Charisa Stories

All articles by daveburchett

Amy Grant recorded “My Grown-up Christmas List” for her “Home For Christmas” album. The lyrics imagine an adult going back to Santa with a different perspective on what matters most in life. Instead of material things the writer now asks for good things for others. I love the sentiment of the song. No more lives torn apartThat wars would never startAnd time would heal all heartsEveryone would have a friendAnd right would always winAnd love would never endThis is my grown-up Christmas list I thought about my “grown-up” Christmas list. I would love for all of the things in the lyrics above to come true. But I have lived enough to know they likely will not. Every day some lives are torn apart. Wars start too frequently. Time does not heal every heart. Some who are reading this are lonely. Right seems to lose way too often and love ends heartbreakingly for many. So what could I wish for that would
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Here is the Final Chapter of Stay

Last week we had to say goodbye to our sweet rescued dog Maggie. I spent the last few days looking back at what I wrote about Maggie in 2014 when my book Stay was submitted for publication. She was just a couple of years old when I finished the manuscript so I decided to write an epilogue about her amazing development over the last 10 years. If you have a copy of Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace you can print this out and put it at the end of the volume. I don’t think Tyndale Momentum Publishing will reissue the book to include this chapter but feel free to ask them! Our girl was found running loose near Van Alstyne, Texas in the fall of 2012. She was a few months old when rescued but was in very bad shape with an open gash on her leg. She was undernourished and tested positive for
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How Maggie Taught an Old Dog the Importance of Sit and Stay

(Another story of Maggie’s doggie discipleship from Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace) Maggie is a Labrador puppy mixed with some other mystery DNA. She is a bouncing, wiggling, sixty-pound bundle of unrestrained energy. Whenever she sees a new person, she cannot stop herself from jumping. Oddly enough, some people do not enjoy sixty-pound creatures hurdling pell-mell into their personal space. Weird. So we either need to fix this bad behavior or become hermits. Today we enrolled Maggie in puppy training classes. One of the first things the instructor, Tony, said was both apparent and profound.  “First of all, you have to teach her to sit and stay. When she is sitting, she can’t jump and misbehave.” Thank you, Captain Obvious. Wait a minute. Is this another lesson for me in my discipleship-by-dog journey? Maggie needed to learn to sit to avoid committing doggie offenses. I need to sit too, in a spiritual sense. The truth is,
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Lessons from Maggie: The Joy of Submitting to a Gentle Leader

(To honor my sweet girl Maggie’s memory I am posting a chapter from Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. I hope you enjoy my canine mentorship!) Chapter 19 – Gently Leading Today Maggie took me out for a drag. I would prefer that her idea of a walk would more closely resemble mine, so we have some work to do. I either need to find a way to train her not to pull me around the neighborhood or rescue ten more Labs just like her and enter the Iditarod dog sled race. I don’t particularly care for freezing to death, so I think I will work on training Maggie to walk instead of pull. Maggie has definitely made progress learning her commands, but I knew that she needed some extra help on the walking front. A tip from our trainer led us to a device called the Gentle Leader. He demonstrated how it works and
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I Believe My Eternal Walk Off Celebration Will Be Awesome!

Author Jon Gordon recently posted a quote from Josh Noem that is going viral. “I collect images of walk-off home run hitters rounding third because they are an image of heaven.” This image was posted with the quote. That post brought to mind a story I shared in Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. I recounted a walk-off home run and how that might resemble my eternal heading home. Here is the excerpt from my book. It was a sports director’s dream moment. The Rangers had a few “walk-off” wins last season, scoring the winning run in the last at bat at home. When a game is over, both teams walk off the field but with very different body languages. In this particular game against the Los Angeles Angels, we were all tied up in the bottom of the ninth with two outs on the board. Rangers’ catcher Geovany Soto was at the plate. I
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Can Thanksgiving Day Still Be A Special Holiday?

May I suggest a simple path to enjoy this Holiday season? Turn off the news and concentrate on what you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I think you might be surprised at how many good things you take for granted everyday. I love the concept of Thanksgiving. The idea that we collectively take a day to concentrate on the abundant blessings we have in this country. I pray we can expand the concept past Thursday. Thanksgiving Song by Mary Chapin Carpenter captures the intimacy of this wonderful holiday. Grateful for each hand we holdGathered round this table.From far and near we travel home,Blessed that we are able. I have so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. I am grateful for another year with my wonderful wife Joni. I am grateful for three wonderful sons, three amazing daughter-in-laws, and seven heart stealing grandchildren. I am blessed that our family is able to be together this Thanksgiving. I am grateful for good
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Is Hypocrite The Most Damaging Word For the Church?

