It's difficult and painful to realize that you have been wearing a mask for a long time, not really being as authentic as you should have been. It does not matter if the mask was worn unintentionally; what matters is finding the courage to admit that you need to change and to be real in... Continue Reading →
When we went to Portugal, we saw an amazing Cathedral. We walked up to the first sign and it talked about this ball peen hammer that was used in the building of the church. After ten lines of extolling the qualities of the hammer, at the end, in tiny script, it mentioned the king who... Continue Reading →
When I first became a Christian, I struggled with the concept of prayer. Some people would have a Wed eve prayer service. They would list the health woes in gory detail and ask for prayer, without expecting any results. Others would disagree and say, “Whatever you pray for, in Jesus name, he will answer.” The... Continue Reading →
During an especially difficult time in my life, I wondered if the earth was some kind of cosmic prison for the rest of the universe, the place people are sent when they have misbehaved in the rest of the cosmos. Being born black in the South in the 1950s, female, poor, and unattractive by cultural... Continue Reading →
Sometimes one unexpected question can change the way you see yourself. For me, the question was asked after a lecture on domestic violence in one of my sociology questions. A young female student raised her hand and asked, "How did you become such a strong woman after all that you have been through?" I stopped... Continue Reading →
We were listening to the radio when this song came on. It made me think of the struggle I had gone through for many years. I would struggle to do things and think of reasons it would fail, then give up. As a youngster, I had a very low self image. I realized that... Continue Reading →
To me, one of the most painful times as a parent is when your toddler says, "I can do it myself!" Those words have stopped many a parent in their tracks, mouths agape, silently screaming, "No! Not Yet!" It is a downward slope from that moment to "I need the car tonight," and it seems... Continue Reading →
I turned on the TV just in time to watch the second plane hit the tower on 9/11. When the tsunami hit Indonesia, I was glued to the videos. The same thing happened when the earthquake hit Japan. As soon as I heard about the volcano in Hawaii, I had to follow the latest update... Continue Reading →
This is an odd title for what is essentially outreach/witnessing. That is my new title. It is a very small church, so it is a voluntary position. Now to decide how to implement the concept. Since there were less than 25 people in the church last Sunday, I have to keep my aims modest.... Continue Reading →
