Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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Standing on the Shoulders of Those Who Believed in Us
There is an old saying that we stand on the shoulders of giants. I have discovered another truth along life’s journey: we all stand on the shoulders of someone who believed in us. As I look back over seventy-six years, I realize that many of the people who shaped my life never became famous. They…
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Places That Shape Us: Where History Became Personal
Today our nation marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, the birth of what became the United States of America. Over the years, I have traveled through 46 of the continental United States. Only Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota remain unseen. Every state has offered something worth…
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Experience Is the Best Teacher
The famous Roman general Julius Caesar once wrote, Ut est rerum omnium magister usus—”Experience is the best teacher.” Isn’t that the truth? Have you ever done something you immediately wished you hadn’t? One of those moments that seemed like a good idea at the time but ended up teaching you a lesson you never forgot?…
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Moon Pies, RC Cola, and the Grace of Change
Remember Moon Pies? Two graham crackers with a marshmallow filling in the middle, dipped in chocolate—or, if you were lucky, covered with that wonderful banana-flavored coating. And what about RC Cola? Growing up, it was a special treat whenever Daddy stopped at the little country store to fill the truck with gas and pick up…
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My Help Comes from the Lord
Daily Office Readings: Psalm 121, 1 Samuel 11:1–15, Acts 8:1–13, Luke 22:63–71 “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.” — Psalm 121:8 One of the most familiar affirmations in Scripture is found in Psalm 121: “My help comes from the Lord.” Those words sound comforting…
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Who Is Like the Lord?
Curious Pilgrim Daily Office ReflectionPsalm 89 • Ezekiel 2:1–7 • Acts 11:1–18 “Who is like you, O Lord God of hosts?” (Psalm 89:8) Every generation answers that question. Some conclude there is no God at all. Others are uncertain and call themselves agnostic. Some believe God created the universe but remains distant and uninvolved. Many…
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The Curious Pilgrim
God Is Already at Work “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” — Psalm 118:14 One of the greatest mysteries of faith is that God is often doing His deepest work before we recognize it. Today’s Daily Office readings invite us to look back over our lives and…
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The Voice of the Voiceless
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” — Luke 4:18 Tomorrow at St. James Episcopal Church, our summer study of the saints brings us to Archbishop Oscar Romero. As I have reflected on his life, I have discovered…
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The Curious Pilgrim
Learning Wisdom by Remembering Mercy Daily Office Reflection – Psalm 107, 1 Samuel 9:15–10:1, Acts 7:30–43, Luke 22:39–51 “Whoever is wise will ponder these things and consider well the mercies of the Lord.”—Psalm 107:43 There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge fills our minds. Wisdom shapes our lives. Most of us do not…
The Curious Pilgrim 