Reflections

How many times have I read the passage of Jesus' first miracle and look at it solely as His first miraculous expression as God. But recently, I have discovered a richer, deeper meaning of what this story is. In April of 2012, Elizabeth & I had the opportunity to renew our wedding vows at the very location in Israel where this wedding feast happened. We had a feast in our hearts that day. We read the following scripture at the location. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they...

Growing up, what boy didn't idolize John Wayne? He was the super western hero that walked with a swagger, communicated with authority, and always got his man! I think many of us grew up in that 1970's era trying to be the man he was. One of his famous quotes was "Never apologize, mister, it’s a sign of weakness.” Although he did seem to always get the bad guys, I think The Duke missed it on this one. Whether it's at the office or at home, the apology is probably one sign of truly being a man. Apologizing does demonstrate weakness, but, we are imperfect...right? Of course we are. I believe offering sincere apologies is somewhat like building bridges across the great chasms of relational controversy. It doesn't have to be just within marriage, I think it also applies to the workplace. Imagine an office with less controversy. I like that idea, don't you? Last April, I enjoyed a trip to Israel with Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, ...

2/25/13 Tonight, John Cosgrove will be at the Davie County Library to discuss the great World War battle called Battle of the Bulge.  Studies show that the death toll and injured were staggering. American deaths 19,276 American wounded 47493 Captured & MIA 23,554 British deaths 200 British wounded & MIA 1400 German deaths 15,652. Captured & MIA 27,582 Wounded 41,600. I had the opportunity to interview Ralph Call. Ralph was a gentleman from Davie County who kept  a lot of his stories bottled up for over 50 years. He earned a purple heart in the Battle of the Bulge.  Approximately 3 months before he died, he shared his story with me. I hope you will enjoy this. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Sanctity of life Sunday. Thanks to the Morrison class for allowing Elizabeth to share her experience about finding her birth mother. We are sharing a short video of our first experience going to Canada to meet this family. Kevin, Elizabeth's birth mothers husband said it beautifully in the footage when he said, " you have crossed our path, and were with us always".

Thanks to the Casey Class & the Elam Class for welcoming Elizabeth & I on Sunday. I would encourage each of you visit www.salempregnancy.org to learn more about the Crisis Pregnancy Ministry work here in Winston Salem.  If you know any family that is dealing with a crisis pregnancy and are trying to wade through the difficult decisions, I have memorialized our journey on the attached link. Feel Free to share this! Blessings...... Kyle

I'm ending the evening excited about speaking to the Retired Teachers Association tomorrow. I can only imagine what my high school counselor, Mrs. Barger would be saying if she were living.....I can hear her saying "I thought we'd never get you out of high school". Admittedly, she did metaphorically kick me across the graduation stage, and for that, I;m glad. I will be speaking to the group about the Triad Flight of Honor. Being June 6, my mind has been on the shores of the Normandy coast. Our entire family was blessed to spend two weeks in this now peaceful French countryside. As we strolled by the white wash granite grave markers, so perfectly lined up at Colleville-sur-Mer, Franch, Omaha beach. I felt so humbled to realize that approximately 2,500 Americans and 3,000 other Allied troops died on D-Day. Most of them 18-20 years old. Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno & Sword....these are words that should never leave the tenancy of the American mind. This generation unde...

You may know that in 1994, after two years of searching, God pointed me in the direction of Edmonton, Alberta Canada to locate Elizabeth's birth mother. This blog day is not long enough to share with you that story. You may be interested in watching this 21 minute video about that part of our lives. While the experience of connecting a 27 year division was fulfilling to all parties, the part that I remember today was a letter that Elizabeth received about a week after that telephone reunion. Overnight, Elizabeth learned about her 4 new siblings. I look back and now realize what a pill to swallow. Two brothers and two sisters.  The letter was from a sweet little 12 year old name Erin; Elizabeth's new Canadian sister. To begin the letter, she acknowledged that her mother and father shared with her the revelation that she had a sister in North Carolina. In that first paragraph, in her young innocent way, she said the news was like "winning the lottery". She ...