An Extraordinary, Exquisite Passion Tale: “The Dream of the Rood.” It is the season for considering the Passion of Christ. There are so many ways to tell the tale that changed the world. In my opinion, one of the most extraordinary and exquisite narratives outside of scripture is “The Dream of the Rood.” “The Dream of the Rood” dates back to the Old English period. Its author is unknown, altough some have suggested Caedmon or Cynewulf. The Vercelli Book,... Read more
You’re [Still] a Good Man, Charlie Brown Two weeks ago, I had the honor to direct my school’s first spring musical: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. It was quite an experience. We had a very young cast, and having never done a musical, they were unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the singing (that was not choir) and dancing. In the end, they were wonderful! And even though we were pulling rabbits out of our hats at the last moment,... Read more
Palms A History in a Coco-nut Shell The versatile palm tree has been used by people since the dawn of time for food, shade, shelter, and decoration, not to mention all the items like baskets and rope that can be made from twisting and weaving it. When we think of Palm Sunday, we think of palm branches or fronds waving in the hands of people and covering the pathway of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem. Curiosity got to me this... Read more
Eight and a Half Miles in Nashville And Why I Recommend It I recently had the honor of visiting Nashville,Tennessee for the National High School Show Choir Finals in which my granddaughter’s choir from Auburn, Alabama was competing. The event was held at none other than the Grand Ole Opry. Having never been to Nashville before, I anticipated an adventure, and I was not disappointed. However, my sixty-eight-year-old feet were not quite prepared for what was on the horizon: eight... Read more
Sometimes the Best Response to God is to Make Haste We are all quite familiar with the fact that we can find rest and peace in Jesus. He promises us that. Words we use are abide in Him, stand firm, be steadfast. However, sometimes God has a different message, a different plan, and a different method. Sometimes the best response to God is to Go! Hurry! Make haste! Don’t Make Haste … Sometimes There are scriptures that warn... Read more
I confess: I am Evangelical, but I am not your enemy. e·van·gel·i·cal /ˌēˌvanˈjelək(ə)l,ˌevənˈjelək(ə)l/ adjective of or according to the teaching of the gospel or the Christian religion. Similar: scriptural biblical Bible-believing fundamentalist orthodox noun a member of the evangelical tradition in the Christian Church. These days, Evangelical has become nearly a curse word in some arenas, particularly on social media. Recently, I was in a face-to-face conversation with a close family member who was belittling the “ignorant Evangelicals” who... Read more
Happy Valentine’s Day, Abba Dear Abba, Happy Valentine’s Day. I have come to realize that, although You are truly the love of my life, I have never sent You a Valentine. I know about love, because You have been writing me Valentines for a long time. You told me:: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the... Read more
Kerygma: an Evangelical Study On Sunday I was watching one of my favorite television preachers, Fr. Cedric Pisegna. During his Live With Passion message, he introduced a new word to me: kerygma. I was fascinated by what I heard and decided to study it a bit. I thought there may be others who would be interested, as well. What is the Kerygma? From the lexicon: “Kerygma (from Ancient Greek: κήρυγμα, kḗrygma) is a Greek word used in the New Testament... Read more
Whatcha Gonna Do With Those Stones, Hon? My first real teaching assignment was in a Kindergarten class in rural Georgia. The first year was challenging in a number of ways, and one of the biggest challenges was a small boy who always seemed to be getting into something he was not supposed to. Once in a while, he became aggressive toward other children, though I don’t think he realized it was aggressive. Throwing things at other children while smiling... Read more
Love That Bears Fruit I believe we all want our love to bear fruit. A Little Context for Love 1 John 4:7-21 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might... Read more
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