I used to seriously resent the actual students at my high school who studied and messed up the curve for our slacker contingent. A similar phenomenon happens in my Christian walk. Occasionally a follower of Jesus will “mess up the curve” for the rest of us by actually demonstrating what it looks like to live for Christ. My friend Bob showed me what it looked like to love your wife like Christ loves the church. I must clarify that I didn’t resent Bob for living his life like that but it did leave me without excuse in my own marriage. And by simply living his life authentically he made me a better husband and follower of Jesus. He never said a word of rebuke nor offered any suggestions on how I should be a better husband. He showed me. Now my friend John Weber has showed me through his death what it looks like when a man or woman simply lives their life
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Yesterday I posted an article about Homecoming at Baylor University. I wrote about an eternal homecoming someday with family and friends. Just hours after I posted that piece one of our long time and dear friends died after finishing a workout at the YMCA. Now I can add the name of my friend John Weber to those I look forward to seeing at my heavenly homecoming. The media will report that John Weber was the chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys. That is what impressed a lot of people who knew John. That is not what impressed me. What impressed me about John Weber was how consistently he represented Jesus over the years. I have known John since we were young and starving staff members of Athletes in Action back in the late ‘70’s. I have watched his ministry from up close and from afar. I have never heard a single negative word spoken about John Weber. Here are the words from veteran sportswriter Mickey Spagnola
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I have established a couple of traditions in the short history of the humble ramblings. One of them is revisiting this post (with a couple of updates) every homecoming weekend at Baylor University. It is that time again. It is Homecoming this weekend at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Thousands of alumni will make their way to Central Texas for the event. It seems odd to me that I am looking forward so much to this homecoming. The celebration is at a college that I did not attend. I’m not even Baptist, dadgummit (that is Baptist cursing). But my heart has become a part of the Baylor tradition. Why? I am the very proud father of two Baylor grads and the youngest is a senior-light at the school. He will graduate in December of 2008. I have invested time and more treasure than I care to think about in Baylor University. It is a very special place for me. Each son has made relationships that have become my
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A trip to the store around Halloween guarantees a couple of things. The Thanksgiving displays are already getting dusty and the Christmas items are being placed or are already on the shelves. We are only four weeks away from the ridiculous excess that we call Thanksgiving.  I will probably complain that I ate too much as if that is anyone’s fault other than my own. I will be genuinely thankful for having my family together. That will be extra special again this year because Joni’s cancer is a reminder that such gatherings are not guaranteed. I will thank God for the bounty of food that will be before us. But I don’t think I will really comprehend how blessed I am to live in this country. A story that I read in the Miami Herald last year gave me a big helping of perspective. Streaks of grime cover the boys’ bodies and insects crawl on their heads as they scour through heaps of trash alongside buzzards that seem
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First of all, apologies to my tens of loyal readers who have been disappointed by the lack of current posts. I have been busy serving as the “pit crew” for my beloved’s weekend sixty mile walk for breast cancer. That is not a typo. About 2400 women and a few valiant men walked twenty miles each day in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3–Day. It was an emotional weekend for both Joni and me. Joni first started talking about signing up for the 3–Day walk before she had even finished treatment. I supported her but thought perhaps there was a little leftover “chemo-brain” involved in that idea. Then her sister Gayla (who did not have the chemo-brain excuse) said she would walk with Joni. So Gayla began training in Florida and Joni in Texas. This weekend they walked side by side for three grueling days. And they did it. I could not help but remember where we had come from
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Three summers ago Joni and I did not have to turn on the morning news shows for visual entertainment. Every morning as we got ready for the day we would hear a familiar THUMP! That was the sound of “the crazy bird” returning for his morning concussion. Our bathroom has a large half-moon shaped window near the ceiling. Every morning this bird would fly to the window sill, sit there for awhile, look at his Day-Planner, fly back a few feet and then hit the window full on. THUMP! He would do this over and over. Day after day.      (This is a stunt double bird…not the actual bird. Photo Courtesy– Janesville Gazette) Because I like to think I am smarter than that bird I would laugh and make fun of him mindlessly hitting the same window day after day after day. Stupid bird. Then I would go out and do a pretty good imitation of this poor creature with my daily Christian walk. Day after day I would go
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Regular and long-suffering readers of the humble ramblings know that I have an oddly wired brain. My thoughts do not flow along orderly paths like most of you. So it will come as no surprise that while taking some pictures of pampered pooch Hannah yesterday I thought of a scriptural truth. Hannah was swimming and I decided to try and capture her spectacular water “shake-offs” with my digital camera. The results were not too bad.       This photo brought a verse from Hebrews to mind. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles… Hannah has definitely learned how to throw off the water that hinders her when she climbs out of the pool. I loved the imagery of getting up and shaking off all of the things (even some good things) that hinder me from being an effective representative of Jesus. Recently I heard my
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