What Would My Last Message Be?

I only knew W.T. Johnston for a year and a half while writing Between the White Lines but his impact on my life has been remarkable. He knew his time was limited by an incurable lung disease. I remember expressing my sadness for his prognosis. W.T.’s response still amazes me. “I have been given a great gift. A lot of people don’t have a chance to see how their life mattered and to say what they need to say to others.” His post-game message after the nationally televised state title game has been seen by millions. I don’t know how much time is left on my life odometer. It could be 30 years. It could be 30 days. I spent some time this week wondering what my message would be if I knew my time was limited. I think it would look something like this. Love your wife.Most of us repeated something like this on our wedding day. I, (Guy
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Is Coming Together an Impossible Dream?

An anthem from my youth came on satellite radio today. The Youngbloods recorded “Get Together” in 1967 and it became one of the quintessential peace songs of the era. I remember listening to a staticky AM transistor radio while singing along with The Youngbloods. I was sure that my generation could make a difference. We would fix the mess that my parents and grandparents had made. We believed peace was possible. We just had to get together. This would be easy enough. Just love one another. Everybody sing now… C’mon people now,Smile on your brotherEv’rybody get togetherTry and love one another right now  Nice words. The problem was contained in the last line of lyric above. Try and love one another right now. How is that working out for our peace loving generation? Not so well. It is far easier to sing about loving one another than it is to actually love another. No matter how much I “try” I seem to fail miserably when I determine that I
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The Cancel Culture and Grace

Cancel used to be a fairly straight forward transaction. You canceled a reservation to dinner. Your flight was cancelled. Now cancel can mean your reputation and very career can be ruined if you offer an opinion that is controversial or unacceptable in the crazy court of social media. The normal sentence is shaming the person who dared offer some thought counter to the prevailing cultural trends. I understand pushing back against hateful stereotypes and name calling. That needs to be called out. But more and more this technique is being used to silence the heartfelt convictions of people who simply have a different world view. Questioning a cultural trend now results in public shaming, bullying, and harassment. I loathe the strategy of organized shaming to silence speech and cultural discourse. One of my personal hypocrisy tests is to examine my own propensity to “cancel” others that I don’t agree with. I might not launch an online attack but the reality
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A Question We MUST Answer

This has been an emotional and difficult week for most Americans. I am old enough to remember a similar period of turmoil in the late ’60’s. It is truly heartbreaking that fifty years later we are still plowing the same fields of prejudice and racism. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, with Martin Luther King, Jr., looking on. Johnson had a quote that we hoped would be prophetic. “At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom.” Maybe there is still a chance for history and fate to join with the faith of millions of followers of Jesus to shape a turning point in our culture. Maybe the unnecessary deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd will galvanize our collective hearts in a way that can be transformative. Hear our pleas Lord that you will redeem these horrible deaths
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Unleashed

I am so excited to announce that Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace is being released in paperback on June 9th. Here is a sample chapter from that book. Journal Entry: Hannah loves the morning walk. When she sees me grab my walking shoes, she begins to vibrate with excitement. If the Department of Energy wants to find an untapped green energy source, it should harness Labrador tails. I think Hannah could power a small apartment building when she gets excited and that tail starts oscillating. I love the morning walk as well. It is a time to meditate, pray, listen to good music, and enjoy God’s company.The walk is pretty much the same each day for Hannah. She checks for new messages left by other canine friends along her social network. Sometimes she leaves a reply. She gets excited when she sees another person, dog, or anything breathing, really. Hannah loves life. As I
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ENOUGH! What Can I Do?

I am saddened, sickened, and heartbroken as I keep hearing stories like the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. I have reached the point where I believe that feeling outrage and dismay is no longer enough for followers of Jesus. I want to do something. Today I yield my space to two black brothers in Christ. Montagne McDonald is the teaching pastor at the historic King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Duke Barnett is a respected leader and educator in Garland. I asked these two good and thoughtful men an important question. What can I do as a white brother in Christ to make a difference in our culture? Duke and Montagne, the forum is yours. Duke Barnett: For me, I wrestle with this topic because so many of my White brothers and sisters recognize the rampant inequalities, racism, and disrespect for people of color. They also recognize God’s love for people of color. However, there are many
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Can We Quit Pointing Fingers?

I recently tuned my satellite radio to see what was going in Washington (D)ysfunctional (C)hildren). Within a minute I regretted my decision. Both sides were attacking and demeaning the other’s motives, integrity, and decency. My mood turned sour. Then I flipped to another channel and the first song I heard was a duet from Mandisa and TobyMac. 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? One thing I am sure of is 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 get caught up in the politics of our world and too often snuff out that light. I have been guilty more than I care to think about. I fear our culture will
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