I had a unique relationship with my father-in-law. I met him before I met my wife, Ann. He was a wonderful man of faith, although he had a tendency to stick me with the bill when we ate out. I still loved the man. Anyhow, we were talking one afternoon about the nature of man and Scripture. His position was that man was inherently evil based on Scripture. I took the losing argument that I believed ...  Read More

Tess, Pastor Dave's beloved West Highland Terrier, brought unconditional love and companionship into his life for 15 years before illness led to the heartbreaking decision to have her humanely put to sleep. Although the loss left lasting questions and guilt, the experience taught Pastor Dave about the sacredness of life, unconditional love, and trusting God to stand beside us through difficult decisions and grief.  Read More

I enjoyed being a kid. Every day would bring new adventures, and as my mother would say, "Getting into mischief." Mischief for me would range from pinging my next-door neighbor's hogs with a BB gun while they were kept in a pen, to playing with fire sticks and setting the woods next door on fire. We lived on a five-acre lot that was largely undeveloped. We had to use a dirt lane that ran close to ...  Read More

I used to fancy myself as a hunter of sorts. What I mean by that is, I would take my Daisy BB gun and go “pinging.” Pinging was shooting at tin cans, bottles, stop signs, and whatever else didn’t move.My buddy and I eventually graduated to birds and any other animals that weren’t fast enough to hide from us, such as dogs, cats, and my neighbor’s hogs. There was always an occasional snake or two.My...  Read More

One of the important things I have learned over the span of my life is, “You’ve got to pay attention to what you are doing!”With distractions come reminders. If I am not paying attention, someone will remind me to “Pay Attention. David, pay attention. You are driving; keep your hands on the wheel. David, watch the road; you are drifting over the yellow line. David, don’t talk while the teacher is ...  Read More

I like to think of myself as a scholar of sorts. With the level of education I have, I must have read something. I was not a good student in the traditional sense. I would read what I needed to read to get by. My parents were concerned, so they put me in a reading class to improve my reading skills. I did it because I had no choice. It was then that I discovered a whole new world of scholarship.On...  Read More

Each morning, walking to school, I would leave the house, walk a block down the road, and meet a close friend. We would then take a shortcut through an orange grove, pick a couple of oranges, and continue walking. We weren’t in the same class, so we would go our separate ways and meet up again after school to walk home.One morning, I was called down to the principal’s office. My friend was already...  Read More

I lived close enough to the Elementary school I attended, I could walk every day and I did. Each morning I would get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and then head out the door. The school was less than half a mile from my house. I would walk down the street to the corner, make my turn to the right and head on to the school that I could see in the distance.Everything was fine until one morning anoth...  Read More

Early on, I learned my parents were not going to give me money to spend as I wished. I had to earn it by doing odd jobs. During the summertime, I worked with one of my father's construction crews, making two dollars an hour. If I worked an eight-hour day, I could make sixteen dollars before taxes. The other odd job I had was mowing lawns for two dollars a lawn. It didn't matter the size of the law...  Read More

I was suddenly awakened by the sound of glass shattering against the kitchen wall downstairs in my aunt's house. It was during one of my mother's annual summer trips to visit family. My mother's sister had not been lucky in love and had married a raging alcoholic. He came home after an all-night bender.I was 10 years old at the time. I jumped out of bed. My older cousin was already in the hallway,...  Read More

I have become aware over the past year of the amount of unstable weather that has come our way—thunderstorms and straight-line winds. Anything that is not anchored down gets blown away, including trees and sometimes even houses. While devastating, it still seems like small potatoes in my mind. Of course, I am speaking from the experience of sitting through a full-blown hurricane for 24 hours.I gre...  Read More

Pastor David's daughter helps clean out the house by throwing away expired food and organizing the garage, where they discovers a notebook belonging to his mother. The notebook contains poems, stories, and a favorite hymn that reveal his mother's deep but private faith in God. This discovery reminds him of his spiritual roots and the importance of faith. This song encourages readers to let go of unnecessary things and reconnect with what truly matters, especially their relationship with God.  Read More