I was fortunate to work with many highly competent people during my career: graduates from acclaimed universities, PhD’s, patent holders, and managers of Fortune 500 companies. These people were at the top of their respective vocations and I was blessed to work with them. But one doesn’t need these …
Work and Vocation
In the fall of 2014, I started a Master of Theology degree program at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I retired a few months earlier after 34 years working in energy. When people learned that I was in seminary, I was often asked about why I felt called to be a minister. When I replied that …
Vocations during the Reformation – II
The Reformation (1517–1648) that Luther started spread into the surrounding European countries and manifested itself in various ways. Scriptural interpretation was hotly debated, thousands were martyred for their beliefs, and hundreds of thousands died from wars, diseases, or hunger. Theology was …
Vocations during the Reformation – I
I am fascinated by the Reformation. What started on October 31, 1517 with Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses on a Wittenberg University church door historically ended in 1648 with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia. We can see the effects of the Reformation in America today. A German family …
Stationary
Christmas is past and it is New Year’s Day. We are watching televised bowl games and putting away Christmas decorations. I took the Christmas tree outside to the curb for recycling and the empty space it once occupied looks bare. My wife is working hard at boxing our tree ornaments. By tomorrow …
Theology Spoken in Love
Most mornings, I get up at 5am. I like the early morning quiet before the chaos. After a devotional reading and prayer, I head outside for my morning run or drive to the gym. Upon my return, I usually find my wife awake in bed surrounded by books and scribbled notes. My wife does not like to wake …
Adam and Eve
In 2016, we celebrated my father’s 85th birthday. At dinner, my brothers and sister asked him what remained on his bucket list. My dad said that he wanted to travel to the Galapagos Islands but was previously unable to travel due to my mother’s illness. My siblings and spouses arranged our …
Meaningful Work
Until I met my wife, I had traveled to Missouri only once for a family reunion at the Lake of the Ozarks during my high school years. Since Tracy and I married, I now have the pleasure of visiting her family in Springfield and Ashland, near Columbia, the location of the University of Missouri. The …
Let Your Life Speak
In 2015, I took a required seminary class, Foundations of Christian Education. It was taught by Rev. Dr. David White, the C. Ellis and Nancy Gribble Nelson Professor of Christian Education. Dr. White is a United Methodist Church elder and scholar. I went into the class expecting to learn about …
At the Car Wash
We have two cars and I like to keep them clean. I used to wash the cars myself, either at home or at a self-cleaning car wash. Now I just take them to a nearby car wash where they do all the work. In 20 minutes, my dirty car becomes shiny clean. Once a year, I get my car professionally waxed and the …