News & Updates

I sat down for my early morning breakfast and noticed the alien sitting across from me.  Are you kidding me… he mixed his eggs with his breakfast potatoes AND poured Tabasco all over the mess?  Who does that? This strange sight prompted memories of another foreigner who sat opposite my sunny-side-up plate.  With great animation this freak proceeded to mash and stir everything on his plate into one ugly pile.  Eggs, bacon, grits, potatoes, and fruit were hand blended into…

This time of year, for me, is a bit funky.  My yard is a mess.  The weeds are in full bloom.  It feels like I’m never gonna get on top of things and see beauty and intentional green things flourishing again.  Sherry tells me, “Just wait.  It will all come back.  Just wait.” May I reflect briefly… one more time… on our church sign.  That THING has been driving me crazy for a while.  It was falling apart.  The once-welcoming…

Tonight is the annual “C3’s Got Talent” talent show (6:30, if you want to come and cheer on next generations).  My son, Michael, will be playing his guitar.  He’s been practicing his brains out.  He’s got his “School of Rock” moves down.  I’m confident Michael will be quite nervous as he hits the big, lonely stage.  Oh the life of a pastor’s kid who wants to be a rock star. I’ve told Michael he should,  “Go for it!”  I hope…

I went the entire Winter without getting sick.  In spite of hearty hand-shakes and high-fiving our Cumberland knee nippers, I avoided the crud so many fought.  I attribute my virus avoidance to my voodoo smoothie Sherry and I drink every morning.  You don’t WANT to know what’s in that thaang! Now Spring is springing, and I caught my first cold.  What’s up with that?  Tis the season for pollen, hayfever, allergens, and a definite needed tweak to my smoothie. I…

Friday morning riddle:  How do you try not talking about something, but intentionally make sure your point is clearly understood? My wide-eyed, blonde-haired, blissfully innocent, 11-year-old son came home with a purple paper a few weeks back.  The paper went under the radar for several days… perhaps even weeks.  It was a dated purple paper requiring signatures of both parents.  Sherry discovered it in Michael’s folder a day or two before the deadline. It was the 5th grade boy’s health…

A sweet, bright, on-it, young couple showed up at our marriage class a few months back.  They were excited to gain more proactive tools for their burgeoning marriage.  I wondered why such a great duo needed any marriage help.  Things were going so well, why were they pushing it?  The husband told of a commitment they had made to do something (retreat, class, conference, book, counseling) each year that would build into their marriage.  I did an internal sigh wishing…

Memories of my dad in restaurants can come screaming back like they had just unfolded yesterday.  My father was quick on the draw of a tip withdraw.  He would send a filet or bowl of beans back to the chef in a New York Steak minute.  His standards were extremely high, and often he was a bit grumpy.  If the health inspection score was below a 98, the whole family would pack’er in and head out the door even after…

Is life supposed to be this hard-wired?  Complex? Last night at the annual Scott Formal, Red, Dress-Up, Valentine’s Day Dinner — it was complicated.  It started with our required background music.  In olden days, we’d simply drop the needle on a good Air Supply record and go.  This year we had to plug a laptop into our sound bar and find the perfect Spotify “love songs” playlist to set the mood.  Photos of years gone by would require time and patience…

A PARKING NOTE FROM ALAN:  If you are a regular Cumberland attendee, would you consider parking on the grass when you come for Sunday gatherings?  You can park your car to the left or right… just before our Kenyan hut.  There are widened asphalt ramps clearly marked. During the 10:30 gathering last week, our parking lot was jammed full.  We saw people drive in and leave because there simply was no room. If you park your car to the sides…

Super Bowl fever is starting to kick in… kind of.  An estimated $12.3 billion will be spent when all is said and done.  That’s equal to the Jamaican GDP!  If you’re planning on doing some grocery shopping, I would go ASAP.  Publix & Krogers will be slammed with people buying the four food groups of the NFL:  pizza rolls, salsa, chips, & dip. Do you wonder what the big hype is really about?  Some 179 million are expected to tune…