toddcast

It’s one week before Christmas.  Seven days. One hundred sixty-eight hours. The countdown is on. Presents still need to be bought and wrapped. Meals need to be planned and cooked.  Decorations better be up, but if not, there’s still plenty of time for those last-week touches.  What do you do seven days before Christmas? I wonder what Mary and Joseph were doing the week before Christmas? Had the edict to return to Bethlehem been issued yet? Were they packing their bags for the trip? As they lay in bed that week before, was Joseph gently holding his hand on Mary’s now large belly and feeling the baby kick? Was Mary being constantly bombarded by questions like, “When do you think the baby’s coming?” Was Joseph, the carpenter, putting the finishing touches on a crib for his expectant son? They knew the baby would be arriving soon, but did they know it was only one week away? How their lives would change in seven days. And oh, how things changed when Jesus came. And not ju...

Remember that movie about the animals who amazingly found their way home after thinking they had been abandoned by their owners? They survive the dangerous mountain terrain, ferocious wildlife, and several other dangers but made it home! It’s been made and remade and recently I confirmed that the movies were based on actual events. The instinct to return home is so powerful. There is something about the security, love, and belonging of home that calls us back, even through dangers and troubles. Church leaders have been wringing their hands with worry at church buildings that have gone from maximum capacity to 50%, and that’s a generous estimate. We know many have been watching from afar online, but we’re concerned. Will those unable to attend in-person find their way back home, whenever that will be? I believe they will. There’s something about home that calls us back. The faces, the voices, the communion, the passing of the peace – these are calling out to our spiritual instincts lead...

Over the pandemic I reunited with an old friend – Survivor. That’s right, the father of all reality shows and I had been apart for several years when the shutdown brought us back together. I had faithfully watched the first few seasons, but, as it is with many relationships, we drifted away over the years. I really don’t want to confess how many seasons I’ve watched and since streaming mindless television episodes is not on many people’s list of virtues, I figured I needed to redeem that time with some spiritual application – so here it is. The premise of Survivor is to gather 20 or so people on some remote location and let them fend for themselves as they systematically vote each other out of the game until there are only 3 left. Those 3 are then voted on by those they had cast out to determine who will win the title of “sole survivor” and the check for one million dollars.  The climax of the season is the final “tribal council” when host Jeff Probst collects all the votes. But in...

We are living in a world of mobile Bibles and on-line research. As a minster I have my fair share of Bibles on my devices and, I admit it, I’ll “google” a biblical question every now and then. And I’m thankful for these tools, I really am. But every student of the Bible needs to know the limitations of mobile Bibles and the potential dangers of on-line research. Every student of the Bible needs some reliable tools to dig deep into the biblical text and NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition is without a doubt one of those tools. This study Bible contains the entire text of the Bible with study tools that will get you well on your way to a deeper understanding of the text and a more meaningful application of its truths. Here are some valuable qualities of this edition: The translation is the New International Version which continues to be my go-to translation. Among the many excellent English translations of the Bible, the NIV has set the standard for textual accuracy and readability. ...

I’ve been reading and teaching through the book of Daniel the last few weeks. What a great book. If you’re looking for something to read and need a suggestion, I recommend Daniel . He lived about 600 years before Christ and was among the faithful Jewish people of his day. When the Holy City Jerusalem was overthrown, he and many other Jews were exiled from Jerusalem to faraway Babylon, a land of idolatry and paganism. He found himself spiritually in the minority and on more than one occasion was challenged to compromise his faith. Yet, time after time he proves himself loyal to God. At great personal peril, Daniel stands up to more than one king and, as we all know, even manages to escaped unscathed from the lion’s den – the punishment meted out to anyway who dared to pray to anyone but the king. Daniel is the epitome of a person standing firm in their faith in a hostile culture. And hasn’t that been the challenge for believers of all ages? I know it is in ours. But Daniel is not alone....

Baseball is back and, although I’m a big fan, I really wasn’t too excited when the season finally started. Most disappointing was the fact that there would be no fans. But I gave it a chance, and after a while I found myself enjoying the games, fans or no fans. It’s not like I prefer empty stadiums, but it’s really not that bad. With or without fans, it’s still baseball. It’s been about a month now that we’ve been attending church with masks, and at first it was a real downer! However, this Sunday I left church feeling like I had actually been to church. It felt good. It felt almost normal. It’s not like I’ll be campaigning for masks when all this passes, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s not so bad! With or without masks, it’s still worship. I guess I had to ask myself these questions: “How much do I love baseball?” “Is my love for baseball greater than my dislike of empty stadiums?” “How much do I love worship?” “Is my love for worship greater than my distaste of masks?” I’ve d...

Last Friday was a crazy day. But I made it crazier than it had to be. High winds blew through Texoma the night before leaving hundreds without power including the church building – well, sort of. One of our assistants called me when she got in the office and said the lights were out, which didn’t surprise me. But what did surprise me was what I discovered when I got to the office. Not all of the lights were off. About 1/3 were off. What made me go into a tizzy was that we had a group coming up to view an online seminar and the room they were to meet in was one of the rooms affected. We were told by our electric company that they were working on the issue, but we all know that could be forever! So, I started buzzing around the building (I got my steps in by 10 am that day) with cables, computers, and extension cords preparing a room for the seminar. The phones were out, so I rigged more extension cords to get those working. One of our modems was out, so I hustled to try to connect them....