Hypocrite. There is no more damaging name to lay on a church goer than the dreaded title of hypocrite. Sometimes it is used unfairly. Often it is a smokescreen used by folks who want an excuse not to examine faith in their own lives. You have heard the line I’m sure. “I used to go to church but it is full of hypocrites.”  The temptation is always to remind them there is room for one more hypocrite in the building. The more mature response as followers of Christ is to examine that charge seriously in our own lives. The word hypocrite comes from a Greek word that means actor. How appropriate. People are watching. And we too often give Oscar caliber performances on Sunday morning. They see that on Sunday you’re a saint and on Monday you ain’t. And that does damage. It is time to look in the spiritual mirror and drop the masquerades. If we are following Jesus it will make a
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I Really Need To Adopt This Calendar Lesson From Jesus

Nowhere in Scripture will I find this command. “Be busy, and know that I am God.” My busyness does not please God. My faith pleases Him. And I can’t have faith and trust in someone I am too busy to know well. Day in and day out, I need to heed this truth: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 I have a remarkable role model named Jesus for how to balance busyness and priorities. Jesus never allowed the tyranny of the urgent to supersede the ultimately more important reward of relationships. He didn’t feel the need to drive Himself to exhaustion to teach and preach. “Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house.” Matthew 13:36 It is instructive that Jesus withdrew from the crowd (and the obligation I likely would have felt) to spend time with His disciples. The most important thing for Jesus was to prepare His disciples and not to “friend” several hundred
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Sharing A Bipartisan Devotional with Guaranteed Good News

I am offering these humble ramblings before the 2024 Election Day. I care deeply about my country. I have deep convictions about many political issues. I have friends and family on both sides of the aisle desperately wanting victory. I have friends and family suffering anxiety that the world will collapse if their side loses. I used to suffer that anxiety and desperate desire to win. Something has completely changed in my heart. May I share 5 reasons why I have experienced that change of heart? Our Western culture demands answers. We feel the need and even the right to understand why something happens. Is God totally sovereign or do I have free will? Logic says one or the other must be true. God says both are true. We can’t fathom that so we pick a side. As I have slowly grown in my faith I have come to fully embrace the many attributes of God and that His plan
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What Jesus Would Say About Politics in the Pulpit?

I used to be a rabid political guy. I once believed we could change the culture with the correct political leaders. I was right to dream about changing our culture but I was wrong about the best method. Even if I could get my “dream team” elected we would still have a problem in our world. Sin. Politics and legislation don’t change the inconvenient truth that we have an inherent human heart problem. Jesus gave us a perfect example of what it looks like to be a good citizen while recognizing what really changes the heart of man. The religious legalists (the Pharisees) were trying to trick Jesus to get Him in trouble with the Roman government. Nice try. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”
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Do You Not Love God if You Don’t Love Your Neighbor?

I recently finished a free online course from Dallas Theological Seminary taught by Dr. Stanley Toussaint. His application from the Parable of the Good Samaritan was simple and positively convicting. ”You can tell how a person loves God by how they love people.” Ouch. My defensive response included an excuse about how difficult it is to love some people. Come on Lord. You know them better than I do! Later that day I cued a Spotify country song list and up popped a tune by bluegrass singer Rhonda Vincent. God has a sense of humor. The song is called “You Don’t Love God If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor” and the lyrics begin like this. There are many peoplewho will say they’re Christiansand they live like Christians on the Sabbath day But come Monday morning, til the coming SundayThey will fight their neighbor all along the way. {chorus}Oh you don’t love God, if you don’t love your neighborif you gossip about
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Why Misplaced Hope Makes Life So Hard

It is more than a little disconcerting to see the division, anger, and hatred we are witnessing in our country. I experienced a similar season in the late 1960’s but this one seems even more intense. Perhaps social media and 24 hour news exacerbates the tension. As a self-righteous know-it-all back then I thought we would be able to fix everything my parent’s generation had messed up. We had great hope that we would change the system and fix the problems. We thought that hope would be realized with the right leader or a political party. In retrospect I see that I was putting my long game hope in all the wrong places. The word hope is used about 80 times in the New Testament. The first appearance of the word in the NIV New Testament translation pretty much lays out my belief that my hope is not found in the houses of power. “In his name (Jesus) the nations
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The Most Difficult Thing Jesus Asks of Us

