When he asked me the question, I knew I’d heard that type of question before. It was one of those, “What if a person is doing…,” questions that ended with, “Will that person get to go to heaven or hell?” He was calling someone’s morality into question, and I could tell by how he asked, [...]

This morning was Childress’ Old Settler’s parade. The boys and I rode in the parade so we could throw out candy with little VBS invitations on them. As I threw out the candy, I couldn’t help but think about the crazy parade I were in a few years ago …. and the embarrassing thing that [...]

(I was asked by a friend to re-post this, so here you go) I was reading through my journal from a year ago and found a quote that I wrote down that I really like. It’s about the church and our discomfort with people who are different than us. “The church loves blue hair on [...]

I’m going to make a confession here … I’m comfortable around people who are a lot like me. I like hanging out with people who have similar hobbies, likes and dislikes. In fact, I find myself wanting to build relationships with people I consider “normal.” To be really honest, I also find myself uncomfortable around [...]

It really hurt my heart. I had just asked her to come to church with me when she shifted uncomfortably and said, “I’d like to, I’d really like to, but I need to get my life straightened out first.” Ouch. I tried hard to encourage her, but she still wouldn’t come. Please hear me, it [...]

“Hi, my name is Trey, and I’m a recovering stone thrower.” I’ve been reading through the gospel of John this past week. Different things challenge me and different things stick out to me. One of the things that is really clear is Jesus’s unwillingness to classify sin. I’m really good about saying these sins are [...]

I love the bible study group that meets in our home on Monday nights. It’s a time when we really dig deep into challenging thoughts and spiritual concepts. We’ve read through Phillip Yancy’s book, “What’s so Amazing about Grace?” What an amazing book! Last night our study dealt with this difficult concept: How do we [...]

When he stopped me in the store he said he needed to talk. In his words, he needed help, “Big time.” He had been struggling with alcohol. He couldn’t pay his bills. He was about to lose his job, get kicked out of his house, and to top it all off, his wife was threatening [...]

Luke 15 tells the story of the Prodigal Son. It’s a story about a son who chooses to leave his father, his home and go live a life of sin. It’s also an amazing story of grace when the son returns home. The story of the Prodigal Son has been taught, preached and loved for [...]

Growing up my brother Bruce and I watched a lot of baseball. The Atlanta Braves were the team we watched because they were the only ones on television. Guys like Dale Murphey, Bob Horner and Ray Hubbard were just a few of the guys we pulled for. Today it doesn’t matter who the teams are, [...]

(Part of yesterday’s lesson) You get a raise or a job promotion by earning it. You make the team by earning a spot on the team. You get a passing grade in school by earning it. Working hard to earn something is great in our society. But when it comes to Christianity, you don’t earn [...]

I love a good quote. I have a lot of favorite quotes … here are four of my most favorite: “Preach always, if necessary use words.” ~ Saint Francis The biggest difference between you and God is that God doesn’t think He’s you.” ~ Anne Lamott “Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to you with [...]

FIRST: I think it would have been better for me if Jesus would have ended the “lost” stories of Luke 15 with the story of the Prodigal Son. Instead he added the “older brother” into the story. When he did, he added me into the story. Ouch. SECOND: I think I need a better understanding [...]