The Way

To say that I have been remiss in blogging for basically the last two years is . . . well, in a word, accurate. You would think that with the "home time" due to the onset of Covid in early 2020,  I would have found (made) more time to sit, reflect, pontificate, put down in words the "goings on of the Turners." I didn't. But . . . here we are in the week leading up to Christmas in 2022 and alas, I find myself sitting down, reflecting, pontificating (in my head) and putting down in words the recent (ish) goings on of the Turners. Sit back, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and be ready to be amazed! At least, hopefully entertained !  For the uninformed, we moved to Rome, GA in June of 2020 after living in Nashville for 30plus years! We left many friends with little to no fanfare because most things were still shut down due to Covid. That was a weird end to our time in Nashville in many ways. I took a role a WinShape and get to work alongside a team of incredib...

Recently there have been a couple of our friends who have passed away. I think at times like these, I can quickly do a half-hearted attempt at grieving and not really slow down enough to allow the loss to really sink in. Some of that might be a defense mechanism on my part. As I reflect on the death of each of these people, some of the first things that come to mind are: 1. What amazing people each of them are.  2. The immense number of people who credit each of them with having an influence in their life (including me). 3. The similar values that each of them held and lived consistently. 4. The way that each of them is remembered by their family. 5. The fact that each of them had a significant influence in my life yet they never knew one another or even that the other existed. 6. They both loved Jesus well and their love for Him was the reason that they served and loved Him and others so well. Dana Hacker was a beautiful soul that Sondra and I had the privilege of getting to know ...

Sondra and I are excited to let you know that I have accepted a job with WinShape Foundation in the WinShape College Program . In this season of Coronavirus it does not seem to make much sense to change jobs and make a move but we have learned that as God reveals Himself it is ALWAYS best to be open handed and obey. We will be moving to Rome, GA at some point when the current restrictions are lifted. There are many things to be worked out but I will start with WinShape on May 11. We will give you details as we know them. In the meantime, you can catch this video that I did with our pastor, Michael DiMarco and it will provide a few more details. My three years at Friendship Community Church have been a great season of growth, refinement, learning and pruning in my own life. I am grateful for the people, the experiences and the growth that I have been a part of among this family of believers.

It seems as though all the normal has been turned upside down. COVID-19 is something we did not even know about a couple of months ago. Our normal is no longer and probably comes at a great time in our lives. I have become complacent. I will share more later about some things I have been thinking and praying about but with this being St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to re-share a story I have shared many years before. From Slave Patricius to St. Patrick So for many, St. Patrick's day is about green beer and pinching others, but the real story of Patricius is far from green beer and pinching. Today we celebrate the life and work of St. Patrick who brought the good news of the Gospel to the Emerald Isle and her people. Who was this man Patrick, and what were his great accomplishments that so many should celebrate him more than 1500 years after he left this earth? Like St. Nicholas, whose identity has been utterly changed into that of a child's Christmas fantasy, the n...

Many of you know that Sondra's parents were born and reared in the beautiful country of New Zealand (NZed). To be honest, I was so geographically ignorant that I did not even know where NZed was until Sondra and I started dating in 1984. But since then, I have grown to love NZed and the people who live there. The news that usually comes out of NZed revolves around the beauty of the country side and the amazing number of sheep that call NZed home. There are also reports at times of the devastating earthquakes that can happen in that region of the world known as the " Ring of Fire ." Every time that NZed is in the news,  I can tell you that the Turners focus in to hear and know what is going on.  But when we hear NZed in the news, we see peoples' faces. Faces of family and friends that we have grown to know and love. So when the latest news came out of NZed this past weekend, while we wanted it to be news of the beauty of the islands and its' people, the focu...

I shared this with our students a few months ago after the massacre in Las Vegas. In light of yesterday's school shooting at Marshall County High School in Kentucky, I was reminded once again of the urgency of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. I am praying for those families who have been directly impacted. May God provide peace, comfort, strength, grace, forgiveness and mercy. You are welcome to use this very short, non-exhaustive look at evil and the believer's role in prayer and action. (This is designed as a conversation piece, not a full on presentation.) Even biblical writers complained about pain and evil: Evils have encompassed me without number.   Psalm 40:12 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?  Jeremiah 15:18 We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.   Romans 8:22 God did not create an evil world – Genesis 1:31 Evil i...