I think forgiveness is the most challenging thing Jesus commands us to do. I sometimes ignore God’s Word about forgiveness and whether someone “deserves” mercy. Scripture can be so annoying! Paul threw down this difficult challenge to the Ephesian church. Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32, NLT) That is a very tall order and one that is impossible to do without remembering how much I have been forgiven. If you say something nasty about me and ask for forgiveness, I will probably grant it. If you do it again and ask forgiveness, I might forgive you again. If you do the same thing again and ask forgiveness, I will most likely respond with skepticism and ask you to “prove” you are sorry. Yet that illustration is exactly what I do in my relationship with God every day. I have asked Him to forgive the same sin dozens, even
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The Number One Component for Healthy Community

Bill Withers wrote and recorded a song that we could sing in church on Sundays. The lyrics talk about the pain we all endure and the need for community to help us through. Sometimes in our livesWe all have painWe all have sorrow Lean on me, when you’re not strongAnd I’ll be your friendI’ll help you carry on I write a lot about grace in community. Some say too much. To be honest, I have had moments when I wondered if living in community with messy people is worth it. I have come to understand why legalism is so much easier than grace. Legalism allows me to assess the situation and then apply a verse, assign a task, and move away in self-righteous expectation. If that person rejects that Biblical admonition or task then legalism allows me to withdraw because they are disobedient. Grace does not give me that option. Grace demands that I move toward the struggle of my
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How Does God Measure Your Value Differently from the World?

Valuing everyone is how Jesus lived. He modeled that value with women, children, people with physical and mental challenges, lepers, social outcasts, and sinners. He served the weak and loved the unloved. He created the template for the New Testament church. How did the early church explode and multiply against all odds? By serving selflessly, recklessly, and fearlessly. There was nothing comfortable about spreading the news about Jesus in the days, months, and years after His resurrection. The Apostles understood after the Cross what Jesus had been trying to tell them earlier. That the world measures greatness on an entirely different scale from the one that God uses. Remember that debate among the apostles? They had the criteria for greatness completely wrong. They began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’
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Jesus is the Escape Plan From a Difficult Past

I love this quote from E. L. Doctorow about writing: “It’s like driving a car at night: you never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” That is profoundly simple and true. I think this principle applies to writing, living, and especially for living a life of faith. Life is like driving in fog. I wish I could see farther ahead on my journey, but the truth is, I cannot. I can see only as far as the light that illuminates my path. Because I’m a Christian, that is all I really need to know. Christ, my Light, reassures me that I can (and will) make the whole trip in that way. But there is fear in the unknown of the future, and it is easy to dwell in the predictable events of the past. Not dwelling in the past is a huge issue to address on my journey to trust God even in
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So You Think You are Strong Enough to Handle Anything? Think Again.

After listening to a few minutes of depressing news I needed a little soul nourishment. Rich Mullins is one of my go to songwriters for that need. The first song that played was very timely in this season of uncertainty.  “We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are” shows how our relationships can be fragile in the best of times. Well, it took the hand of God AlmightyTo part the waters of the seaBut it only took one little lieTo separate you and meOh, we are not as strong as we think we are. If only we could acknowledge that we are not as strong as we think we are and then live accordingly I believe we would see an amazing difference.  I need God and the community of believers to be spiritually and emotionally healthy. Yet pride often tells me that I am able to handle the situation. Fear tells me that revealing the needs of my heart will only make
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The Jesus Contract is the Best You Will Ever be Offered. And it’s Irrevocable!

When Joni and I purchased a new house a few years ago we visited the title company to sign the official documents. The person from the title company relentlessly pushed papers in front of us along with a brief description of what we were signing. My memory may not be exact but it was something like this. This one says that the builder is transferring the deed to you. And this one says that you have paid the taxes that you owe to Caesar. This one says that you agree to let the HOA control everything you think and do. This one says that you are paying us random fees that you have no idea what they are or why they are needed but you have no choice. This one says a lawyer gets a lot of money for cut and pasting into a standard document. It was a mind-numbing process and by the end I probably would have signed
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Don’t Know Much About Theology? Try a Karaoke Challenge!

I used to get nervous around Biblical scholars. They would start talking about the text in the original languages and I realized the only Greek I understood was yogurt. To be honest, it seemed like some theologians were to joy in Christ what nutritionists were to enjoying cheesecake. They took something potentially full of delight and made you feel guilty about your lack of discipline. Yet something changed in my life. I saw the need for a solid theological basis for what I believe. All of this came to mind when Sam Cooke’s classic Wonderful World popped up on my playlist. You know the one where Sam builds a strong case for academic slacking actually being a strength. Don’t know much about historyDon’t know much biologyDon’t know much about a science bookDon’t know much about the french I took But I do know that I love youAnd I know that if you love me tooWhat a wonderful world this would be I modified
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Is Performing the Best Path to Spiritual Growth?

