Teachers are a whole lot like people. One day I saw my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Thompson, at the grocery store. I thought it was strange. Why would she be at the store? In the ninth grade I was shocked one night at church when my science teacher, Mr. Mashburn, turned out to be one of the guest soloists at the Christmas Cantata. Right then I had this incredible insight—schoolteachers must be people too. Some of us take a little longer to discover the obvious. My favorite teacher was Mrs. Evans. She taught fourth grade.

Do you remember the rule about not chewing gum at school? Mrs. Evans explained it this way: “Do as I say, not as I do.” She always chewed bubblegum after lunch. Sometimes she forgot to throw it away before class. She told us that the real reason we could not chew gum at school was because some children did not throw away their gum properly. She made us look under our desks. Petrified gum and freshly chewed gum can be easily distinguished. Her solution was Lifesaver mints every day after lunch for everyone. Mrs. Evans also taught us how to read with understanding. It was one thing to read the words, she said, it was quite something else to understand the “intent and content” of a book or story. She opened my world. Also, she could blow the biggest bubbles with her gum.

I liked some of my teachers more than others. I preferred the explainers, challengers and encouragers, but I have been shaped by each of my teachers. I have worked with public school teachers and principals now all my adult life, from homeroom parent to community board member. The teachers I know live for those moments of insight and understanding. They rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Teachers prepare, plan and provide, over-and-above all that they can, so their students will catch the joy of life and discover their own dreams for tomorrow. As the school year rapidly comes to its conclusion next month, be mindful of the teachers who sacrifice so much in order to make our world a better place. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Thank the teachers you know. And let’s experience the love and power of God together. 

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I came across some long-forgotten notes and papers while searching for things totally different. I recognized these were from a retreat I had attended in Atlanta about 2003. It was a gathering of urban pastors from across the south to talk about ministries in our old neighborhood, metropolitan cities. We were seeking to discern the patterns of God’s leading in the congregations located in or near the heart of our city centers. Most of the 25 or so of us knew each other either by reputation, through denominational service, or from college or seminary days. We covered a wide range of topics. My notes reminded me that we even spent time discussing war. This was after 9/11, and deployments to the Middle East were affecting thousands of families. How do pastors and church leaders reconcile the call to war, the call to peacemaking, and the teachings of the Prince of Peace? 

We sought to understand how Jesus dealt with evil in everyday relations, not just demon casting. I wrote notes that reflected a couple of things that struck me that were discussed about war. Because of Jesus’ work of redemption and reconciliation to all the world, war is no longer God’s work in the world. War is of the devises of men. Our nation continues to exhibit Vietnam Syndrome, which is ambivalence toward foreign wars because of that war’s mix of honor, controversy and shame. War magnifies the suffering—people are dying, widows are being made, children are orphaned, and the once whole are lamed, maimed, and blinded. The concluding words of our discussion on war spoke of a healthy dose of humility.  As the current US/Israeli War threatens to purposefully “wipe out the Iranian civilization,” my observation is:  this needs to end now. This war is not just. War is evil, and pretending our God chooses us in any war, goes against all that Jesus died and rose again for.  

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Honor the Prince of Peace. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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Easter 2026 is here already. In preparation I was reading the back story of some of the traditional Easter hymns we sing each year. I came upon this first-person account in the Companion to the Baptist Hymnal:

Although history has revealed that this world has never been very stable, it seems that our century has been especially a time of upheaval and crisis. Our world is a planet filled with injustices, betrayals of national and personal trust, bigotry, greed, and immorality, situated on a nuclear powder keg, the fuse of which is well within the reach of men who may be lacking in sound moral judgment and personal integrity. It was into this world at this time we were bringing our third little baby. Assassinations, riots, drug traffic, and war monopolized the headlines. It was in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that the assurance of the Lordship of the risen Christ blew across our troubled minds like a cooling breeze in the parched desert. Holding our tiny son in our arms we were able to write: “How sweet to hold our newborn baby, and feel the pride, and joy he gives. But greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days, because He lives.”  Bill and Gloria Gaither named their tune Resurrection for the Baptist Hymnal (1975 Edition). 

