By Norris Burkes April 14, 2024 Anytime I tell people that I’m a chaplain, I can never be sure they understand the title, much less spell it. (I’m not a Chaplin, like Charlie.) Some people think a chaplain is just like a church pastor. Some think chaplains are exclusive to the military. Some assume chaplains
By Norris Burkes April 7. 2024 All the talk about Powerball jackpots these days honestly has me thinking about buying a ticket. I know the odds are terribly impossible, but I think I just might have the winning numbers. And today, I’m going to share those divinely inspired numbers. Well, the “divine” claim is probably
March 31, 2024 By Norris Burkes Last Sunday, I was disappointed to see the men’s basketball team of my beloved alma mater, Baylor University, get pushed out of the Sweet 16 by the stronger Clemson University team. Nevertheless, I think I’m OK with losing. Clemson kept their ten-point advantage most of the game, but
By Norris Burkes March 24 2024 It seems like the marketing folks won’t leave us alone. They are constantly trying to sell us something. They follow us everywhere. “Buy, buy, buy!” It’s the mantra of a marketing world where the word “miracle” is defined by how quickly our plants grow or how white our teeth
By Norris Burkes March 17 2024 There have been times that I’ve been found napping in my office. My chaplain response to that is, “No, I’m not napping. This is my prayer time.” That’s because in reality, I may be doing both – napping and praying. I call this time my “ABC prayer nap.”
March 10, 2024 After my recent Sunday sermon, a vehicle parked in front of my church rolled up hill and slammed into the pastor’s bumper. Yup. That pickup truck just put itself in gear and gave my Camry a big boo-boo. At this point, I ask that you suspend your disbelief. Let’s move on to
March 3, 2024 By Norris Burkes Ten years ago, I was at a writing seminar hanging around the snack table, when one of the seminar instructors joined me for a Danish. He was a quiet, introspective man, truly a statesman among aspiring student writers. That’s why I guided him to the quiet side of the
By Norris Burkes Feb 25 2023 Folks occasionally ask me how they too might become a hospital chaplain. Some seem to hope I’ll say they need only attend five Monday nights of training in a local church, and they can start making the big bucks. The five-week program works for many volunteer positions, but for
By Norris Burkes Feb 18, 2024 It seems that whenever pastors preach to a sparse crowd, they often begin by quoting Matthew 18:20. However, they remove the verse from its context to passively express their disappointment for the low numbers. “This reminds me of what Jesus said,” they’ll jest. “‘For where two or three are
By Norris Burkes Feb 11 2024 If you’re buying Valentine roses this week, prepare yourself for sticker shock. The average price for a dozen will be $90. However, if you want a bargain, have them delivered on any day but the actual day. That’s the economic lesson I learned some years ago when a
By Norris Burkes Feb 4 2024 In case you didn’t know, your digital calendar probably reminded you of Groundhog Day – AGAIN. The outdated day gained modern fame from the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” where Bill Murray wakes up to repeat the same day over and over. Why in the world do I need a
By Norris Burkes Jan 28 2024 Recently, my wife, Becky, and I were driving to a familiar Southern California city when we got in a bit of a disagreement. In the kindest way, she stated several times that I was driving in the wrong direction. In a less-than-kind way, I made a clear case for
