I just came through another sleepless night. It was one of those nights when I just could not stop my mind from rambling all around. Mostly I was thinking about everything that is going on in our nation: about the situation last week at our nation’s capitol; about what could turn out to be a pretty messy transfer of power come January 20; about all those who wait in the darkness to see where they will fit into whatever happens next...

When I hear someone talking about the “magic” of the Christmas season, these days, I think about the miracle of the conception, birth, life, death and resurrection of one Jesus of Nazareth. But when I was a much younger individual living a mere stone’s throw from the center of Kansas City, Missouri, the magic was all about the amazing Christmas decorations downtown...

Everyone’s a prodigal, a rebel and bound to roam. Trying hard to find a friend, a long, long way from home...

I was sorry to learn — this past Saturday morning — of the death of Texas singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker on Friday, Oct, 23, 2020. Walker was 78 years old and had been a guiding light in the early Austin music scene and in Texas music — and just music in general. ...

When I was a much younger man, I once made a trip to the local municipal court in downtown Kansas City to argue my innocence concerning a traffic ticket I had received. I worked in a tall office building near Crown Center, and I worked the night shift. ...

We had a great time as a family one recent Sunday. All of the kids — with the exception of Amy, Stephen and Augustus out in California (missed them immensely) — stopped by for a few hours. No plans. No agenda. Just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company...

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “heritage” in these terms: "features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages, or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance."...

Wow! We’ve been trying to downsize — you know —get rid of “stuff” that we haven’t used or needed for ages. Yep. That kind of downsizing. And, believe me, it’s not as easy as it sounds. I had boxes of sermon notes and columns from years of ministry and writing. ...

There are days … I think you probably know the kind of days I speak of. I have days when I know I need to get to work putting words on paper for an upcoming deadline; moments when I think “now is the time” and by the time I fire up the computer my mind fills up with thoughts that won’t line up into a train that takes me where I think I want to go...

A week or two ago I wrote about what seems like a trend to undermine the church in America. I spoke of the orders in California that, at first, banned singing in churches and other houses of worship. Then, the same governor banned gathering for church services altogether. I also wrote that I am praying this nonsense does not become a trend across our great nation...

During these days of stay-at-home, isolation, seclusion, social distancing, shelter-in-place, quarantine, and virtual lock-down, Americans have learned how easy it is to practice something they probably thought they weren’t really cut out for: obedience...

They are always there. At times we hardly notice them. Sometimes, more often than not, we take them for granted. But we sure notice when they are “under construction” or if there is “road work ahead” or if some river becomes angry and decides to swallow a few miles of asphalt on its way downstream. ...

My heart breaks. My heart breaks for the souls and the families of those who have been murdered by overzealous, rogue police officers across our nation. My heart breaks for those whose businesses, homes and lives are now being devastated by the rioting, looting and — yes — killing going on across our nation, supposedly in the name of protests against police brutality. ...

She finally did it. After 21 1/2 years, Laura, retired from her position as nurse at Benton Elementary School in Marshall, Missouri. She truly has loved her years at Benton. She loved working with the students and her co-workers. The kids have greater needs than just bandages for skinned knees and cans or buckets to vomit in. ...

Note: Here are the lyrics of a song I wrote for a special presentation at the rural one-room school house my father and his brothers attended in Luber, Arkansas. The four boys grew up not far from the small school, and all of them — at one point or another — married and, like many from the south, moved north to find work in factories. ...

I have been trying to keep up with the news as much as possible during the current pandemic and its related closures, restrictions, etc. Recently, I saw an article (connected no-doubt to a YouTube video somewhere) with the headline … “How to Survive The Current Apocalypse” or something like that. That got me to thinking. How many people actually understand the word apocalypse?...

“I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for evermore.” … Psalm 86:12 During our current “stay-at-home” situation, many people have been getting their weekly dose of worship on the internet, or sitting in their cars in a church parking lot. And I, for one, am glad so many have such options. It was not so not too many years ago...

So … Some local churches have been holding “parking lot” services recently. You know the ones: everyone parks in the parking lot and stays in their cars and listens to the service via their car’s radio. Very handy for those who can’t make it into the church, or, just for kicks, those who have been told they cannot go into the church because of a certain viral contagion going around. ...

After watching for more than a week as the so-called civilized world went nuts over toilet paper and hand sanitizer, I am now watching as the United States (and other countries) try to ascertain how to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus that seeks to be wreaking havoc on our lives. I am, for safety’s sake, doing my best to stay in and stay away from large groups of people. I am, after all, now part of that high-risk group known as the “over-sixty” crowd...

Over the past 52 years, I’ve played six-string guitar, 12-string guitar, bass guitar or stand-up bass violin at one time or another. In middle school and high school I played the stand up bass in orchestra and the bass guitar and/or stand up bass in jazz band. ...