I learned growing up in a legalistic church that my eternal destiny was determined to a large extent by my performance. I had to be good. I had to do my part. The performance message was reinforced all around me in church and in life. If you eat your vegetables you can have dessert.If you are good you get toys at Christmas.If you get all A’s you will get a monetary reward.If you behave your parents will be proud of you. So I learned to perform to get rewards and affirmation. Performance addiction is easy in legalism because you always have someone willing (and extremely happy) to challenge how well you are doing and where you can improve. So I performed. I tried hard. Then harder. Like most performance addicts I got tired and sad and desperate. I was on the verge of accepting that this journey with Jesus is a lot of begrudging compliance. The supposed joy that I
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How Fiery Trials Make You Stronger

My lovely wife loves pottery, so one of my “sacrificial” ways to love Joni is to accompany her to pottery shops. Guys refer to that as “hitting behind the runner” or “taking the charge.” Once we visited a shop where the artisans were making vases and pots right before our eyes, surrounded by shelves of the colorful, beautiful, and functional finished products. While Joni looked around, I watched a potter take a nondescript lump of clay and skillfully make a unique creation. This verse from Isaiah came to mind. O Lord, you are our Father.We are the clay, and you are the potter.We all are formed by your hand.  (Isaiah 64:8) I was fascinated by the complexity of the process. The potter must make sure that no dirt or impurities are in the clay. These unwanted materials will make the pot weak and unusable for its intended purpose. God desires to do the same with us. Impurities (sin) weaken us and keep us from
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How to Choose Hope and Light over Doom and Darkness

I remember reading Chicken Little when I was a child. The story tells about a young chick walking along that is unexpectedly struck on the head by an acorn. With no further investigation Chicken Little came to the kind of conclusion that floods our social media today. The sky is falling! Today Chicken Little would be an excellent politician or cable news anchor. Every time I violate my own personal mental health policy and turn on the news I am plunged into despair.  The sky is falling! Look! There is an expert displaying a colorful chart to prove it! Hear me out. I know it is important to communicate information for our actions and safety. But the tone and sheer volume of fear mongering is depressing. When I fall totally into the abyss and survey social media I see overwhelming fear, anger, gloom, and apocalyptic doom. Again, I understand the need to be informed. But I am beginning to think
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Want to Represent Your Faith Effectively?

Regular consumers of my humble ramblings (bless your hearts) know that I often find spiritual application from song lyrics both secular and sacred. Blame it on faulty brain wiring at the factory. This week I heard a snippet from Carly Simon’s haunting ballad “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” that triggered today’s musing. The song talks about the ideal of marriage. Her partner wants to marry and is convinced their union will make their relationship different. The lyrical response hit my heart. You say we can keep our love aliveBabe – all I know is what I see – She had seen too many marriages start with fairy tale dreams and end in sorrow. That sad topic is another blog. What hit me on this day was how that principle of believing only what you see is how we, as followers of Jesus, can impact non-believers. We tell people we have good news. We tell people we have an
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Stop Broad Brushing if You Really Care About Others

One of the things that I struggle with the most in our current cultural climate is the broad brushing by all sides. What do I mean by that? If you disagree with someone’s faith or political opinion you automatically assign to them the worst values from the most extreme people proclaiming that message. Without knowing a single thing about the person’s story, their heart, or their background we are prone to throw down the gauntlet of judgment.  A lot of Christians have been unfairly targeted recently. Some deserve to be called to accountability. I have never had a problem with being honest about how I and many other followers of Jesus often fall short of representing the grace and love of Jesus.  That is just a fact. That doesn’t change who Jesus is. But one heartbreaking result is that the entire Christian faith is being dismissed and denigrated by a lot of people with social media influence.  With just a bit
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Don’t Fool Yourself. Everybody Serves Somebody or Something.

Bob Dylan wrote some powerful songs about his faith journey in the late 70’s. One song he composed popped up on the music feed recently. “Gotta Serve Somebody” simply says that no matter how independent or in control we might try to be we still serve something or somebody. But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeedYou’re gonna have to serve somebodyWell, it may be the devil or it may be the LordBut you’re gonna have to serve somebody I used to think I was self-sufficient but I was fooling myself. My self-image centered on my job or my social or political beliefs. Those weren’t bad things in my estimation. That lyric struck a spiritual chord because it reminded me of a thought provoking definition of idolatry from author Tim Keller that we can substitute even good things for God. “Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build
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How Can A Loving Grandparent Make an Eternal Impact?

