Memorial Day
It was several months after my graduation from Boot Camp in 1968 when my monthly issue of the Marine Corps magazine landed in my mailbox. Several days later I got around to reading it. The articles did not seem as compelling as they did right after graduation from boot camp. For some reason this day […]
Sharing Mom’s God Moment
I was driving down Beach Boulevard yesterday and passed a car with a dog straddling the driver and his head hanging out the window. The dog seemed to be enjoying himself biting at the fresh air. The wind was blowing in his face and his mouth was open, making him appear to be smiling. As […]
Relationship with God
Immediately after moving out of my parent’s home I wallowed in the joy of freedom of choice. I had always had a curfew and restrictions on where I went and who I went with. There never seemed to be life outside of the church or its activities. The first few weeks were like taking in […]
A gift not received
A number of years ago I had a student that entered one of our ministry schools. He was in his early years of High School and an unusually gifted student. He had studied martial arts previously, so once he learned our techniques I cross certified him to Black Belt in our style. He seemed deeply […]
Pied Pipers
Hamelin, Germany is a fine old medieval town with some remarkable buildings. The city was founded as a monastery in 851 AD. A village grew around the monastery into a neighborhood. By the 12th century it was considered a town. However, the main attraction of this township is the tale of the Pied Piper. Today […]
Peter The Great
Today in 1682 was the coronation of Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia. At 6’ 8” he stood head and shoulders above his sickly brother Ivan who initially shared the throne after the murders of several relatives until he died in 1696. Despite his size he had disfigurements and is believed to have suffered from […]
Donna Berry Coker
I met her at the swimming pool of our apartment complex. Her long black hair and physical beauty captivated me. It was about five different subjects and several hours later before I learned she was married. Over the next few months I saw her at the pool on occasion. Each time she would be with […]
Victor Hugh Coker
He seems like a shadow rather than a real person. The only people who knew him are gone now, and I never really got a straight story about his personage or character. He just wasn’t there and no one wanted to talk about him because of a single choice he made. He walked away from […]
Freedom of Choice
Several years ago my sister-in-law’s husband passed away. I was asked to provide the oration at the funeral, even though I am not Jewish. I felt directed by God to do so. As I thought back on our discussions over the years, one specific exchange remained vivid as I prepared for his burial. During that […]
Motives
During the early 1990’s I found myself out of work and virtually impossible to replace the executive position after sending out thousands of resumes. After about 90 to 100 days, I found myself prostrate, face down on the ground, begging Almighty God for relief. I recounted the ministries I had supported, the families I had […]