All the Easter hymns and songs are designed to be sung on any day that celebrates Jesus. Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Sunday is Resurrection Day. Easter is the embodiment of John 3:16. All sin, suffering, death and grief give way to the resurrection power of life today, and for eternity through Jesus. Our testimony has become,  Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because He lives all fear is gone!  Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living  just because He lives.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Celebrate Easter! And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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In November 1997, I was leading a week-long prayer mission in the capitol city of Chad in central Africa. That Sunday afternoon the church leaders invited me to participate in a previously scheduled “everyone goes around the circle and prays” type meeting focused on the persecuted Christians of their country. As the time of prayer unfolded, I realized the people gathered for prayer had a different understanding of religious persecution than is usually discussed in U.S. church life. For them, religious persecution meant living on the edge of denying Christ, or becoming a refugee, tortured, or killed. 

From his observation point on Patmos, John becomes an eyewitness to another Palm Sunday, as recorded in Revelation 7:9-17. This passage tells of his vision of a great multitude waving their palm branches before the throne of the Lamb. According to the opening verses of the book, John’s vision took place on the Lord’s Day.  At this other Palm Sunday, the crowd reflects the persecuted believers of every land and time. At this other Palm Sunday, the martyred people’s blood-drenched clothes have been bathed again in the blood of The Lamb who was slain. At the other Palm Sunday, the witnesses’ garments glisten with the purity of the Savior’s love.  An abiding promise echoes through to the faithful—Never again, never again, will you have to suffer or die.

Our prayers that afternoon for the persecuted were interrupted by the presence of a stranger, who was whisked back to a different room. Later that evening his story emerged. He claimed to be a Muslim Imam. He told of a dream in the night of Jesus calling his name. He began reading a version of the Sermon on the Mount, eventually deciding to convert to Christianity. He was running for his life from his family and community, still dressed in his religious garb. The church was supportive, yet wary of the danger he might pose. The concluding conversations determined not to underestimate God’s salvation reach. Let us wave our palms in prayer this Palm Sunday for the faithful witnesses.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life. Stand with the faithful.  And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

These words of Jesus are found in the heart of the Beatitudes. Eirēnopoiós, peacemaking in the Greek, means to actively cultivate and maintain peace in relationships. It is a characteristic of the children of God as they live out the Kingdom of God on earth. Peacemaking is an intentional effort to understand others despite the multitude of differences that can separate and divide. Peacemaking is a work of transformation as conflict is resolved and a spirit of unity is created. Jesus goes on to amplify peacemaking when he calls disciples like you and me to turn away from eye-for-an-eye thinking to actively loving your enemy. I refer to this teaching as Jesus encouraging us to turn our enemies into our friends.

Sometimes this Beatitude is mischaracterized as keeping the peace. Peacekeeping is closer to policing others—trying to implement a “no-disagreement” policy, or just an avoidance of any conflict at all. Peacemaking is harder than that. Peacemaking requires time, energy, and empathy. For all the people involved, it utilizes our skills of active listening and intentional learning. It demands a willingness to change our thinking and suspend some of our previous conclusions. It may necessitate a compromise of actions and planning. Peacemaking involves much prayer and tenderness, confession and humility. Peacemaking is on-going discipleship—encouraging each other, building up each other, and loving each other beyond politeness or mere civility. It is self-sacrificing and generous. Peacemaking changes us, our emotional tensions, and our mental wellbeing. It changes our workplaces, our churches and our homes. Peacemaking changes the world to become more like the kingdom of heaven.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Make peace. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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​Rationalizing away our sins starts early for some of us. Making a certain Bible verse fit the meaning we want it to have, is an ever-present temptation for believers and cynics alike. The story is told of a cookie jar on the counter of the kitchen. The single mother tried to provide for her daughter in the best ways she knew. The mom worked in the school cafeteria so she could be on her daughter’s schedule. She mended clothes for the resale store at night. Every now and then she splurged by putting cookies in the jar. Part of the bedtime routine was to sit at the kitchen table with her daughter to read a Bible passage, learn a memory verse for the week together, and then pray. One time they memorized the Beatitudes. Another time they had a contest to name allthe books of the New Testament in order. Like most mother-daughter relationships, there was a bit of a tug-of-war of wills.

