The Last Deviled Egg

The Last Deviled Egg

It weren’t nothing but an egg. A deviled one at that. The line was long in the church fellowship hall. I was one of three pastors scrambling around.  The Baptists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians decided to get together to eat. Our congregations share a neighborhood, and...
Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’: Remembering Dolly Parton

Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’: Remembering Dolly Parton

Southerners are known for our ability to turn a phrase. We have certain sayings and expressions. Many have made their way into the larger culture. “Bless your heart.” “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.” “He’s slower than molasses.” I know such things intimately....
The Time for Joy

The Time for Joy

Joy is a word you don’t hear much anymore. Talk of it in recent years feels almost foreign. My tongue needs practice to form it. I believe it’s easy to feel this way when you wake daily in a country where an administration seems hell-bent on overthrowing the last...
In Lieu of Flowers

In Lieu of Flowers

Tuesday was a regular day for me. They usually are.  Tuesdays on my calendar are days when things have to get done and put away, like cleaning dishes. I have staff meetings on Tuesdays. I mess around and have a third cup of coffee. My kids demand tacos. It’s a rinse,...