As I was sitting in Miss Dolly Harrel’s homeroom at Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio in 1953, in walked a NEW girl! WHO IS THAT??!! Grace Nan Jennings. She bowled me over. It was “love at first sight.” I was barely sixteen. We dated through graduation in 1954 and went on to UT-Austin where the competition became more intense. Nan pledged Tri Delt, was an advisor at Littlefield dormitory for two years, was inducted into Orange Jackets and was a Good Fellow. She was one of the most popular and attractive ladies on campus. I was [...]

I love the idea of our Year of Gratitude because I have so much to be grateful for…and so many people to thank. Dr. Pace’s challenge has caused me to think anew about all of the people who have touched my life and influenced my faith journey. It starts with my parents, of course, who made it our family habit to be in church every Sunday morning, and took my brother and me back for choir practices and Methodist Youth Fellowship. More significantly, they modeled faith for us at home and everywhere else. Then I think about my [...]

As I write these words, I’m sitting in a classroom with ten Thai pastors who are ministering in environments that are pagan in nature, and incredibly harsh and difficult.  They come face to face with cultural and spiritual resistance. Yesterday we listened to each of them preach sermons, following a day of teaching by other members of the Board of Ordained Ministry and Bishop Scott Jones.  Overwhelmingly, their messages were centered on the being joyful in the Lord, being content with what you have, being faithful servants of God, being in relationship with God, and loving involves [...]

My sister streams YouTube videos on her TV in the morning while she gets ready for work. Sometimes I’ll sit on her bed with my coffee as she puts on her makeup. It doesn’t take long before I’m sucked into videos of young women documenting their entire day. It amazes me as I watch them cook perfectly healthy comfort food all under 30 minutes with just enough time to spare to do a full face of makeup and a bonus tutorial on how to achieve Disney princess hair in just three steps! All you have to do is [...]

At the beginning of the school year 2007, I decided to volunteer my time with KIDS HOPE USA, sponsored by St. Luke's Church. This required spending an hour each week with a young student at Briarmeadow Charter School. The program administrator met me on week one and took me to Mrs. Karol Bell's third-grade classroom where she introduced me to Samuel Barnes, the young man I would mentor. Right away, I told Samuel that we would spend half of our time each week in the library doing some type of school study and the balance we would [...]

com·mu·ni·ty /kəˈmyo͞onədē/ noun 1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. 2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. The day we stop seeking community is the day God’s love becomes stifled. We were created to be in community with one another. We belong to one another through and because of Jesus Christ. Noah’s Ark was a community. Two by two, remember? Noah didn’t bring all bears or cows on the ark. Jesus didn’t pick his disciples because they all [...]