It was the constant lessons on the Ten Commandmentsthat got the best of young Taffy—especially the one about lying, and maybe stealing, and the one about respectfullanguage. That one was hardest to keep around her friends at school. Sometimes mothers just know things, and she did work at her daughter’s school. One week the cookies in the jar seemed to disappear too quickly. The mom thought it was time to confront her daughter. She started with the commandments question—what are the Ten Commandments? Taffy recited them perfectly. Mom pointed to the cookie jar as a witness to all their conversations about the commandments. “If the cookie jar could talk, what commandment would the cookie jar say had been broken?” Taffy looked at her mother, then to the jar. “The cookie jar always says the same thing, Mom, Let the children come to me.” 

Knowing God’s Word and living out the Word is a constant tug-of-war of wills—God’s vs. ours. We know how to justify our own sins and rationalize away the consequences. We can even do it with a grin and a wink. No matter how much we might try to make it work, Nonever means Yes.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Live out God’s Word honestly. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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It started with me on my knees digging around for our old vinyl record collection. Our two younger grandsons are vinyl collectors of more current recording artists. After a few conversations, I invited the boys to lunch followed by the exploration of a back corner in our closet. We pulled the two crates out to peruse them. Stuffed in the front of one was an assortment of wall calendars from 1987-2003. We pulled the calendars out of our way to treasure hunt. Four or five records were worth it. The boys moved the crates back to their spot. When Dorothy came home from work that day, she noticed the pile of calendars on the bed. I told her these were the ones with such great pictures we just had to save them. A few days later when we looked at them, we discovered a few were What Cats Teach Us Calendars and others had pictures that looked like our former cats. God is so good to have provided the world with a glorious array of animals. Here are some lessons that cats can teach us:

Make eye contact if you want something

Conserve your energy for when it counts

Climb new heights

Never underestimate the power of a purr

Find your place in the sunshine

Scratch, stretch, and yawn

Take a leap of faith

Cats, kittens, puppies and dogs always remind us to smile, relax, and enjoy the peaceful times. They need to be looked after, chased after, and cleaned up after. They offer uncritical affection and companionship. They sense how we feel, and understand some of our moods, for  they can be moody also. They are good to be around even if they pretend to ignore us. But we must remember each cuddly kitten has razors for claws and mouse traps for teeth. They were born to be wild and daring, skillful and cunning. They are patient when they see an opportunity unfold and quick to seize the moment. Universal pet healthcare is not a thing yet, and they can be gone too quickly. Grieving for a pet is a genuine emotion. The Scriptures reveal that heaven is filled with living creatures of all sorts. Maybe even cats.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. God is so good. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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The Lord of the Lizard Eaters (Saurophaganas maximus) is unreal. I call it Liz E.  The Liz E was discovered in Cimarron County over a century ago. Liz E was immortalized by the Oklahoma Legislature as our very own State Fossil back in 2000. (I have personal thoughts about our elected officials’ flights of fancy that are best left unwritten.)  Liz E was recreated for display by the Noble Museum of Natural History on the campus of Oklahoma University in Norman for all the world to see. Liz E was a great lord because it was the biggest meat-eating dinosaur fossil ever found in Oklahoma. Only it was not. It was not the biggest. It was not a dinosaur. It was never a lord at all.