Years ago Joni and I were part of a small church group that met regularly and during one session we asked everyone this question. What person had the biggest impact on you spiritually growing up? Three-quarters of our group shared the same answer. A grandparent. I was one of those who gave that response. My life was impacted then and to this day by my dear Granny Davis. She had taken on the name Davis from her second husband Raymond. Talitha Alice Burchett remarried a few years after enduring the unthinkable tragedy of losing her first husband to typhoid fever when my dad was only six-months-old. A widow with a newborn living in dirt poor Appalachia would have reason to be bitter. But not this remarkable woman. So many words come to mind as I remember Granny Davis. The first word is always gratitude. Anytime I visited she was grateful for one minute of my time or for many hours.
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Want a Healthy Community? Focus on the Last Five Letters of the Word.

One of the 7 Core Values of my church is Community. I was blessed to speak on that value this week at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Here is the statement about Community from our church website. Genuine biblical community means living in caring relationships that are guided by biblical truth and grounded in spiritual accountability. We value real community, and yes, we know how messy and hard it is. But, we also know that real and lasting life-change—spiritual transformation—primarily occurs in the unity and diversity of authentic relationships. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus about living in community in the power of the Spirit. Note that he wrote these caring words while in jail for the “crime” of serving the Lord. His heart for his people overshadowed his difficult circumstance. Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and
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Negative People Offer a Problem for Every Solution

Albert Einstein is generally credited for the thought in today’s title. If so it may be his best theory! I have reached and exceeded my saturation point on negative discourse. Our leaders on both sides, the media, and social media platforms spend a ridiculous percentage of their energy on what is wrong with this world instead of ways to address those problems. Their solutions are often soul-sucking condemnation, judgement, and summary dismissal of people who simply ask questions. Perhaps the most distressing thing is that many in the church have fallen into the same dark space. Christian social media responses to cultural and doctrinal issues may be slightly less profane but not much, if any, less negative. Brothers and sisters, we are supposed to be light! But please don’t take my word for it. Your argument is with Jesus.  “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
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Honestly Dealing with Doubt Grew My Faith

I am amazed by people who are so brazenly sure they are right about what they believe. I have friends who are completely sure there is no God and there is no logical need for such beliefs. They believe science is the ultimate answer for everything and they view my faith as a naive weakness and crutch. Sometimes I long to be as sure of anything as they are of everything. So I will be honest. I have wrestled with doubt in my faith journey. I am not convinced that I know everything. The movie Risen was an interesting take on the decision I made about the validity of the resurrection. Historically, there was a Nazarene who was crucified, and two groups had a tremendous interest in making sure that his death was the end of the story. The Romans wanted no movement to grow so large that it would cause political unrest. The Jewish leaders wanted to stamp out the heresy that
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Is it Possible to be Optimistic in a Pessimistic World?

Let me begin with complete transparency. I am saddened, frustrated, and disappointed with the anger and division in our society. Focusing on those divisive issues leads to anger, fear, and hopelessness.  So how can I be optimistic amidst this societal chaos? When I am feeling down I often go to my spiritual comfort music. I flipped from more depressing news to a list of classic Gospel songs. The first tune to cue up gave me my answer.  I am and will continue to be optimistic in this journey because of this belief conveyed beautifully in these lyrics sung by Nicole C. Mullen. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. That’s it! Because I believe Jesus lives I can face tomorrow. The next lyric should be true if I truly believe Jesus lives. Because He lives,All fear is gone. I am not saying that the enemy does not try to generate fear in my heart and I am not perfect in rejecting those
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Five Friends in Heaven Continue to Impact My Life

As I gain more miles on the life oldometer I reflect more and more about leaving a legacy. For many years I thought that meant having a successful career or maybe writing a bestselling book. In recent years I have been blessed with many friends who have shown me what it means to leave a legacy. The irony is that five of the men who continue to show me what it means to leave a lasting legacy are living in the eternal company of Jesus. They showed me that leaving a legacy is living your life in a way that shows the love and grace of Jesus. If I wrote the impact of each of these friends it would make this a very long read so I decided to share one thing from each that resonates in my heart consistently and powerfully. John Weber was a collegiate wrestler who also wrestled with the acclaimed Athletes in Action traveling team. He was
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Jesus Demonstrated the Value of Rest

