“Take my life and let it be…”

My emotion swelled as I sang. I love new songs, but the old hymns sing differently. They have long-standing legs underneath them. They have weathered storms and changes over time yet still sing…

I stumbled on the wet grass. My knees and hands were caked in mud. The cold air stung as I tried to catch my breath, but I kept going. I struggled back to my feet only to have our new…

The sound of footsteps thunders down the stairs. I hear it just in time to look right and see my 16-year-old son launching himself at me. He jumps with arms spread wide like a professional wrestler leaping from the top…

“I can’t believe we’ve been friends this long, and I haven’t shared my testimony with you.”

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“What?” His statement came out of nowhere. We were having coffee at our favorite shop. We often met here to hang out…

“I don’t need you.”
”Ok. If I can be helpful in any way while you are here…”
”I told you, I don’t need you! I’m not a Christian, and I don’t need you!”
”No worries. Do you want any water…

I’ll be ok.
I’m never going to be ok.
It was his time.
It happened too soon.
I don’t know what to do.
I don’t need you.
God knows what is best.
It’s not fair.
God has a plan.
What…

Her claws click lightly on the worn linoleum of our kitchen floor. She senses the presence of a familiar foe just outside the door. Her nose presses stealthily through the rubber flap of the dog door, giving her a clear…

Hi Friends. I have a lot of new music in the works, but this song will always hold a special place for me. It came out a few years ago and features strings by my favorite band, The Accidentals, BGVs…

He wiped away tears on the shoulder of his jacket. His weight shifted back and forth as he filled the line forward. I placed the bread in his hands. His head was bowed at first but then looked up.

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It’s been almost two years since I left. 

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For 25 years, I worked in the church as a pastor or a youth minister. For half my life, I led people in religious practices like worship, liturgy, Bible study…

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Eighteen grams of home-roasted Ethiopian coffee.
Two light spritzes of water to the beans.
Hand-ground, medium fine.
One hundred sixty grams of water, heated to 203 degrees.
15-second stir. 
Brew for three minutes.
Press into a carafe filled…

In the sweet by and by… We shall meet on that beautiful shore

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I sat outside room 16. The curtain was drawn. The sliding door was closed. I’d been called to come down and offer spiritual support, but…

Hello! Thanks for being a paid subscriber to my Substack page. Above is a demo version of my song “469.” For background on the song, check out the post below from a few weeks ago.

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“I have prayed so hard. I don’t think I have any prayers left in me.“

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She sobbed and held her daughter's hand, and stroked her forehead. She was bloodied, broken, and lifeless. I knelt next to her. The…

“I hope this donation of thoughts and prayers is as effective in your re-election campaign as it is in stopping mass shootings.”

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A picture of a check for the amount of “Thoughts and Prayers,” made out to an…

“This isn’t how it was supposed to happen!”

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It was an ordinary day. They spent time with family and friends. They had lunch together. They took a trip to the store. Everything was as it should be. It…

DING!

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My phone chirped and buzzed its familiar alert. My lock screen lit up with a headline from one of our local news channels. “COVID HEALTH EMERGENCY OVER!” 

The World Health Organization announced today that Covid-19 no longer…

The house is quiet. The dogs have stopped racing around for the moment. Michelle is at work. The kids are at school. It’s just me.

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We live in a simple house on a quiet street, and today it…

I’ve been thinking a lot about silence lately.

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I’m an introvert, so silence doesn’t bother me. Silence is like oxygen to me. Without a steady diet of quiet, I gasp for breath like an asthmatic frantically searching for…

“Do you have someone to lead the service for you?”

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They sat together in a warmly decorated room. The chairs were soft and would have been comfortable anywhere else. But no one is comfortable in these chairs. No…