The other night I watched 2011's "Contagion," one of the most-streamed films during the recent COVID-19 shut-down. It was interesting, when I searched "Contagion," to find lots of other movies/programs pop up with similar plot lines: "Outbreak," "Containment," "Pandemic," "Carriers," "93...
Today I prayed with a dear friend as she prepared for a medical procedure. With her beautiful daughter-in-law and beautiful granddaughter, we thanked God, in advance, for his faithfulness. We prayed, as I often do, in the words of Psalm 65:1—"Praise awaits you, our God..." It's a great...
One of the traditional readings for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the season of repentance, includes this verse from Joel 2:15: "Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people." I tend to think of repentance as something deeply personal...
In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul urges Christians to pray "for all people." On Sunday nights, between 5 and 6pm, we at Christ Church Carrollton seek to heed Paul's urgent message by gathering in the church to pray together for one another, for our neighborhood, for our country, for our culture, and for...
Do you think of your home as something you can use for the gospel? If not, you should. Lately I've been reading Rosaria Butterfield's The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. In the author's autobiographical reflection, she describes her dramatic coming to Christ from a life of sexual...
My trip to Washington to drop off my son James was a blast! James, his brother John, and I checked out Meridian, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia; Asheville, North Carolina; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We see so many interesting and beautiful things and places! For...
The Presbyterian Church has a long and storied history of involvement with the political life of the communities we serve. From John Knox who sought the transformation of the nation of Scotland through the preaching of the gospel, to John Witherspoon, a colonial Presbyterian, who was the only...
Your next door neighbor? The colleague you like to joke with in the employee lounge? Your aunt grieving a recent loss? That relative who sometimes talks dismissively about Christianity? The nice couple you met last week on the Square? Your best friend? Your worst enemy? The stranger you just...
Several years ago, I was visiting London on Ascension Day when I had the chance to observe an ancient custom called "Beating the Bounds." I can't even remember which Anglican church I was visiting, but I'll never forget the Vicar saying that, for almost 800 years, Christians had marched around...
One of our church's goals is to engage our community for Christ. One way I have sought to do that is by making myself available to pray in a wide variety of public settings. Just this week, our County Commissioner, my friend J.J. Koch, asked me to pray for the Dallas County Commissioners Court...