A Year In to My Retirement

One year ago, I gave my last report as district superintendent and walked off the platform, and a few weeks later, we started our new journey.  Like everyone before me and those coming after,* some things go according to plan, and a few do not. What has gone according to plan? Financial Plan    This is the first item that folks work on as they anticipate retirement.  It is the…

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Mother

Our mom is our first love.  It is hard to deny the bond between a mother and her children.  The second Sunday of May is the day we set aside to honor our mothers. Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia, encouraged the observance of this special day in 1908.  In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day an official U.S. holiday.  Mother’s Day commemorates and celebrates the best mom in…

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How Do You Make Decisions?

Decision opportunities present themselves hourly.  Often the decisions have little long-term impact or consequence.  Where should we eat?  I need to take my car in for an oil change, etc.  Though eating and servicing your vehicle are necessary, these decisions do not take much pondering or deep analysis.  Then there are those decisions in life that demand introspection, fact-gathering, and counting the cost. Unfortunately, some seem to have things a…

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Observations on my journey

Serving in an interim position has provided me with some unique opportunities.  I have met people I would never have met and visited places I would likely never have seen.   I just this week traveled from my home in Florida to Wisconsin.  Some random conversations and encounters in two airports got me thinking: Is much in life random?   A conversation while waiting in the security line in Sarasota…

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Great is Thy Faithfulness

Lamentations 3 is not a pleasant and upbeat chapter until you arrive at verse 21: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” When facing challenging days, it is easy to believe that we are in ‘unprecedented’ times. Though our trouble may seem…

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Give me that mountain: A challenge for today!

Just about 11 months ago, I retired from full-time ministry.  I began the journey in late 1981 and retired in May 2022.  Regarding retirement, there were some things we expected, and there have some unexpected things as well.  Some things we had figured out beforehand, and many we did not.   What has gone according to plan? We have developed a hobby or two. We made some new friends. We…

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Everything I have, I have received!

The Apostle Paul makes this statement in 1 Corinthians 4:7.  He talks to a group that feels superior and reminds them of a truth. “What do you have that you have not received?”  That is a great question.  When you get to the place where you feel pretty assured that you are something special, it would be good to remember Paul’s statement: everything I have, I received.   You are…

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Silent Saturday!

How do you handle silence?  Some folks are much more comfortable with silence.  Silence after an episode of sorrow, pain, or loss is nearly unbearable.  From the heartbreak of the crucifixion to Saturday, it seems not only has everything changed, but none of it is for the better.  Imagine  Mary enduring the unimaginable loss of her Son and dealing with devastating grief.  The disillusioned disciples who had left everything to…

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