ruminate |ˈroōməˌnāt|
verb [ intrans. ]
1 think deeply about something : we sat ruminating on the nature of existence.
2 (of a ruminant) chew the cud.
“Random Ruminations” may not necessarily be accurate because few of what you’ll see in this series will require deep thinking. However, it should make for some fun reading. I’ll be using it [...]

You know the Rolaids commercials about “How do you spell RELIEF?” And they respond with “R-O-L-A-I-D-S?” Well…. last night I was preaching away in our second December Nights celebration at the BCM at Virginia Tech. It was packed. We had a special worship team in from Brentwood Church in Lynchburg led by Nic Carver. The [...]

The Best American Short Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)

I waded through the first story, F-bombs and all. Then came the second story with more of the same…
What?!
Really?!
If these are the “Best American Short Stories of 2005,” we’re really hurting.
I was looking for brilliance and all I got was bawdiness. It’s hard for me to [...]

It was one of those weekends as a leader that you anticipate/dread with equal measures of enthusiasm and uncertainty. Our church had an opportunity to host the Glory in the Highest concert tour here in Blacksburg. After deliberation and an email survey, we jumped at it.
There were more than 900 folks at the concert Friday [...]

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
by Francis Chan
My short synopsis is: “One of those simple but powerful books that challenges comfortable “Christianity.” Can being a Christian really be “comfortable?” Peaceful perhaps. But anything but comfortable.”

This is one of those generational message books. It seems that often the Lord seems to raise up a message [...]

Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End)
by Ted Dekker

I have read the Circle Trilogy and reviewed Black and Red on my blog. I was thrilled to see that Thomas Nelson publishers was offering Green as part of their blogger review program.
After receiving it from them, I tore into it, and after a [...]

Here’s our annual ElfYourself video. We’ve been practicing for months:

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Watch live streaming video from gobillies at livestream.com

We woke early today to go eat Thanksgiving breakfast with the Cook family. That itself was wonderful, but in the grand perspective of things, it’s rather surreal.
Darrell and Laura have been great friends for a long time – since 1995 when Carolyn and I first arrived back in Arkansas for me to serve as a [...]

How do you come before the Lord? And, with what do you come before Him?
Psalm 100 is one of those magnificent and attention-altering passages of Scripture that beckon the reader out of temporal living.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD [...]

The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun
by Brother Yun

Even before I was able to read this dynamic account of Brother Yun’s life as a Chinese pastor and underground church leader, my book was persecuted. I found it on the floor one morning with the front cover partially ripped and chewed [...]

Invite your friends, and help us spread the word! You can buy tickets here.

As a follower of Christ, I sense it all the time in conversations with others who a) are not a follower of Christ or b) are only a nominal Christian. It gets easier to detect the more contact you have with the person.
I usually notice it in the eyes. It’s a far-off look. A shift, [...]

And for your viewing entertainment…

Yes, Virginia, there is a Halloween.
Not that we thought it was an exclusively Arkansas entertainment event…
We spent a relaxing, overcast day with college football, a neighborhood parade and activities for kids in costume and of course, trick or treating. Adelyn was a clown this year – and she dressed as one too. She borrowed one [...]