Dave Burchett's Blog, page 30

Soul Music…Soul Searching

I love the power of song lyrics to touch the heart. A song by Percy Sledge brought a spiritual connection to an old favorite tune. “When a Man Loves a Woman” reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts in 1966. I remember when I fell in love with my beautiful wife. I totally identified with these lyrics in those halcyon days of young love. When a man loves a womanCan’t keep his mind on nothin’ elseHe’d trade the worldFor a good thing he’s found When a man loves a womanSpend his very last dimeTrying to hold on to what he needsHe’d give up all his comfortsAnd sleep out in the rainIf she said that’s the wayIt ought to be I give you everything I’ve got (yeah)Trying to hold onTo your precious love Could there be a more powerful description of how it feels to be giddy in love? You really can’t think of anything

Is Grace Fair?

I write a lot about where our hope truly lies and how we need to be a positive light in a negative world. I came upon this wise advice for social media posters from the Gospel of John. “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. (John 6:43) I laughed when I read that and thought this might become my new life verse for this very negative political season. The verse follows a section where Jesus talks about how He is the bread of life and has come from Heaven. This was just too much for the locals who knew Him as the kid raised by Mary and Joseph down at the carpenter shop. But the message is timeless. I need to stop grumbling and start living out of who God says I am as His child. Maybe that is why God calls me His child because I sure can be childish at times. The grumbling verse reminded me of one of

The Gift of Being Present

To celebrate the paperback release of Stay this week’s article is a free preview of one of my favorite chapters. Chapter 3 from STAY: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace BE PRESENT– Journal Entry One reason Hannah is such a special friend is that she entered our lives during a difficult season when her human mom—my wife, Joni—was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hannah provided a comforting presence during a scary time. I found an anonymous quote that sums up one big reason why: “One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that she doesn’t try to find out why.” Hannah knew how to deal with people going through an emotionally and physically draining valley. Her solution was simple but powerful. Be present. It was just the unsolicited encouragement that Joni and I so needed at the time. When this cancer journey began, we learned a lot of hard lessons. One of the hardest

Don’t Let Wounded Souls Drift Away…

Dave Burchett Drift Away from Dobie Gray cycled up on my music playlist this week. Day after day I’m more confusedSo I look for the light in the pouring rainYou know that’s a game that I hate to loseI’m feelin’ the strain, ain’t it a shame Those lyrics cause me to reflect on the millions of emotionally lonely and hurting people during this weird and trying season. They are definitely feelin’ the strain. I see the fear and angst from so many on social media. I know that many feel alone. Where is God? Where is His community? Where is the light in the pouring rain? Sometimes our faith community can feel discouraging and distant. We all know that people will let you down. Perhaps they are carrying burdens unknown to you and me. But many others do care. And God cares deeply about your pain. If you are feeling alone I encourage you to cry out to God and

Lessons from Covid Class

Life is full of wonderful moments and blessings. Life also has it’s share of dark valleys and scary storms. None of us gets out of this life unscathed. In the valleys of my life I have taught myself to step back and ask this question. What can God teach me in this trial about Him or about myself? This seemingly never ending Covid pandemic has been rife with lessons. Lesson #1 Control freaks have learned a really hard truth from Covid-19. It doesn’t matter one whit how much money, power, or prestige you had accumulated by March of 2020 because Covid rudely stole your ability to control your life. It is funny to search the term “control freak” on the internet and find that so many people try to paint being a controlling person as a positive. I have worked with control freaks and I can tell you the experience for those around them is not pleasant. It is a

Don’t Let Covid Cause a Fruit Shortage!

I have some mileage on the life odometer and I can honestly say I have never experienced a season like the one we are currently in. The late sixties were pretty wheels off but even that turbulent time didn’t match this. Instead of uniting as Americans over a pandemic we have divided. Isolation and fear have caused a collective national depression. Christians have too often been a part of the problem. In theory we have a message of hope in Christ. We should be a light of courage because we know and trust a loving God. Instead we too often get sidetracked by arguments over wearing masks and whether we should be meeting without restriction. The sound you hear is Satan chuckling that we are missing a chance to show grace, hope, love, and courage. How can we make that kind of difference? Paul has an annoying suggestion that if walk in relationship with Jesus you should display the traits

A Football Coach Showed Me How to Leave a Legacy

At some point in our journey most people start thinking about leaving a legacy. For some the idea of leaving a legacy means accumulating wealth or property to give to the next generation. A family business can be a legacy that keeps a memory alive through the years. Prestige and power can be thought of as a legacy. In the winter of 2017 I became friends with Newton Texas high school football Coach W.T. Johnston. His story of courage and faith became the basis of my book “Between the White Lines“. For eighteen months the Johnston family embedded me in their lives and shared their story with unvarnished honesty. I had no idea how much that project and that relationship would influence me. I had thought now and then about my legacy. I had always factored my accomplishments into legacy. I had a long and satisfying television directing career. I was fortunate to win a few awards. But the fact

Signs of the Times

My daughter-in-law Caroline runs an online sign business called Vine & Branches that features lots of creative, fun, and inspiring designs. Last week I checked in on the online store and received an unexpected blessing. Her latest designs touched my heart and seemed so appropriate for this season we are enduring. This is a hard time. Turn on the news and all you see is the threat of disease, disheartening discord, and heartbreaking violence. Fear seems to be the predominant emotion and the embers of that fear get stoked constantly by sensational reporting and angry social media. The first sign I saw in the store was a great reminder of God’s character and how trustworthy He is. I have been on this planet three score and seven years. Over and over and over I have seen God’s faithful hand during difficult times. I know from His Word that God is faithful to His children even in the darkest storm. The

“Trash Talking” in Community.

Last week we moved out of the house that our family had called home for thirty years. We experienced a lot of love, laughter, and memories in that house. There was also a lot stuff. Tons and tons of stuff. My amazing wife Joni organized a multi-week campaign leading up to the move to decide what needed to be sold, donated, re-homed, or trashed. It was a daunting task. Last Wednesday marked the final day of Operation Downsize as we finished cleanup at the old house and moved a few things to temporary housing. Several people from our church small group came to help us finish up. At our home church, Waterbrook Bible Fellowship, we call these groups “Home Teams”. We wrapped up some final packing and loaded a few fragile items into friend’s vehicles to be transported. But one embarrassing problem remained. The trash overflowed the capacity of our trash container. The solution was surprising. Several of our friends

Time for a Family Conference!

While our three sons were living under our roof there were five words that struck fear in their hearts. “Time for a family conference”. They knew that I was about to have a conversation with them and I was going to do most of the talking. I suspect they felt I was being punitive when I called for a conference. The truth is I was pursuing protective love and not punishment. Protective love sees a family dynamic that is hurting someone in the family and when one in the family is hurting all of us are hurting. When I see the current dynamics of my Christian family I wish I could call a family conference with a heart of protective love. I see social media posts from friends who identify with Jesus that are downright mean and ungraceful. Some repost things that are supposed to be funny but are disrespectful. Others repost sensational stories without verifying them. All of those