In between Sunday, July 21 and Saturday, July 27, my wife Julie and I spent a vacation week at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with our 23-year-old daughter Taylor and 20 year-old-son Riley.Here's what the three of them looked like on a windy Friday night outside...

I have learned something recently that I think is worth sharing:What you listen to when you drive to work affects your mood when you get there.Now: I don't have a long drive to work in the morning.  But for years, I have been listening to sports talk radio for my...

One of Methodism's buzzwords is "inclusive."  We are to be, the thinking goes, an inclusive church.That includes (catch that?) the language we use about God.  You can read the denomination's perspective on gender-inclusive language here. Such gender...

Summertime is also movie time, which moves me to thinking.And as you know by now, I think in terms of "lists" and "tops."So what are the five movies that make me think "summer" more quickly than any others?Here goes:5.  Corvette Summer.  Never to be confused...

The tennis world was all abuzz last week with the news that Roger Federer is now using a new racket:He has switched from the 90-square-inch model he has used since his youth to a larger, supposedly more powerful 98-square inch version.  Why?Well, Roger Federer is...

We started in The Eye Of The Storm.Then we ran with the Storm Chasers.This week, we'll get some shelter.Storm Shelter.To get ready, read Isaiah 25:1-8.Sunday.  8:30.   10. ...

If you listen closely and then jot down what you hear, you can gain some unexpected insights from a course on High Impact Volunteers.Such as . . .You're only as happy as your saddest kid.Scripture tells the story of the builing of four...

During the recent Wimbledon Championships, US Davis Cup captain Jim Courier made a fascinating point.Courier told his television audience that Bulgaria's Grigor Dmitrov has patterned his game after Roger Federer.  Here's what Courier means.Federer's...

As you read this I am in Colorado Springs, Colorado, attending a seminar on High Impact Volunteers that's put on by our friends at Newell & Associates.Here's what my nights look like:But spending some time in this rarified air gets me thinking: what are the best...

Here's an insight into sermon preparation and the church calendar.Yesterday's message -- Storm Chasers -- was actually the first one in the series that I wrote and yet it became the second one that I delivered.Why?Because when I wrote it, I really liked it.  (I...