Way back in the summer of 1992, I went to serve as the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Winchester, Virginia. That’s when I met the family of Butch and Eva Gates. The first day in my office, Eva called me and asked me to officiate at a marriage vow renewal service that…
Category: love
How to Be an Adult: The “Five A’s” of Healthy Community (with apologies to David Richo)
While waiting in Atlanta for his flight to San Francisco, a colleague of mine, Vic Dippenaar, sat down in the waiting lounge to nurture patience in the pages of a book. He raised in front of his eyes David Richo’s book, How to Be an Adult, and began reviewing the chapters. Vic, the director of…
In Memoriam: Johnny Barnes – A Bermudian Insurgent
I learned this morning from a reader that Johnny Barnes passed away this year, at the age of 93 (see the first reply beneath the post). I was so inspired when I first heard about Mr. Barnes, that I thought I’d repost this particular blog entry from over a year ago. Here it is. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~…
What Support Teams Are NOT
When I start to talk about Support Teams, I’ve learned that everyone already has an idea of what I’m talking about – and in many cases, it isn’t what I’m talking about. People like it when I say that I’m working with Support Teams, but I’ve found that I need not assume they understand what…
Support Teams and Bears in the Woods
In doing support teams over the year and a half since I’ve been at UAB, I’ve met some fantastic people. But I wouldn’t have met them if I hadn’t gotten off my usual beaten path. It sort of reminds me of a discovery I made right after I ran into a bear once in the…
Everything is Incredible!
In the village of Siguatepeque, Honduras, lives a man named Augustin. Before the government gave free vaccinations to the children of the country, polio struck Augustin. For most of his 70 plus years, Augustin has lived in a wheelchair. He managed to learn a trade, however, and became a shoemaker. Augustin might have gone unnoticed…
Loneliness Can Kill You! No, Really . . . It Can Kill You!
Remember the movie “Crocodile Dundee?” A recent medical journal article with a very dry title made me think of a scene in that movie. Here’s the scene: Crocodile Dundee, himself has gone to a party with his New York girlfriend. Across the crowded room, she points out that her mother has arrived among the revelers…
Lucy’s Beats Starbucks
Let me be clear: I LIKE Starbucks. In the West Pavilion here at UAB Medicine, we have a Starbucks coffee kiosk and I go there frequently and get their “Veranda Blend.” A fantastic woman named Annie works there and when she sees me coming, she fills a cup for me even before I get to…
