Rustlings

It is one of the most common mealtime prayers, “For the blessings we are about to receive, we give you thanks, O Lord. Amen.” I’ve always liked this prayer. Most gratitude is expressed after the fact. We receive, taste, experience, and then decide whether to give...

I’ve never been a huge fan of graphic t-shirts, promotional mugs, or bumper stickers. I don’t disdain these items; I’ve just never been a huge fan of them. I do, however, enjoy some of the quips and quotes these marketing palettes carry. During a recent stroll through...

Purchase stock in bubble wrap. Why? I am in the process of driving the market price up. Bubble Wrap is the official name of a product marketed by the Sealed Air Company. The first sheet of bubble wrap was produced by gluing two shower curtains together and was...

We’ve been studying the Hebrew Scriptures in the kick-off series of Forum@First on Sunday mornings. A part of our exploration has included the identification of four sources/voices/perspectives that contributed to this body of Hebrew literature. Scholars—and we—have...

Does everyone have a junk drawer? For those unfamiliar, it’s that drawer in the kitchen that catches everything necessary and unnecessary for daily living. It contains necessary items like staples, pencils, a loose adhesive bandage, a tape measure, a screwdriver and...

My days of marathoning have ended. I still run, bike, swim and engage in a host of physical activities, but running 26.2 miles in one morning has become a thing of the past. There are many things I miss about those long races. I miss the quiet comradery of like-minded...

As summer comes to an end and a new season of church programming for our children begins, we are delighted to announce we have hired a new Minister to Children. After a prayerful search and some phenomenal interviews, the Children Minister Search Committee has offered...

Community Engagement. That’s the new buzz word for me these days. This was what I suggested to Jim as a potential official descriptor of my new role at the church, and not to worry, I’d figure out what it meant along the way. The phrase is strong enough to signal some...

Tim Fisher, of Lifewire Tech for Humans, estimates that more than half the technical problems we experience with our computers are fixable with a simple restart. While our computers are running, we open and close programs that leave behind an electronic footprint of...

In 2009, the annual General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) met in Houston, Texas. It was hot. It was extremely hot! While I maintained my planned running schedule, I spent most of my free time in the cool lobby of the convention hotel. It was in...

Due to a positive COVID test, I was unable to travel to the Holy Land with this year’s pilgrims. I do have them on my mind and in my prayers. Our pilgrims will spend a large portion of this week in the desert—the wilderness. B’midbar. It is the first word of the Book...

It is a classic Jewish tale. Rabbi Eizik of Kraków, Poland, dreams there is a treasure buried next to the bridge adjacent to the king’s palace in Prague. Intrigued by the dream, he travels to Prague, finds the bridge, and begins digging. One of the king’s soldiers saw...

It’s almost like Christmas. The anticipation has been building for weeks. Bethlehem is on the agenda. Jesus is the reason for the season. We’ve spent a fair amount of money in preparation for the day. Our journey will take us over the river, through the woods, over...

Malcolm Muggeridge, the late British journalist and satirist, wrote, “Few persons of action have been able to make a graceful exit at the appropriate time.” We’ve all watched athletes—past their prime—enter one more game, one more fight, one more match, one more race,...

“Oh next to my home, I love you Siloam. It’s the land of a million smiles….” The summers of my youth-years always meant a week at Siloam Springs Youth Camp. Siloam Springs was nestled in Northwest Arkansas. The accommodations were rustic. The food was camp food. Every...