Sitting in my home a few years ago I heard a thump. Then another thump. It was silent for a few moments so I went back to my writing. Thump! Okay, now I had to investigate. What I found was a beautiful male cardinal flying around one of our windows. He would hover near the window and then peck aggressively at the pane. Thump! He fluttered around some more and then thumped the glass! The very focused bird stayed busy for several minutes repeating this odd behavior. I did some research and found that cardinals are very territorial. This beautiful bird apparently was seeing his own reflection in the window, and he was letting that intruder know he was not welcome! I worried that he was going to hurt himself defending his family against a nonexistent  threat. How often do we wear ourselves out and even beat ourselves up trying to defend our “territory”? Invariably, our busyness is generated to
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The Parable of the Prodigal is Game Changing

God initiates salvation. The plan is so radical that it feels otherworldly. Salvation is complete and God’s embrace shows His desire to know us as His beloved children. No matter what you have done the Father stands ready to embrace and redeem. That flies in the face of what many of us have experienced in love relationships. But that is exactly the picture that Scripture paints in the story of the Prodigal Son. The son rebelled, sinned, and suffered the horrible consequences of his actions. The son realized his sin and in humble desperation decided to throw himself at the mercy of his father. Clearly the sins of the son would cause him to lose the daily privileges of being a son. But this passage tells us that nothing had changed in how the father viewed his son. The son was sure his behavior had estranged him from his father. The imagery is compelling. The father runs to him. That
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Don’t Forget Where You Came From

I will always remember watching Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder in concert. I have decided that if am ever unresponsive you can check my heart status by playing a Ricky Skaggs tune. If my toe doesn’t start tapping I am likely flat-lined. You just can’t help responding if you have a pulse. I left the concert and waded through Skagg’s discography. One song brought back memories of something my Mom always said to me. The song that jogged that recollection was called Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’. Now lookee here gal don’t ya’ high hat me,I ain’t forgot what you used ta beWhen you didn’t have nuthin,That was plain ta’ see.Don’t get above your raisin’Stay down ta’ earth with me. Mom was raised as a farm girl in Kentucky and she was fiercely proud of that. So anytime she perceived that I was getting a bit uppity and full of myself she would throw that line down. “Don’t get above your raisin’.” Sometimes it was over
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Color Shouldn’t Matter ‘Cause We All Bleed the Same

It was so sad to hear of the passing of the incredibly talented singer Mandisa. I remembered a duet from Mandisa and TobyMac that touched me deeply. They addressed the heartbreaking issue of racism and political division that affects our culture and often impacts the church. These lyrics immediately grabbed my heart. Are you left?Are you right?Pointing fingers, taking sidesWhen are we gonna realize? We all bleed the sameWe’re more beautiful when we come togetherWe all bleed the sameSo tell me why, tell me whyWe’re divided. Why indeed? I am praying for another leader like Martin Luther King Jr who will remind us that hateful rhetoric never, ever, ever changes a heart.  Followers of Christ have a message of hope and light that is desperately needed. But we can get caught up in the politics of our world and snuff out that light. I have been guilty of that in my journey at times. I fear our culture will get darker in
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A Golden Retriever Taught Me The Secret to Contentment

Regular readers of these humble ramblings (all tens of you) know what an over the top dog lover I am. I shared this illustration in my book Stay:Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was
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One Item Is Not Covered by Grace

I talk about grace so much that the auto-suggest on my phone pops up the word as soon as I hit “G”. I suspect that sometimes you faithful readers wish I would mix up my topics. The truth is I cannot. Understanding grace rocked my spiritual world and changed my walk with God in dramatic and wonderful ways. I regularly extol the virtues of grace for a follower of Jesus. Grace compels you to trust others with you. Grace compels you to trust Jesus with your sin because you can’t manage it yourself. Grace compels you to forgive because you have been forgiven. Grace compels you to accept others and not judge them. Grace compels you to move toward the unlovable and not away. Grace compels you to sacrifice when you desire security. Grace compels you to love when your heart is hateful. Grace compels you to trust Jesus out of overflowing gratitude. The amazing thing about God’s grace is
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Eternal Hope Blooms Each Spring

Texas seasons can be brutal for plants and trees. Last summer the heat and lack of rain impacted a new tree Joni and I had planted that spring. A deep winter freeze added to the struggle. As spring began we were not sure if our tree had survived. Day after day the limbs were barren. Then one glorious day tiny buds began to appear on the branches. These green buds sprouted in defiance of summer and winters brutal assault. I stopped and meditated on the miracle of life emerging out of barrenness. I thought of the words of philosopher Bernard Williams. “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” I love that.  Is there anything more hopeful than watching the beauty of budding leaves and blooming flowers turning the melancholy of winter into a wondrous palette of invigorating colors? Every spring is a reminder that God will bring beauty from darkness and life from death. 
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Winning Takes More than Talent

