“God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” I’ve heard this promise/these promises all of my life. I’ve both received the declaration and blurted it out to countless others. A recent sermon from John 3:16 on the love of God got me thinking about this all too familiar sentence that has been tattooed onto my churched soul. If the first part of this sentence is true (“God loves you”), do we really need the “and” part (“and... Read more
Have you ever heard the phrase “fall from grace?” It is usually used in the context of someone who committed a significant sin. For instance, if you learned that a Christian you admire cheated on his or her spouse, you might say, “They fell from grace.” There’s actually a list out there naming “20 of the Biggest Falls from Grace in History.” Richard Nixon and O.J. Simpson are among those named, if that gives you an indication. “Fall from grace”... Read more
Jalen. Patrick. Joe. Tom. Aaron. It’s where the NFL reporters and recorders and mics were the final weeks of the season. Looking for a sound byte. Looking for a word from “the G.O.A.T.s.”: “Will Tom Brady retire again?” (Yes) “Will Aaron Rodgers leave the Packers for another team?” (not likely) “How did Patrick Mahomes do it on a bummed ankle? Will he be well for the big game?” (Yes?) “How good is Jalen Hurts going to be?” (Good enough to... Read more
West Franklin Family, You may or may not be aware that Dave Kruse has an older sister who lives in Wisconsin. She’s a nurse. She’s a nurse who owns a horse. We interviewed her on the podcast over a year ago here. On Wednesday, Dave took a one way flight to Wisconsin so he could help his sister bring her horse to Tennessee. They drove from Wisconsin to Tennessee on Thursday. Yep. Dave Kruse traveled North to aid in bringing... Read more
“This is a place that you never have to say ‘I’m sorry.’ I have been to a lot of different places, and I’ve caught myself saying ‘sorry,’ many many times.” These two sentences struck me. As a pastor, my first thought was “I wish this woman was talking about a church. I place where you never have to apologize? Sign me up.” My second thought was, “Maybe she is talking about churches? She claims to have been places where she... Read more
West Franklin Family, This week has me thinking a lot about momma’s. All of us have or have had one. Many of you are a momma. In May we celebrate mom’s. This month, I also get to celebrate my own mom’s birthday (17th) as well my wife’s (who is a momma) on the 13th. In addition, I get to see how my wife – as a mom – celebrates her firstborn child on his birthday every May (18th). Yes, I... Read more
West Franklin Family, I read this week that sports betting is a $120 billion business. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of online gambling in 2018 and, well, the floodgates burst. According to the article, “Before the legalization of online gambling, the great majority of Americans would go their entire life without being tempted to seek out a bookie or fly to the handful of jurisdictions in which in-person sports betting was permitted.” Things are different now. “What millions face... Read more
West Franklin Family, Jesus placed high value on little things. His go to analogy of the kingdom included small objects. A mustard seed. Yeast. A little leaven. A child. A grain of wheat. Salt. Pearls. A sheep. A coin. A son. Seeds falling in particular areas. You get the idea. Jesus loved to highlight the little things. Why? The things that generally go unnoticed tend to make the biggest impact. In the economy of the kingdom of God, the little... Read more
West Franklin Family, Wednesday I heard the most beautiful Christian message in a very surprising place. Current country music star Morgan Wallen (who rocks a killer mullet by the way) recently released a song called “Don’t Think Jesus.” When I saw the title, my first (and very judgmental) thought was, “oh great, another secular artist singing heretical thoughts about Jesus.” I was badly mistaken. It’s actually one of the best and accurate theological songs I have heard on the radio... Read more
West Franklin Family, Thursday morning I drove to Hartselle, Alabama. My mom wrote a book and was part of a home-town book signing at the Train Depot in the center of downtown. My sisters were there, along with some of their children (11 out of 15 grandchildren were present and accounted for). I got to see a couple of faces I had not seen in a long, long time. A fun day for sure. One gentleman I met for the... Read more
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