Transition Update

Two weeks have passed so quickly, but I’m thrilled to report that I now have a lease and keys to a small 2 bedroom, 2 bath house in Pensacola! It’s within a mile of Interstate 10, adjacent to a major shopping mall, two miles from our oldest daughter’s home, and sits on nearly an acre of land (lots of room for our grandkids to play).

Tomorrow morning, I’m flying to Little Rock to load my second daughter’s household goods into a UHaul (for my British friends, it’s a “hired removal truck”) that I will drive back to Florida over the weekend. Friends and family will help us load and unload on both ends of the journey. I’m a little concerned about the weather, near freezing, in Little Rock and slippery roads on the way back. Thankfully, forecasts are projecting mid-50′s for Pensacola the next five to seven days. Please pray for safe travels as I drive the big truck and my daughter follows in her car with the three grandchildren. Continue reading

Shall we pray? Let's carefully rethink that question!

Image © ninjaneil902Why do Christians around the world seem obsessed with perfunctory prayer before and after every “official” gathering of believers? It doesn’t matter if it’s a Bible study, a Sunday School class, a social or fellowship event, or a formal worship service. This must be a cultural thing, because I can’t find anything in the Bible about it.

Maybe such a ritual is not really prayer at all. Usually it takes the form of “God, bless our religious whatchamacallit,” and it might include a few impromptu announcements (“Lord, help everyone here to remember our work day this coming Saturday from 9 to 5, and that we still need someone to make sandwiches that day.”) or a brief request for healing (“Father, please grant healing to our Brother Jenkins in Room 362 at Mercy Hospital. He’s improving, Lord, but we really need him for our upcoming game against Christ the King Lutheran in the men’s softball playoffs.”) or some other urgent matter. Continue reading