101 days after we moved in to our current home, it is fully furnished. Heading East I'd like to think my wife and I know a few things about buying houses, and about moving in to them. Over the course of the last twenty-four years, we've owned nine houses that we lived in as our primary residence. In July, I wrote, "Heading East," to share the news that we were selling our home in downtown Fort Worth and moving East. A few weeks later we closed on a home in North Arlington. On August Read More …
transition
Changing Jobs For the 20th Time (#1748)
People change jobs. 1979 Frequent job changes are common today, but holding many jobs over the course of one's adult lifetime has actually been common for quite some time. While a snapshot of any given point in time is helpful, a longitudinal consideration of a given cohort across time paints a more complete picture of job changes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported findings from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, which is a survey of nearly 10,000 men and Read More …
Last Blog Post (#1599)
This will be my last blog post for awhile . . . History Six years and four months ago, I launched this site. At that time, I never imagined that I would become a prolific blogger who would author 1,600 blog posts (an average of just over 250 a year!). I also had not given any real consideration to what my life might look like if I were not employed by a church. Happening Now After serving Mainline Protestant congregations for fifteen years in a variety of capacities, I am Read More …
Sermon: 1967 Sundays and Counting (#1589)
Sermon Text: 2 Corinthians 13:11, 14 Sermon Excerpt What in the name of God is going on here? What in the name of God is going on with Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ? Nine months ago I started my first sermon as your Transitional Pastor with that same question. After journeying with you for some time, I can begin to answer the question. FMC UCC is doing a lot, and all we are doing we do in God’s name. While it would be impossible to share all that has happened Read More …
Sermon: The Next Chapter (#1450)
Ephesians 2:14-22 (The Message) Sermon Excerpt A few weeks ago, Susan and I participated in Hodges University’s annual commencement ceremony. As professors, we know quite well how much the graduating class and their families look forward to that special occasion. This year we listened to remarks from a member of the graduating class and from a faculty member. While those short addresses were interesting, the one speech this year’s graduates are most likely to remember is the Read More …
Dealing with Change (#1080)
May has arrived. One of my routines as one month draws to a close and another begins is to ensure I have completed all of my tasks for month that is ending and to review my planned activities for the upcoming month. As I look at the month of May, I realize it is a time when I will experience several significant changes, including: teaching a course (perhaps two courses) I have never taught before, welcoming (and working for) the first ever dean of online learning at Hodges Read More …