Putting together a roster in major league baseball that makes the playoffs is incredibly difficult. The 162 game season is a brutal grind. There can be lots of friction during that long regular season. Even the best teams can have embarrassing performances. Players and teams have hot and cold streaks. Obviously the most important ingredient is talent but there are a couple of other factors that help make a winning franchise. One of the most important things that winning teams understand is that every teammate brings strengths and weaknesses to the team. A great team celebrates the strengths of each player and works together to offset the weaknesses. I pondered this as I was reading about the career of New York Yankee player Joe Gordon. In 1942 Gordon led the American League in strikeouts. He made more errors that year than any other second baseman. He hit into more double plays than anyone in the league. By dwelling on those stats we could
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The Worst Day of Peter’s Life

There is much written about Good Friday. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is incomprehensible to my puny human intellect. There is much written about Easter Sunday. Christians around the world rejoice and proclaim that “He is risen!”. But there is not nearly as much written about one of the saddest and most confusing days in history. The Saturday between the Friday horror of Jesus on the Cross and the Sunday mystery of the resurrection. Some churches do observe Holy Saturday but it was never a tradition in my faith upbringing. I have been thinking about what that day must have been like for those who dropped everything to follow Jesus. How crushing those events had to be. I imagine the fear they felt that they would also be killed. And for what? On Saturday they feared they had given their careers and their very souls for a false hope. I think in particular of Peter. I identify
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Opening Day Hope is Available Everyday

In my mind there is no more special day in sports than Opening Day in baseball. It is an annual rite of Spring to post this article on the magic of Opening Day. The smell of freshly cut emerald green grass delights the senses. The base lines painstakingly and perfectly defined by a grounds crew that is committed to perfection on this day. Red, white, and blue bunting give the ball park a festive World Series look. The players bounce around like little boys. They seem a little extra grateful that they are paid to play a kid’s game. The hot dogs taste like gourmet food. Humphrey Bogard wisely said that “a hot dog at the ballpark is better than a steak at the Ritz”. Souvenirs a young fan begs for become treasures to be kept until adulthood. And then it becomes a challenge to explain to your wife why a twenty-five-year old bobble head needs to be in the
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Worrying Might Be Worthless Way More Than You Think

I see a lot of worried people around me. Worried about the political season. Worried about the national division. Worried about international tensions. Worried about all kinds of things. But this old proverb rings true today. “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” As I get older I experience more and more how practical Scripture is for daily living. In the teaching of my youth the Bible was a book of lofty and seemingly impossible demands to behave in a way that would please God. Now I see that the Bible is a love story where Jesus met those impossible demands on my behalf. I see now that my simple faith and trust pleases God. And I see a practical book that shows me how to find joy during this temporary journey on earth. Our Designer knew when we left the factory that worry is destructive. Listen to what
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Teeing Up Spiritual Truth from Spring Training

An annual highlight of my sports directing career was visiting Spring Training for Texas Ranger telecasts. I started in Port Charlotte, Florida and then shifted to Surprise, Arizona. I loved the relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to watch players at all levels work on their skills. I was blessed to cover the careers of some amazing players and one of those was Michael Young. In 2005 he won the American League Batting Title with a .331 average while collecting a league best 221 hits. What stunned me in the spring of 2006 was watching Michael Young during batting drills. The AL batting champ was hitting off of a batting tee! I remember coaching young kids who balked at hitting off a tee because they felt too “grown up” to revert to T-Ball. I wish I could have shown them how an All-Star batting champ never felt too advanced to focus on fundamental skills. That lesson of a star athlete focusing
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A Sneak Preview of My Final Message to Friends and Family

When I was a little boy I remember the standard prayer at bedtime. I know it was meant to comfort but one line always freaked me out. Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, Wait? What? If I should die before I wake? I think I will just stay awake for awhile thank you very much. Six decades later that prayer makes a lot more sense. If I should die before I wake I believe I will be in the presence of Jesus. I am not anxious to leave this life but I am not afraid. I have many loved ones who have gone home to heaven. I wondered what message I would like to communicate as my final word? I have been blessed with some wonderful friends and colleagues who would likely say some nice things about me along with some funny and embarrassing
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What Kind of Christian Do I See in the Mirror?

