There are always horror stories about the In-laws. If you don't know what an In-law is get married. You may get to take one on your honeymoon. Just kidding? I will say up front I had the best in-laws.Ann's (wife) parents were the best. Her mother was a farm girl raised in northwestern Ohio with 3 sisters and a brother. I use to tease her about milking the cows, feeding the chickens and sloping the...  Read More

I am pretty good at taking other people's advice. I am not very good at taking my own advice. I trick myself into thinking, "I know better".I wasn't very good at taking care of things my parents gave me. For example, I received a new bike for Christmas one year. I decided to spiff it up. I painted it with house paint, a bright orange as I remember. It was ugly, I didn't want the bike anymore but I...  Read More

The things I did as a kid. They wouldn't fly today. Of course they wouldn't fly any day, but I didn't think about that at the time. When I was a tyke I lived in west Dayton, I attended Residence Park Elementary school. I and a buddy hung around together on weekends finding things to do, not necessarily good things, but things.Walking in the neighborhood by the school we decided to break in. We wal...  Read More

Noooo, I am not talking about the hit song by Billy Joel although it is worth a listen. I am remembering a man in my life who had a lot to do with influencing me to allow Jesus to hang around with me. I am not sure I would call it a love/hate relationship but I have always been in a wrestling match with Jesus. That is until a met Keith Tonkle. I was attending a weekend Methodist Youth Retreat beca...  Read More

Going Deeper "Paschal Family"1. Standing at the CrossRead: John 19:25–27Who is present at the cross, and what does their presence reveal about devotion and courage?Most of Jesus’ disciples had fled (Matthew 26:56), yet a few faithful followers remained near the cross.Reflection:Why do you think these individuals stayed when others ran?Life Application:Where in your life is Jesus inviting you to re...  Read More

I grew up hating the words, "Making Do". My memories tell me I was always making do with the things that I had. Kids grow up wanting to be like their friends, having the same things. When my buddies got a new bat, a new glove, a new baseball cap or new clothes I would go home and tell my parents. I wanted the same thing. Usually theirresponse was, "You're just going to have to "make do with what y...  Read More

One of the men hanging on the cross next to Jesus asked that he be remembered when Jesus comes into His kingdom. Jesus promised on that day that the man would be with Him in Paradise. One of the most important requests in life, to spend eternity with Christ, to be remembered. Nobody wants to be left behind.I called a friend in Arkansas just to say hi. He remembers me as Chaplain David. He stated, ...  Read More

On my faith journey I have discovered that there are 10 words that are central to my relationship with Christ.When I finally heard the call to go into ministry I didn't realize I needed to learn more. So to seminary I went. 3 years of biblical studies, preaching courses, language course in Latin, religious education courses and field placement for experience. While all of these requirements were i...  Read More

Authority was a bad word for me as I grew up. It seemed I was constantly in trouble with authority figures. A teacher slapping me in the face because I wouldn't listen to her. A school principal I would visit on a regular basis for violating rules. As a result I would have to bend over and receive 5 swats with a strap which would makeme smile because it really didn't hurt.My most feared authority ...  Read More

The Air Force in all of its wisdom decided I needed to be assigned to a northern tier base, so I was sent to F.E. Warren AFB, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There is a saying in the Air Force, "There is no such thing as a bad assignment". Don't mention that to my wife, Ann. She thought we were being sent to Siberia. It turned out to be one of my best assignments according to me.F.E. Warren is a missile bas...  Read More

One of the least favorite things to do while I am in Haiti is to walk the road at night. Between villages there are no street lights. Except for the occasional car that might pass by, the road is pitch black. Other than the light from a full moon you must make your way in total darkness. In all the years I have been traveling to the country, I have never gotten use to it. It scares me to be walkin...  Read More

One of the things Ann and I enjoyed doing while traveling the world be to go site-seeing. One of our favorite places to go was London, England. There, we would head out to the "Eye". The Eye is a huge Ferris Wheel that sits on the bank of the River Thames. As the wheel would turn, you would reach the top and you could look out over all of London and the surrounding countryside. A panoramic view of...  Read More