Communication has become even more difficult with masks. As w e continue to battle this pandemic, and, as uncomfortable as it may be, I’m trying to learn a few lessons along the way. This week I have learned how much we communicate with our mouths. That sounds pretty obvious, but what I mean is not what comes out of our mouths but how we communicate with our facial expressions. I find myself talking to people or just passing by people and giving them a little smile and then I realize that they can’t see it. My attempts at communicating some measure of good will is masked by my mask. It’s common knowledge that communication is so much more than just the words that come out of our mouths. Our tone, inflection, body language, and facial expression all contribute meaning to what is actually heard. There have been times when I’ve said something that I thought was innocuous only to get a negative response. You see, I have been told I have a “tone” - a mysterious and unbeknownst...

Well, we are halfway through 2020 and what a first half it has been! I had been looking forward to 2020 for a long time. This was going to be the year of clear vision when we would be able to see things with a precision and accuracy of a person with 2020 sight. It started out just fine, then kaboom! A microscopic virus closes down the planet. Racial tensions reignite. It’s downright depressing following the news, and things are not looking much better for the second half of this much anticipated year. I really thought we were beyond all this. Plagues were something from the middle ages. You would think that with all the medical and technological advances of the last century that we would be able to deal with a virus. Hadn’t we found all the cures? Couldn’t all the bright minds of science come up with an instant vaccine? Racial tensions were the issue of the 1960’s. Hadn’t all the legislation made it clear that we are all created equal? Didn’t Martin Luther King Jr. an...

We’re coming back Sunday and, while I’m excited, I must admit I’m a little apprehensive as well. How many people will show up? Have we done all we can reasonably do to keep people safe? Will we be somewhat disappointed with a smaller crowd? Will the live stream be effective? Will those who stay home feel left out? If you haven’t guessed it, I’m a bit of a worrier. Please forgive. But while I’m at it, another concern I have about Sunday is how will we greet each other? We instinctively hold out our hand for a handshake. Others go right in for the hug. It’s part of who we are, but for now we will have to abstain from both handshakes and hugs. It almost sounds cold and even unbiblical but, if it is, it won’t be the first time we’ve deviated from a biblical greeting mandate. Four times in the New Testament we are commanded to greet one another with a holy kiss. All growing up I was told that we were exempt from that command, at least exempt from the “kiss” part of it. (And I must...

“To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you. To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you. To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you. To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you. To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is. To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you. To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you. To those who have disappointment, heartache, and distance with your children – we sit with you. To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you. To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your exper...

Years ago we had a dog, a Welsh corgi named Callie.   I don't dislike dogs, but I've never really been a "dog person."   My wife is much more the animal lover.   She was the one to care for her, walk her, and be the kind master every dog deserves.   I must confess, Callie never did get too much attention from me.   In fact, I often considered her a nuisance more than anything else. We got Callie as a puppy, and she was all puppy.   She raced around the back-yard moving those little legs faster than you thought was possible.   When anyone would go outside Callie would race to their side.   We would later get her a companion, Jem, and they would frolic in the yard together chasing each other and doing that dog wrestling thing that dogs do.   But then one day, we noticed Callie was slowing down a bit.   She had even developed a slight limp. So, we brought her to the veterinarian to see what the problem might be.   After exa...

I can’t begin to say how much I miss us all being together. I can’t say how much I miss my weekly routines. I write this on Friday morning. My normal routine is to get everything wrapped up for Sunday which includes a trip or two to the auditorium to make sure all the technology for Sunday is in place.   It’s lonely and quiet in there on those Fridays, but I always leave with the anticipation that come Sunday the church will be full of people and noise! These Fridays I leave the church building knowing that Sunday will be just like today—still and quiet. This building was made to be occupied. This building was made to be noisy. This building was made for gatherings. Large gatherings of loud people. But Sundays have gone silent here at 3000 S. Park Avenue. Parking lots are empty. Lights are turned out. Pews are vacant. Instead of preaching to a crowd, I’m preaching to a lens. Emoji’s have replaced handshakes. Thumbs up's have replaced amen’s. Friendly but poor replac...

Most parents and kids are familiar with the discipline technique affectionately known as the “timeout.”  A child misbehaves and is sent to the timeout chair to think about their behavior and usually can only resume their normal activities when they apologize for their misbehavior and are able to articulate to their parents what they have learned from their time in isolation. Seems like we’ve all been sent to timeout. So, here’s my apology. I apologize for taking for granted the full shelves at my grocery store. I apologize for not appreciating a handshake. I apologize for complaining about anything my child’s teacher ever said or did. I apologize for not utterly relishing sitting in a church or a  movie theater or a restaurant with crowds of other people. I apologize for standing in lines and ignoring the people around me. I apologize for not appreciating good health. I apologize for being the selfish, overfed, under-grateful, unappreciative person I so often...

Perhaps there is no relationship which can give both great joy and great misery than marriage. No marriage is without its problems - conflict and strife are inherent in any relationship - but is there a way where we can move the needle more towards great joy and away from great misery?  There is, but only when we intentionally do so. Bad marriages seem to be the default. Good marriages rarely happen by chance. Great marriages only happen with wisdom. So, when we need wisdom, we go to the ancient but ever-so-relevant book of Proverbs.  So, I present to you my Top Ten Proverbs for a Great Marriage . Proverbs 5:15 - Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. You want to ruin your marriage – have an affair. It’s not that it’s impossible for a marriage to survive infidelity, but you are putting yourself at an extreme disadvantage when you go drinking from another well. Proverbs doesn’t deny the lure, excitement, and the temptation of adultery, b...