PHONE: 601/ 898.8655
EMAIL: 
Tim Tebow versus Joel Osteen
Posted on Sunday, January 15, 2012
I have a friend who is an addict. It breaks my heart how he continually makes bad choices. I have not supported his bad choices and he has said many things calculated to hurt me –mostly via text message. Even if untrue or with only shades of truth, words from those you love hurt the most. That is one of the many things that make divorce in the Bible belt of Mississippi (or anywhere for that matter) so freaking hard. READ MORE
My Dog Wears a Sweater
Posted on Friday, December 23, 2011
We live in great abundance in the United States. It is hard to understand this until you visit a poor country like I had the opportunity to do earlier this year when I traveled to South Africa to work in orphan care at the epicenter of the world AIDS pandemic. Notwithstanding that amazing trip, which you can read about here, it was easy to settle back into my routine of abundance. This is evidenced, in part, by the fact that my dog wears a sweater. I try to tell folks that he is my “man dog” or that he is my “hunting dog”, but the truth is –well, you know what the truth is. He is, to say the least, a luxury. For goodness sakes he is wearing a sweater! READ MORE
The Parasite
Posted on Monday, December 19, 2011
I get inspired for these little articles, aka rants, from all different sorts of crazy places. This week, it comes from an official looking note on orange paper being sent home with Emma about a breakout of lice in her classroom. When I was a kid…. Yep, I got them. My little tail was sent home from school after an examination from my teacher with a sharpened pencil. It was very embarrassing and getting rid of them was a long, annoying, time consuming process. READ MORE
Top 5 Places People that Cheat Meet
Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
If you have read much of what I have written, you know that while adultery causes a lot of divorces, it is usually not the primary reason a marriage fails. The failed marriage leads to cheating --it is a symptom of the disease in most cases, not the disease itself. Nevertheless, where people that cheat meet is pretty predictable, and I thought I would spend a few minutes talking about them. READ MORE
The South Africa Essay: Conclusion
Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Today will be our heaviest day. We are going to the heart of Sweetwaters to visit the Hope Center where kids from the community live that cannot go home. They also distribute food on Fridays. We have a window in the otherwise terrible weather to get in. Narrow dirt roads and the hilly terrain make travel difficult. Before we go, we head to Tabitha to participate in the daily worship. Everyone attends. The children carry plastic chairs on their heads and line them out for us. The singing is transcendent. Hands are raised in the air and the smiles are big. The workers are angelic. Their worn shoes hardly touch the ground as they clap and sway. The children join the celebration. READ MORE
The South Africa Essay: Part 4
Posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Nothing has gone exactly as we planned. Sleep is a necessary but sometimes limited commodity. My body has not adjusted. The mind swimming with images of despair coupled with hope are dizzying. David, my roommate, has been my comic relief. In his deep southern drawl that reminds me of home, commentary about his socks and the day’s events are sometimes surprisingly astute and reflective. Looking around our room, we are reminded that we are in Africa. The electrical system is primitive and the appliances are a little different –not other planet different, but certainly other cotenant different. For no apparent reason, sometimes the power will just go out, even if the weather is perfectly clear. The system will just overload. Locals say it will be out for days, but we have only experienced a few hours. READ MORE
The South Africa Essay: Part 3
Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Today I woke up about 3:30 to the sound of rain on the metal roof of our guest cottage at the Old Berkshire. I could not go back to sleep although it was the perfect slumber weather with rain and the hint of jungle. The temperature has cooled considerably. I got up and went looking for monkeys at daylight, but even they were smart enough to be elsewhere. READ MORE
The South Africa Essay: Part 2
Posted on Monday, November 07, 2011
Story telling around the fire was incredible. We shared for hours. It was like a condensed version of the men’s retreat about getting in touch with your life story that my counselor friend hosts in Holmes County he calls Deer Camp. I had never sat in a circle with men and women in that open of an environment. God created holy ground around in that place. The firewood burned about as fast as we could put it in the rock lined pit. It was very smoky. Shameful historical details of lives lived were shared and chains fell off. At the end when we prayed, I had my eyes open. As the missionary we are supporting named Jason was closing, a shooting star streaked across the sky. I realized after hearing story after story of seemingly blessed Americans on a foreign continent that even under the most ideal circumstances, we all have our own brand of fatherlessness. Thank God there is hope and restoration. In Revelation 9, John talks about the battle four our souls being won: READ MORE
The South Africa Essay: Part 1
Posted on Friday, November 04, 2011
Is it a mission trip or a missions trip? Regardless, it was a long day of travel. The plane from Atlanta to Johannesburg was crammed packed. All types of people going everywhere. I had these big ideas that I would read and write, but I may have written a paragraph and I read a page or two. I watched half of two movies and all of one, which was about a guy who got trapped while rock climbing and literally had to cut off his own arm to survive. It was amazing, but gruesome. The entire group is tired, but we are glad to be in Africa. From the plane, Africa looks brown. I slept a little, but not much. The Delta flight attendants said that the fifteen hours we were in the air is the longest direct Delta flight in the world. I feel like we are about the start a great adventure. I pray for a paradigm shift- like I am moving out of the dessert and into the second half. It feels good. This is probably the biggest adventure I have been on since I traveled Europe in law school. READ MORE
The Sugar Jacket
Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2011
One of my favorite television programs is Modern Family. In one episode, the character, Gloria, coaxed her husband into giving advice on the "Good Dog, Bad Dog Training System." Guillermo, the entrepreneur, described his business idea with honesty and excitement. The system was fatally flawed, however: it rewarded the dog for being good or for being bad. For being good, the dog got a bacon-flavored treat; for being bad, it got a bland treat. After listening to the pitch, Gloria's husband, Jay, bluntly told Guillermo the idea was not good. The would-be businessman wept. Gloria told Jay that he should have been nice and "put on the sugar jacket" when he commented on the plan. READ MORE
