In January 2018, my wife and I moved to downtown Fort Worth after purchasing a 4 story brownstone with amazing views of the city that is strategically located on the edge of downtown, adjacent to Panther Island, and not far from West 7th and Near Southside. Earlier this week my wife and I listed our home for sale so that we can relocate to the East. Giving Thanks Our current home is the eighth property we've owned that has also served as our primary residence. It was the first to be Read More …
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Looking Up & Looking Ahead (#1941)
Almost every day is the same; I spend most of my day looking straight ahead and a much smaller portion looking down. It is rare that I shift my visual focus upward, and rarer still for my upward gaze to persist for any length of time. On July 4, I found myself making an exception as I watched an impressive and lengthy (almost 30 minutes!) fireworks show from my home in Fort Worth, Texas. And, now, I'm recognizing that this temporary visual reorientation provided me with a larger Read More …
Giving Thanks – Mansfield Mission Center (#1938)
Over the last four years, I've had the joy of serving the Mansfield Mission Center (MMC). In short, MMC is the place people turn when unexpected challenges arise, and it is the center of opportunity for individuals, families, and the entire community. Introducing the Mansfield Mission Center Founded as the benevolence ministry of First Methodist Mansfield and originally known as the Wesley Mission Center, the organization became its own non-profit in 2013, and was renamed Read More …
Looking Again (#1873)
I'm spending some time today reflecting on my experiences over the last year. As part of that exercise, I've selected ten photos to share. I took each of these photos in either Dallas or Fort Worth using my phone. I invite you to take a few minutes to really look at both groups of photos. The first group offers a mix of city views alongside natural and cultural images. The second group presents two photos from within the walls of local congregations followed by two taken Read More …
Overwhelmed with Gratitude (#1826)
I’m overwhelmed with gratitude in response to the incredible turnout and generous support the community provided the Mansfield Mission Center this week. Three Years of Expansion I've been blessed to contribute to the incredible growth of the Mission over the last few years 2017 - I joined the staff as Director of Social Enterprise 2018 - I helped open our second location - the best thrift store in the area (don't take my word for it, our store was recently Read More …
A Year of Change (#1767)
Last week I was asked to summarize my experience of 2018 with a single world. After a slight pause, I replied "change." 2018 has been a year filled with personal and professional change. Here's my Top 10 List: Living. For the first time in my life, I'm living an urban lifestyle (in the 15th largest city in the United States). Moving. My wife and I moved from a two story suburban home with a golf course view to a four story downtown dwelling with a city view. Read More …
My Life as an Adjunct Professor (#1752)
Education has long been a central part of what I do and who I am. A few weeks ago I shared the news that I was starting my twentieth professional position since graduating from college. Adjunct Life, Part 21 Today, I completed my responsibilities for teaching an undergraduate survey of world religions summer semester course. Submitting grades was my final responsibility to complete twenty-one consecutive semesters as an adjunct professor. Over that time, I've Read More …
New Year, New Home (#1718)
Happy New Year! To start 2018 my wife and I purchased a home in downtown Fort Worth and started the process of relocating. This is the ninth place we have called home during the first nineteen years of our life together, and the eighth we have owned. Our first four homes were in Texas, and appear below on the first row and the first image on the second row. Our next three homes were in Florida, and are depicted in the remaining images on the second row and the Read More …
My Many First Days (#1703)
First days are often memorable. Usually they are scheduled well in advance. Often they go according to plan. This was the case for me yesterday (September 17), which was my first day to preach in a congregation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 2010. First days can, however, be a bit more complicated and colorful as the last two months of my life illustrate: August 7 was officially my first day of work at the Wesley Mission Center, but my participation in a Read More …
Starting My Last Semester as a Student (#1700)
Exactly a year ago I wrote a blog post titled "My Transition from Professor to Student" to tell the world I was returning to the classroom as a student in order to earn another degree. Tomorrow I start the fourth and what I plan to be my final semester as a MBA student at Texas Woman's University. Original Plan When I started this program I was working for a for profit company for the first (and, so far, the only) time in my life. The MBA was an easy choice for professional Read More …