D-V's Desk

  “Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day? Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or working on some stage in L.A.?”               So writes country singer Alan Jackson in his song, “Where were you?”   Jackson’s song is about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.   Just the other day we marked twenty-five years since the tragedy changed our lives forever.   I am sure most of us can remember where we were that fateful day.             I was a newbie to ordained ministry.   I had not yet seen one year of priestly ministry.   I was working at a church in Columbia, Missouri.   I did not know what had happened.   I heard strange reports on the news as I drove to the church.   It was not until I got in that I discovered the horror of what had happened in New Yo...

  WWJD? What Would Jesus Do?               About a generation back, this was a popular question.   Folks even had bracelets to remind themselves to ask “WWJD?”   The question itself is inspired by Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps .   In the book, a tiny congregation finds itself upended by the visit of a homeless man.   Inspired by the man’s witness, the pastor gathers a group.             For one year that group is to ask “WWJD?” before making any decisions.   The group meets for mutual support and accountability.   A businessman invites the pastor to hold a devotional time for his workers during lunch.   A budding singer starts singing gospel songs down by the bars instead of chasing stardom.             Last week, Jesus established His identity as the Messiah, the Son o...