Good evening, friend! As I stirred from sleep early this Memorial Day morning, this thought popped into my mind: “How can I remember what I never knew?” On a day devoted to memories, how can I remember something I never experienced? The Old Testament is replete with verses that urge the people of Israel to […]
Sleep on This: Shiny (May 15)
Good evening, friend: It’s the sort of story that deserves to be repeated…because it is such a great story. And because it puts my daughter, one of my favorite persons, in such a great light…literally. So, I repeat! My in-laws were visiting and my father-in-law, Boyd, announced he had lost a large diamond off of […]
Sleep on This: Good news about bad news (May 14)
Good evening, friend! “If it bleeds, it leads.” This familiar trope describes the state of the media today. Perhaps it always has, but never more than today. The more spectacular the bad news, the better. And like a rat that is mesmerized by the swaying of the cobra’s head, we find it almost impossible to […]
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Sleep on This: Mirage (May 13)
Good evening, friend! Cyndi and I slipped over to the coast for Mother’s Day weekend. It’s still great—but weird—that we can worship with all of you virtually. Even weirder when I raise my hands to receive the benediction—from myself! (BTW, if you missed our Mother’s Day services, I’d urge you to check it out. My […]
Sleep on This: The Bread Chronicles—a postscript
Good evening, friend: I know, I know—we were wrapping up this bread thing last week. But Cyndi gave me an idea. She pointed out that in John 6, where Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life,” he concludes by saying, “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” “Notice,” she said, “he doesn’t say […]
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Sleep on This: Some sad news about Ravi Zacharias (May 11)
Good evening, friend: I received some very sad news this weekend. Ravi Zacharias, world-renowned apologist and a friend of Chapel Hill, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The only treatment he will receive is palliative. He is returning to his home in Atlanta to share the final lap of his well-run life with his family. […]
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Sleep on This: The Bread Chronicles—a Father’s heart (May 8)
Good evening, friend. I managed to pace myself. I gave one of my inaugural loaves away and sliced the other one as thinly as possible so as to expand that single loaf’s provision and to NOT expand my waistline as quickly. But, as I munch my way toward the vestigial heel of that bread, I […]
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Sleep on This: The Bread Chronicles—scarcity (May 7)
Good evening, friend! In support of my nascent bread-baking career, I went searching again yesterday for a dough scraper. It’s just a wedge of silicone that you use to scrape clean the insides of your mixing bowl. (I borrowed one for the loaves I baked earlier this week and found it quite handy.) But even […]
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Sleep on This: The Bread Chronicles—leaven (May 6)
Good evening, friend! Every parent thinks their newborn is beautiful. But truth be told, some newborns are a little bit “beautiful-er” than the others! As enthusiastic and proud as I was of my inaugural sourdough bake, when I look at it a little more dispassionately, I realize that my loaf was in the less “beautiful-er” […]
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Sleep on This: The Bread Chronicles – what have you done for me lately?
Good evening, friend! Wow—did I strike a chord! I had no idea how many of you were bakers—or pretending to be bakers… or hoping to be bakers. But it sure explains why I can’t find bread flour or a dough spatula to save my life. (WinCo came through on the flour!) And a Danish dough […]
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