For years I would look into the mirror and wonder where I was on my faith journey. Was I going to Heaven? Was I a good, bad, or indifferent Christian? Was I loved by God? Was I significant? The question of where I was as a follower of Christ and who I was as a person consumed and confused me. The always present Enemy answered the questions above on a regular basis. Probably not going to Heaven. Definitely a bad Christian. Not really being obedient to God or bad things wouldn’t happen to you. Totally insignificant. For too many years I believed the accusations, without considering the question that Philip Yancey asks. “Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me, if I looked in the
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Sit! Stay!

To celebrate the 9th anniversary of the publication of Stay here is a chapter on a lesson learned from Maggie. Maggie is a Labrador puppy mixed with some other mystery DNA. She is a bouncing, wiggling, sixty-pound bundle of unrestrained energy. Whenever she sees a new person, she cannot stop herself from jumping. Oddly enough, some people do not enjoy sixty-pound creatures hurdling pell-mell into their personal space. Weird. So we either need to fix this bad behavior or become hermits. Today we enrolled Maggie in puppy training classes. One of the first things the instructor, Tony, said was both apparent and profound.  “First of all, you have to teach her to sit and stay. When she is sitting, she can’t jump and misbehave.” Thank you, Captain Obvious. Wait a minute. Is this another lesson for me in my discipleship-by-dog journey? Maggie needed to learn to sit to avoid committing doggie offenses. I need to sit too, in a spiritual sense. The
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God’s Under Appreciated Attribute?

My canine companion Maggie and I try to do a couple of walks per day. We have individual goals. She likes to sniff and I like to pray. On a recent walk it occurred to me how often I thank God for one particular response to me. Patience. For over four decades I have been responding to God’s grace and love in very inconsistent patterns. Sometimes I am grateful and serving. Sometimes I am selfish and frustrated. Yet His love for me never changes one bit. I sometimes imagine comparing my faith journey to being a new employee beginning an amazing and undeserved job. On the day I am hired and sign the contract I am excited and committed. I keep that excitement going for a while until I begin to encounter circumstances that discourage me. Instead of going to the boss or seeking solutions I begin to doubt the company and boss. My effort and trust fade rapidly. If
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Don’t Let the Old Man In

Toby Keith wrote a song called “Don’t Let the Old Man in” that was inspired by Clint Eastwood. The song has incredibly helpful applications in my life as I grow older and as I grow as a Christian. Let me explain. Keith wrote the song after a conversation with Eastwood while they were playing golf. Clint was about to celebrate his 88th birthday by going to film a new movie. Toby Keith was blown away and asked him “how do you do it, man?” Eastwood answered, “I just get up every morning and go out. And I don’t let the old man in.” That stuck in Toby Keith’s mind and he penned the song that was featured in the movie “The Mule”. The lyrics are inspiring for me in this season of life. Don’t let the old man inI wanna leave this aloneCan’t leave it up to himHe’s knocking on my door And I knew all of my lifeThat someday
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The Anticipated Joy of Heavenly Reunions Excites my Heart

Wayman Tisdale & Toby Keith I heard the news today that county music singer Toby Keith succumbed to stomach cancer at the too young age of 62. Toby Keith was a talented and imperfect man that had a huge heart for helping others. That is just about the best resume any of us could hope for. I wrote a blog about the things the church could learn from his song, “I Love This Bar”. But my favorite song from Toby Keith was written when his dear friend Wayman Tisdale passed away in May of 2009. Tisdale was one of the all-time great basketball players at Oklahoma University and had a distinguished NBA career. But his first loves were Jesus and music so he retired to pursue those. Toby Keith and Wayman became best friends along the way. Toby talked about his friend in an interview with newson6 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Having a successful career, you meet a thousand celebrities and
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Follow the Grace Rules of Order in a Divided Culture

When I became elder chairman at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship I had to learn Roberts Rules of Order. Not exactly my fastball but having that protocol in place helped the meetings proceed in an orderly fashion. Recently I have been pondering publishing the “Grace Rules of Order”. Seems a little odd because grace doesn’t depend on legalistically following rules and law but please hear me out. I made a conscious decision a few years ago to focus on communicating the message of grace and identity in Christ. With that I decided to avoid the polarizing path of politics. Some have told me that is cowardly but I can honestly say there is no message more important to me than the liberating freedom of grace. I want to share the joy of living out of what Jesus has already accomplished and what God says is true about me.  I feel called to be a messenger of hope and grace. Plus I feel
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