, the state of our nation and the situation is our United Methodist Church would force it on me. As an ordained minister, my life is “buried with Christ” in the Church, in the world.  I...

It seems universally true: we constantly strive for more. Satisfaction seems beyond our grasp. Getting off the treadmill of striving for MORE is difficult; even feels dangerous. Without making a decision about it, we connect our urge for more with our resistance to...

The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most familiar in the Bible. It is so rich in meaning that no matter how well we know it, we need now and then to take another look at it. Before we rehearse that story, I ask you a question, what is the central truth in the...

In a recent blog post, The Purpose of Purpose I talked about the bottom line of commitment, so I would not argue whether purpose gives us commitment, or commitment gives us purpose. Just for focus, I’ll use the word commitment. One of my favorite writers is David...

As a child, a word I often heard from a teacher or my Momma was, “Now pay attention.”  That’s a word we need to hear and pay attention to throughout life. OK, Now pay attention to this word from the French spiritual writer, Simone Weil. “Those who are happy have no...

If we don’t know where we’re going, what does where we arrive matter? If we don’t have directions, our lives become a series of cul-de-sacs, blind alleys, and we constantly are beating our heads up against that proverbial brick wall.  There’s a somewhat funny story...