It was all a hoax. According to the Tulsa World, after some deeper investigation recently by graduate student Andy Danison, of Oklahoma State University (of course), Liz E was found to be composed of a mixture of three different kinds of dinosaur bones. This launched a massive effort to find a real Oklahoma dinosaur fossil to fill the emptiness left to carry on the role of State Fossil. A new dinosaur fossil has been brought forth to assume the honor.

The Earthquake Lizard (Sauroposeidon proteles) was found near Atoka in 1994. Standing nearly 60 feet high, its bones are almost tree sized. E Liz, as I call it, would have been heard and felt as it wandered in search of its next meal. We have been assured this is a complete and genuine fossil. In related news from Oklahoma City, the State Mushroom has been picked.

Petty little lords and worthless golden gods litter the biblical story of redemption’s call to seek the truth found only in the one true God and expressed in Jesus, the true Lord of All. Frauds and shysters masquerading as the genuine thing beckon to us today. Worthless fakes will rob you of your livelihood, your life’s work, and your very soul. Only Jesus shows us the way, the truth, and the life. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Jesus is Lord!  So let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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This year the Bicentennial Babies born in 1976 turn fifty. That makes those who are born in the U.S. this year, Semi-quincentennial Babies, which is easier to say than spell. The celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence a quarter-millennium ago is officially being called America250, although other groups are profiteering using similar names. On the back of the one-dollar bill are both sides of The Great Seal of the United States. At the base of the Pyramid, which represents the 13 foundational colonies, are the Roman numerals MDCCLXXVI, 1776. The Spirit of 1776 is what we celebrate each 4^th of July. Sadly, most Americans do not read the Declaration unless required to in school. It is a profoundly philosophical and moral document born out of the writing of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense, which was first published January 10, 1776.

After reading the Declaration of Independence, which just takes a few minutes, I recommend an excellent book called Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters, by Edward J. Larson. You can also find Edward J. Larson on YouTube providing interview summaries of his book. Watch one. The videos are very similar and last about an hour.

The echoes of the Christian principles of liberty, equality, and justice for all permeate the Declaration. Although many of the signers were culturally blind in the “for all” part, this document set the tone and framework for the building of our nation as united states. The unalienable right to pursue happiness called for local representation to voice the concerns and choices of the people to their governing bodies. By 1782, some of the emerging state constitutions enshrined the “for all” principles into law. Those states declared that liberty, equality and the pursuit of happiness for all made slavery obsolete. Freedom includes everyone. Equality elevates or demeans no one. Justice gives preference to no one. History teaches these principles are fragile and easily lost. Be vigilant.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Happy semi-quincentennial.  And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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There was a time some years ago while reading one of my favorite chapters of Proverbs, when a passage seemed to stand out. I know this story because I wrote down my experience. The verses impressed me as something I needed to pay attention to. I am uncomfortable when that happens because it means I am being spiritually convicted. The verses were, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow’—when you now have it with you.” (3:27-28)  One way to prevent Bible verses from convicting your soul is to quit reading the Bible. I know some people who do that. 

As I was walking to the local diner to have lunch later, a man sitting in the shade asked me for some loose change. I’m uncomfortable when that happens. He asked for the change so that he could have some biscuits and gravy for lunch. I think it was a heavenly set up, also known as a divine appointment. I invited him to join me for lunch. What else could I do? He took me up on my offer. As we walked in the diner he asked me what I did for a living. I told him and felt him pause for a second. I gave him the choice to either join me at my table or eat by himself. He chose my table. He ordered biscuits and gravy and a big glass of milk. I encouraged him to order eggs and sausage also. We ate together and he began to relax and tell me his story. He spoke in generalities at first, then a little deeper, and finally as the trust level grew, even more confessions. He guided the conversation, I mostly listened. At the end of the meal, he thanked me two or three times. I prayed for him, said goodbye, and knew I had been changed. (See also Hebrews 13:2)

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Keep reading the Word. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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