Rabbit Trails & Muddy Shoes

This week, I got a video from my kids of my first grandson’s Mutton Bustin’ (at least, known to me). It was worthy to share and then comment on … We do a lot of crazy things. We seek excitement and adventure. But we also hate to see tears fall down the face of tiny ones we love. Yet, will the tears make him stronger? Will they challenge him to get back up and beck on the horse. OOPS, on the…

Relationships are messy By lisae87 on June 1, 2026 What are some characteristics of a good relationship?We may think of trustworthy, consistent, forgiving, honest, and loyal.We have a variety of relationships with family, friends, coworkers, a spouse, and a boss. We connect through interests, hobbies, passions, and faith.Let’s face it. Relationships can be messy. Sometimes a relationship is…

To win the fight, you have to have the right strategy and the right resources. Because victories don’t come by accident. Okay – this one isn’t from Andrew Murray’s book. It’s from the Kendrick Brothers’ The Battle Plan for Prayer. You see, prayer is a powerful tool in our Spiritual Warfare. That’s not exactly correct. Prayer isn’t a tool for the battle. Prayer is the battle. If you can keep…

Prayer is not an exclusively Christian endeavor. Almost every religion and culture has prayer in some form or another. Some practices are more ritualistic, more liturgical, or more personal. Even the Bible talks about prayers of others … prayers to worthless pieces of wood or carved from stone. And I am not doubting the beliefs of others … I am sure many truly think they are praying to some one,…

Why do we pray? What do we expect from it? What do we think will be the benefits of prayer? Fulfilling a check-list of things we should be doing? Or, like a Santa Claus wish list? A 911 emergency plea? Let’s think a little differently … Building from “With Christ in the School of Prayer”, Andrew Murray shares … Prayer is not a work to maintain in its own right, it is the root and power of all…

For this week … I want to give five quotes about prayer from the Christian Classic, “With Christ in the School of Prayer.” Short quotes. Thought provoking questions. Practical suggestions. Today … “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.” Think about it … we have way too many ‘program’s, ‘events’, opportunities…

For this week … I want to give five quotes about prayer from the Christian Classic, “With Christ in the School of Prayer.” Short quotes. Thought provoking questions. Practical suggestions. Today … “There is nothing that we need to study and practice more than the art of praying.” Think on this … nothing we need to study and practice NOTHING … NOTHING … NOTHING … If this is true, does our…

So … My kid (adult, male, 1200 miles away) asked what he should get his mother for Mother’s Day this weekend. I didn’t answer directly, she really has everything she needs. Maybe a FaceTime with him and the family down in the Lone Star State. But, after much contemplation … I’ve got the best thing each kid can give there mama. Something that should bring every mama a smile to their face … GO TO…

It happens one day a year – but it should happen daily. Even multiple times a day. It is not something we might do … IF!It is something we should do … WHEN! Of all the things they could have asked Jesus to teach them … how to live like Him, how to tap into Spiritual power, how to heal – raise the dead – walk on water -water to wine. We have only one recorded request … Lord, Teach Us To…

Today is Monday – yes, MONDAY. Oh how we love Mondays. Monday gets its name from the Latin scholars who named it. Not that they called it “Monday” but they called it diēs Lūnae … Day of the Moon. MONDAY – MOON DAY. Now, Mondays are officially my day off, away from the office. Right! Like that happens. I do have some wonderful words to share from a hike I did last week – Hazel Trail, Caves and…

You sit at a desk all day. You recline in your chair reading or watching TV. You snuggle in your gaming chair while playing your online Legend of Zelda to Final Fantasy. Me, It’s the Oculus Quest with Beat Saber or watching 360 videos of National Parks. No matter where we spend our time, we all have walls all around us … bricks, cinderblocks, wood, panel, sheet-rock, bamboo (Think Gilligan’s…

Closing doors. Dwindling congregations. Empty nurseries. Cobwebbed collection plates. SBC Voices had a recent article that was a response to the trend of churches closing their doors. And while sometimes church closures are unavoidable, there are times they are avoidable … churches, with open hearts and the help of the power of the Holy Spirit, can overcome obstacles. The article, by Mark…

It all starts early in the morning. I must arrive at the airport pre-dawn and go through the thorough and professional screening of the TSA. I am headed to the metropolitan area of Dallas-Fort Worth. I am stoked to see my son – my DIL – and the three grandsons. Much is planned in the 48 hours I will be there. Now, this is a bit of something out of my norm. I would most often head by car to the…

As I write this, Virginia is in the middle of a vote that determines whether our congressional districts will be redrawn or if they will remain with the 2021 lines by a bipartisan committee. No matter the outcome, the issue will not be settled today. The Supreme Court has this little states 13 electoral votes and the constitutional parameters of the aforementioned issue. As a pastor – I sent out…