Ruth's New Knee

We have much cause for rejoicing with regard to Ruth's second new cobalt chrome knee. We are glad the doctor moved the surgery up two weeks. That helped.

We are happy at the new pain medicine regimen being used this time. Her pain is much less than last time. We are rejoicing that Ruth will come home this weekend.

We are happy to serve a praying church. By the way, Ruth also says she's happy she was born with only two knees.

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Grieving Men

I think Jonathan Fann's new book, "Grieve Like A Man", is a must-read for Pastors and others who try to minister to men who are grieving. Men and women do not grieve alike, and this difference has brought about the demise of many a marriage.

Jonathan and his wife Heather are members at Second. I have walked the road of grief with them. Theirs is an example worth following.

If you know of a man going through the grieving process, find a way to get Jonathan's book in their hands. They will be blessed by it.

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Presidents' Birthdays

My wife and two children share Presidents' birthdays. Ruth was born on Lincoln's birthday. Tomorrow I celebrate the birthday of my number one lady and my number two President (Washington remains number one in my books).

My son John shares John Kennedy's birthday. I was only eight years old when JFK ran for President, but I vividly remember the absolute furor that raged through many Baptist preachers at the prospect of electing a Roman Catholic. I also remember the assassination with deep sadness.

My daughter Rebekah shares Ronald Reagan's birthday. We all four remember him, and hold him in high esteem. We know he was not perfect, but he did restore for us pride in our country. He made it okay to be patriotic again. I liked that about him.

I share a birthday with no President. In fact, as far as I know, nothing of huge significance has ever happened on December 22. Sad.

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Washington's Credit Card Debt

President George Washington may not have had a plastic card in his wallet, but he did maintain an open line of credit with merchants in London which kept him in financial straits for much of his adult life. He was not extravagant in his tastes, but he did live at the high level expected of Virginia gentry in the 1700s.

What struck me about his debt is that he blamed the merchants for the first few years. He complained about their being too strict in bill collection, their shipping inferior goods, their taking too much time to send items ordered, etc.

However, as maturity took over, he finally began to realize the debt was his own fault, driven by his and Martha's desires to live at a high level. In his later years he strongly counseled against the use of excessive debt. Moderation became his theme. Dave Ramsey would have been proud of our #1 citizen.

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Preaching About Money

Thank you for your kind response to my two recent sermons on money. Few assignments strike more terror into a Pastor's heart. People sometimes think all we are interested in is their money. Thus we preachers often feel reticent to tackle the subject.

I have a few guidelines to help me when I preach on money. Be brief, there's no such thing as a bad short sermon, especially on this topic. Be bold, look straight into the camera and don't blink; it took me years to be able to do this. Be funny, I wouldn't even think about preaching a sermon on money without being humorous. It is the best way to release the tension that builds up in the room.

One last observation. Thanks for laughing at my jokes yesterday. You could have buried me, but your grace instead blessed me. By the way, did you hear the joke about the. . . .

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1961 Yankees

Last night I finished reading a book about my dream team, the 1961 Yankees. As a wide-eyed, awestruck kid of nine years old, I watched with eager anticipation as two of my heroes chased the record of baseball's ultimate hero.

Every day I had to know whether or not Mantle or Maris had hit a home run in their effort to break Babe Ruth's home run record for a season. I didn't know about Maris' hair falling out due to stress. I didn't know about Mantle's struggle with alcohol. I didn't know about the "asterisk" that would be put by Maris' record due to the season being longer.

All I knew was, two giants were chasing another giant, and I was out of breath with excitement. My main hero, Mantle, did not break the record. I've always regretted that, but I'm glad Maris did.

Props Can Flop

I still think it was a good idea for a sermon prop. How could I have known the paper would burn too long, thus sending up a huge, ongoing curl of smoke at 9:30? And how could I have known at 11:00 the lighter would not light. Click, click, click--is there a sadder sound on the planet?

This is the danger of using props. They are wonderful when they work, but a disaster when they fail. I still think it's worth the risk. I have been unable to get swords back in sheaths. I once broke a stand by hitting a board on it with a hammer. I once could not get a robe on because it got hung on the microphone cord I forgot I was wearing.

Despite the dangers, I plan to keep using props. Being a teacher, I am a radical believer in using whatever that's handy to help the learning process. This having been said, there will probably not be any fires lit during upcoming sermons for a while. Click, click, click.

Dr. John 3:16 Marshall