The Back Table

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions. When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” John 2:6-10 Did you ever read this story and ask the question...why? Why waste a miracle on changing the beverage menu? Why do it and then want everyone to keep quiet about it? I mean, what did it accomplish for Kingdom purposes? I know many churches and religious circles don't give this miracle a lot of pulpit time, maybe beca...

One of my all-time favorite games to play as a kid was Kick the Can. Basically, there is one person who is "it," and everybody else hides. Once you're found, you have to go to the "prison" (base) and hope and pray that someone rescues you by touching the can or ball before the person who's "it" does. Playing the game, I remember hiding and the feeling of not wanting to leave my spot. I didn't want to risk being found or caught and then have to take the walk of shame to the porch. But I also remember feeling a stronger pull to get up and rescue some people. Hiding always felt like a waste of time, like I was missing all the excitement. Every once in a while someone would be hidden so well that a couple games would go by and they wouldn't even realize it. They couldn't hear everyone screaming that the game was over and everyone who was caught was rescued. That was the worst feeling, and it happened to me at least once or twice. I love the...

This past fall my six-year-old daughter, Morgan, joined a soccer team for the first time. If you've ever seen my daughter, you know that she's petite - in the two percentile to be exact. With sports, she's got to work a little harder than the average to compete. When we showed up to the first practice equipped with shin guards, water bottle, and a shiny pink and white soccer ball, I wasn't sure what to expect, as she would be playing with girls that were older and bigger than her. But when we stepped out of the car, it was like releasing a dog in an open field for the first time. I just kind of stood there and watched as she made her way to the field, a little caught off guard by her excitement and courage. With only a few more games left in the season, Morgan was the only girl on the team who hadn't scored a goal, and I could tell it was starting to bother her a little bit. And that bothered me. As I watched from the sideline, I would try to help her by air kicking...

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me." Exodus 10:3 To this day, whenever I hear or read the story of the Israelites being held hostage by Pharaoh, my mind automatically starts shooting off questions like, "Seriously, Pharaoh, the plague of boils and frogs weren’t enough to convince you that just maybe there was a higher power working through Moses?" As a boy I would imagine things that might have changed his mind - like maybe little leprechauns dropping from the sky or baseball bats. The fact is there was nothing that would have softened his heart enough to let them go. Why? Because at some time, at some point he believed the lie that he was in control; that he was king; that submission was something only other (lower) people did. As I was reading through this event again, I noticed something that I had never seen before. In Ex...

When I was around twelve, I had gone to the beach with my youth group for a weekend retreat. As we were throwing the Frisbee around, I heard a bunch of commotion coming from the boardwalk. When I looked, I saw this large group of twentysomethings laughing and pointing at something. It looked like whatever it was must have been behind where we were. I started looking around to see what it could have been, but couldn't find anything worthy of such hysteria. And then I realized what it was...it was me. Everyone on the beach and boardwalk had now fixed their eyes on me. It felt like someone had just punched me in the gut and left their fist inside me. They were making fun of my weight and how skinny I was, shouting and pointing for what seemed to be an eternity. The only thing I knew to do was to ask for the Frisbee, "Jeff! Jeff! Throw it here." And then I did the unthinkable. I ran over to the guy doing most of the pointing and shouting, and I attempted to shove the Frisbee ...

Did you ever go to a public pool or attend a pool party and not see at least one kid - or adult for that matter - doing a cannon ball into the water? (For those of you wondering how or why a kid would throw black, iron balls into a pool, you really should get out a little more!) The cannon ball I'm referring to is a diving technique in swimming. Unlike competitive diving techniques, however, its purpose is to maximize rather than minimize splash on water entry. Lesson 1: Leave Your World Wet The cannon ball is dreaded by the readers and sunbathers surrounding the sparkling blue abyss, but to the exerciser of it...pure joy. The bigger the splash and the louder the noise the better. Usually the award is given to the larger or should I say "bigger-boned" individuals. But on rare occasions the skinny kid triumphs with his unconventional and unorthodox style that leaves the other competitors splashes look like rain drops. If you've ever been there and seen it, you know wha...

Did you ever ride with someone who loves to hunt? I used to ride with a guy who was a big deer hunter, and every time we would come up to an open field he would start poking and twitching his head around like a chicken. He would be driving, mind you, but that didn't matter. The risk of driving into a telephone pole or another motorist would have been worth it, especially if he actually spotted one. Sometimes I would mess with him. I would spring up in my seat and get really excited and start pointing and shouting - "Over there, over there!" He would go crazy. His eyes would turn into targets, and his head would start going. And then I would point out a bird or a tree. I would say things like- "Did you see that Oak Tree? That thing really had a lot of branches, let's pull over so I can grab one and put it on my wall in my living room". I've never seen someone go from happy to sad that quickly before in all my life. His body must have went through a lot in...