School Lessons
In just a couple of weeks, kids in my part of the world, Peach County, Georgia, will celebrate the second best day of the year. Christmas is the best, of course, but the last day of school gives it a run for its money. I remember longing for that last day to arrive. In fact, once I understood that the state of Georgia mandated that the school year last 180 days, I started counting them down. One down, 179 to go. 178, 177, 176 . . . you get the picture. Day 81 meant we had les
45 minutes ago7 min read
A Little Girl's Prayer
Tuesday mornings at Fort Valley Methodist Church are typically a review, a time to rehash the prior Sunday's Worship Service and to catch up on what's happening in the life of our congregation. The offering gets counted and, at some point, Angela Meeks, our Administrative Assistant, goes through the Connection Cards to see if we had any new guests or if someone has shared new information or a prayer concern. It's the routine, holy stuff of a church office. I got permission fr
Apr 293 min read
Out Of The Blue
Reynolds is a small town about 15 minutes west of Fort Valley. It straddles Highway 96, a four lane road referred to as the Fall Line Freeway which cuts across the very heart of Georgia. We travel that road often. In late March, Regina and I were heading home from our granddaughter's birthday in Alabana. The Reynolds police take their duties seriously, so I made sure to pay attention to my speed. Not that I was exceeding the posted speed prior to entering the city limits. At
Apr 233 min read
Roses and Divine Grace
My mother was born in 1930, and she was raised by two Baptist parents who advocated modesty in all things. Usually, my grandmother pointed out flaws in the dishes she'd prepared - the choclate icing was a little dry, her beans needed a "tad more salt," or the broth in her chicken pie was too thick. None of that was really true. Her food was always amazing. Every now and then, though, she just sat quiet and let us carry on over how much we liked everything. That was as close a
Apr 173 min read
Pistachio Pesto and The Gospel
A group from our church, Fort Valley Methodist, took a trip this week for lunch at Ciao Bella, an Italian market in Perry, Georgia. And when I say it's an Italian market, I mean it's an Italian market. Seriously Italian. Meaning the menu has a whole bunch of words that Reverend Redneck doesn't recognize, stuff like prosciutto and arugula and stracciatella . That's ham , a leafy green vegetable , and a type of cheese , respectively. I Googled all that. Really. Because I was
Apr 153 min read
