Rite of passage: Christmas tree troubles
When we first had our kids, my wife wanted a real tree. I told her that wouldn’t be practical because the sap would run out of the tree and the floor would get sticky. She then reminded me that we had two sons, and everything in the house was already sticky. Once again, I had to say, “You are right, Babe.” It is a tradition in the Moore home that we put up our Christmas tree soon after we have eaten the last Thanksgiving leftover. I...
Rite of passage: A time to weep
We had a meltdown recently in the Moore family—not in our home but in the home of our grandsons, Titus the Honorable and Cohen the Goodhearted. It seems that when Titus got home from school one day last week, he discovered that his longtime pet, a Siamese fighting fish, had died. Titus has taken good care of this fish, feeding it and changing the water. I am not sure what the average lifespan is for a fish like this, but “Gobee,” as...
Rite of passage: Cohen’s good heart
I have been trying to think of what to write. When you have produced a weekly article for more than 21 years, sometimes you sit staring at a blank screen, and nothing comes to your mind. But two Facebook posts about my grandson, 3 1/2-year-old Cohen the Goodhearted, changed that in an instant. The first one concerned his mom cleaning out the car. Cohen had a notebook lying in his car seat with scribbling across many of the pages. His...
Rite of passage: The last missionary
Recently, I was the first speaker for a student missions conference. In my introduction, I talked about why I started a mission organization in 1993. I had a big dream back then, and I have that same dream today: I want to bring Jesus back. I read in Matthew 24:14, “And this Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” I know Revelation 7:9 says, “After...
Rite of passage: Winner, winner, chicken dinner
I didn’t know that hosting the inaugural Baptist Messenger Cookbook Contest would be such a difficult task. Sifting through a mound of tasty recipes, I knew I was in trouble when I came across one that contained the instruction: “cream your butter.” I have seen many cans of whipped cream, but I don’t know where to look in a store for a can of creamed butter (I had to Google it). It didn’t take long to realize I was in way over my head...
Rite of passage: Coffee, anyone?
The other day, I was talking with some old college friends, all of whom happen to be in the ministry. Every one of them was either coming from, going to or currently at a Starbucks. Two of these friends (I’ll call them Jim and Marcia to protect their identities) think I’m an odd sort of fellow because I’m not into the Venti Grande Hocha Mocha whatever-it-is coffee world. To tell the truth, I’m not a fan of any kind of coffee. Yes,...
