It was an incredibly moving experience. Dressed in their formal uniforms, the military guard walked to the casket holding the remains of the honored veteran and they began the mournful playing of taps as the color guard saluted. Then, with such attention, the two sailors began the methodical folding of the flag that had draped…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
"Daddy, I don't have any friends!" It was a heartbreaking moment in the life of my daughter's young life, and it broke my heart for her. She was learning a lesson that we all have to learn: "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than…
Are you the jealous type? I guess with me, it all depends. I am jealous of my time. I am jealous of my schedule. But other than that, I can't say I really struggle with jealousy.
Oh wait, if I'm honest, I do have to admit I do get jealous when someone is being recognized for…
He really came across as wise. But something just didn't feel right. For the life of me, I couldn't put my finger on it. I liked what he was saying but I couldn't help feeling like I was being manipulated. Man, I hated this!
Here's the situation. I was a young man listening to this older…
Prejudice is always the ugly counterfeit to true discernment and good judgement. But we humans all too often confuse these realities to our own detriment. As a man who has grown up in the American South, I can readily attest to the sickness of prejudice in society, in communities, and in my own heart.
By God's…
"I will be Faithful"
Our busy lives really do challenge us in keeping our priorities in the right order, don't they? We moderns are a complicated mishmash of schedules, opportunities, affluence, and "freedom." And that multiplication of events, desires, hopes, and advertisements don't seem to be slowing down. It seems that each new day brings a…
"Fathers are indispensable!"
So, why is it so easy to take advice from a stranger, but not your own family? Alright, I'll confess to being a bit frustrated. Here's the story: I had a dear family member bend my ear for several hours about a problem. At the end of this marathon, I gave what I…
"It's a GREAT DEAL, I Promise!"
"OK, so what's the catch?" The guy had just given me his best pitch for a timeshare vacation package at the resort we were enjoying in the Dominican Republic. (Beautiful place, by the way). They told us that if we would go to this presentation that we could get exclusive…
"O Lord, I cry to You. Hear Me!"
The word "asceticism" is something of a mystery to our modern way of life. We have lived with such plenty and such amazing comfort and ease for so long that now we assume that all of life is meant to be pain (and even effort) free. Just consider…
Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" album was one of my favorites years ago. And my favorite song on that album was "You Learn." The chorus is going through my mind today: "You live you learn, you love you learn. You cry you learn, you lose you learn. You bleed you learn, you scream you learn."…