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In the roster of the cast of the Real Christmas, the A-list lead is, of course, the Baby. While the baby in the manger was God in every sense of the word, He was still—after all—a newborn: helpless and utterly dependent. And so He needed a great supporting cast. This “Save the World” thing wasContinue reading “Of Dads, Step-Dads, and the Example of Joseph. A Christmas Story”

All five living presidents with first ladies were in attendance at George H.W. Bush’s funeral this past week to honor the passing of “one of their own.” Theirs is an exclusive fraternity like few others. It was heartening to see them come together with single purpose. While appearances may be deceiving, they all appeared toContinue reading “Benches, Turbans, and Good Conversation”

In late 1995, my then-3-year-old daughter, Zoe walked up to Diana, placed her little hand on her mom’s abdomen, and with the solemnity of a Word from Heaven, proclaimed her mommy was going to have a little brother and his name would be Joshua. These were huge words from a typically reserved and nearly nonverbalContinue reading “Joshua”

The six-foot-long black snake slithered out ahead of me as I ran through a neighboring farmer’s freshly mown hayfield. It was late summer of 1976 and we had recently moved to rural Dent County, Missouri. The fields and woods of the local area were ripe for exploring. Running across the field, I nearly trampled theContinue reading “A Long Black Snake in a Paper Sack”

The old doctor  leaned back in his office chair. His office was full of the trappings of over 50 years of practicing medicine . . . textbooks new and old, a framed diploma from Tulane Medical School (1942) on the wall, patients’ charts stacked up to one side of the desk, no computer, an oldContinue reading “Double Jeopardy and a Cardiac Defibrillator in Mississippi–a tragic story of friendship and racism.”

In May 1997, Diana and I were on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua. We had arrived with our team to the tiny, hot, dusty town of Waspam in northern Nicaragua just across the Rio Coco from Honduras. On the evening of the first full day in Waspam, I was in terrific need of aContinue reading “Nicaraguan Gatorade”

Roses have been an old stand-by for husbands for years. They are the quintessential sign of love and romance. I had fallen back on this tried and true romantic overture for many anniversaries, Valentines’ Days, and birthdays. It was easy. Automatic. And Diana always seemed to appreciate the sentiment. But then I had to comeContinue reading “Tulips for Diana”

Several years ago I received a simple CD with “Happy Father’s Day” scrawled across it. On the CD was a 1:52-long song from my sons-Gabe, Lee, and Jesse. Gabe had penned the words and the boys all performed and recorded it for me–a Father’s Day tribute. Here is the song: And for older ears thatContinue reading “A Man who is a Man–A Father’s Day Tribute from my Sons”

I called James* late on a Friday afternoon. I had a break in my busy, hectic day as a Pentagon staff officer and wanted to catch up with an old friend. We talked briefly about mutual Air Force-related concerns and the conversation quickly transitioned to the personal. We talked of future plans, wives, kids andContinue reading “Escort Duty”

August 15, 1983. I was 21 years old and a junior at the University of Missouri-Rolla. I was also a children’s pastor at my local church. I left my apartment that evening to preach at a children’s event in Dixon, Missouri. Over 100 children ages 3 to 12 were gathered from local churches for theContinue reading “And 100 Kids Prayed”