I ran my first marathon just before my thirtieth birthday and my last marathon a few months before I retired. I don’t know the exact number of marathons that I ran but the total was around twenty-five. After the first couple of marathons, I researched training methods and eventually settled on a …
Nepo-investors
I opened my first bank account before I was 16 years old. I ran a small mowing business and needed a bank account to store my growing earnings. My parents took me to their bank and the bank allowed me to have a checking account. My parents showed me how to write checks, deposit money, and balance …
Memorial Day
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” This …
Artificial Intelligence
During my second semester of seminary, I took a Theology class from an outstanding professor, Dr. Paul Capetz. His course was a deep dive into six prominent theologians. We studied their writings for two weeks and then wrote a three-page paper on their key theological concepts. Theologians are not …
Soulmate
When I was an undergraduate engineering student, I became friends with two fellow undergraduates, Mark and Cindy (not their real names). who eventually married. They were a couple when I knew them, and both graduated in my field of study. Mark was a brilliant and handsome young man who earned a …
Squirming Children
I need to confess; I did not enjoy going to worship services when I was a child. Some reading this may feel a connection with me on this topic while others may wonder why I went to seminary. It was not the church’s fault. The problem was that I did not like to sit still for an hour, whether it be …
Campus Protests
I remember watching the Vietnam protests on a black-and-white television set during my childhood. I was living in a conservative south Texas town where it was rare to see men with long hair or women with flowers in their hair. Most protesters were peaceful youths who passionately wanted the war to …
Road Trip
My wife and I recently left Austin and drove west across Texas. Our SUV was filled with suitcases and small household items. In a few hours, we were west of Fredericksburg and joined I-10 where the speed limit was 80 mph through the barren Edwards Plateau. Spring rains had greened and flowered the …
Blabbering
Almost a decade ago, I was asked to attend a nonprofit committee meeting. I joined the nonprofit the prior year and was very busy at the time, so I inquired as to why I needed to attend. I was informed that there were issues and they wanted “fresh eyes” to observe the committee. No other details …
Charismata
I published my first book, Trading With God, in 2019. Before I wrote this book, I went to seminary for two years to understand theology, Christian history, and Scripture related to the intersection of work and faith. Once my theological degree was completed, I spent two years researching the topic …