Reverend Dr.
Terry E. Walton

I Was Thinking… Voting is a holy privilege. As a clergy person in basically white Caucasian congregations for over 45 years, I have never encouraged anyone to vote a particular way or for a particular candidate(s). But I have always encouraged the people of the congregations I served to go to their respective polls and vote. This is a gift and, I believe, an important piece of our Christian responsibility. It is part and partial of adhering to Jesus’ instruction to the Ph

I Was Thinking… I recall a phrase from a professor in my doctoral studies. He was commenting on the church in the Southeastern United States. This was the 1990’s when suburban sprawl was peaking across the ‘Bible Belt’ of this country. His comment startled me and then caused a head nod in the affirmative in my posture. He said, “The struggle in the church of this day and in the imminent days ahead is that there are too many ‘worship wars’ occurring. People have their pref

I Was Thinking… A friend gave me one of those birthday presents that had a profound impact. It was a small gift with a large punch. It was the New York Times bestseller book entitled Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff. I love the subtitle, which reads “Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life,” by Richard Carlson. It was a gift for my 42nd birthday, yet some 28 years later I still keep this birthday gift nearby. There is something

I Was Thinking… How easy is it for us to trust these days? I have heard it said that before trust can exist between people or institutions, there must first be trustworthiness. Perhaps you have noticed what I have noticed: trustworthiness seems to be in short supply, and it is not as easy to trust as it once was. A recent article in The New York Times addressed this very subject. The article made the point that trust is essential to a healthy society. Without trust, people ha

I Was Thinking… Trying to teach the meaning of ‘confession’, a Sunday School teacher asks her class of 5th-graders, “Can anyone tell me what must be done before someone receives forgiveness of sin?” After a few moments of silence, a small voice from the back of the classroom replied, “First, you gotta sin!” Out of the mouths of babes! Lord Thomas Robert Dewar was a Scottish Whiskey distiller who, along with his brother, John, built their family label, Dewar’s, into an intern

I was thinking... I heard a phrase last week that was new to me. It was the phrase “potty mouth politics.” Have you heard of that before? Maybe I’m just “a day late and a dollar short,” as the old saying goes, but I had never heard that phrase until last week. Call me naïve, but I simply have a higher bar of behavior and for conversation from those seeking to lead or who are already in positions of leadership. Now, before you roll your eyes, please know that I know that such

I was thinking... “What history has needed is a positive and inspiring universal vision for the earth and the people of God. Harping about individual sin and criminal convictions might shame a few individuals into halfhearted obedience, but in terms of societal change, it has been a notorious Christian failure. Such an emphasis has backfired because it was not founded in a positive love and appreciation of the good, the true, and the beautiful in the world or in creation. Our

I was thinking... Just how dangerous is greed? Have you ever asked that question? The third Gospel in the New Testament is Luke, and it is are these words: “Someone from the crowd said to (Jesus), ‘Teacher, tell my brothers to divide the inheritance with me’. Jesus said to him, ‘Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother’? Then Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s

I was thinking... I love the way a friend of mine honored Dolly Parton last week. She simply wrote, “Be a Dolly!” By the time you read this Monday Memo, the news feeds will have been saturated with acknowledgements of the beauty (at many levels) of Dolly Parton. “Be a Dolly!” That sums it up for me as well. I didn’t know Dolly’s politics. I didn’t know Dolly’s religious denominational preferences. I didn’t know Dolly’s private life. I suppose some of this could have been rese

I was thinking... The Wisdom writer of Ecclesiastes wrote long ago, “There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens…” (3:1, CEB). Meteorological Fall began last week on September 1. Of course, it certainly hasn’t felt much like fall with the hottest of hot weather. Stay cool out there. Nonetheless, fall is coming, and the leaf peepers will clog the highways and byways of North Georgia. One of the beauties of Georgia is that four seasons are expe

I was thinking... How do you remember something you would rather forget? How do you honor something that is not honorable? These were my thoughts as the 25th anniversary of what we call “9/11” approached. It is painful to remember what happened—the images that appeared across our television screens and the stories reported for days, weeks, and months following the tragedy at the World Trade Center. At the time, I was the appointed pastor of Cannon United Methodist Church. On

I was thinking... Last week, "The New York Times" had an intriguing article about what some call "The Age of Political Violence." Sabrina Tavernise, who covers political life for the Times, interviewed Sean Westwood, a scholar who tracks political violence and how Americans react to it. The interview question was asked, "How is political violence different today?" Westwood's reply was insightful: "The individuals who commit these acts today are mostly lone wolves. Largely men

I was thinking... This week our family will celebrate my mother’s 92nd birthday. She’s quite the lady at such a young age. Most days she receives friends and family with joy and gladness. There are days…and we all have them…when her aging-related limitations are a challenge. She shares those on occasion with my three siblings and me. Our hearts hurt when we see such advancements of age become more disadvantages than advantages for her. While Mom’s memory of long ago is sharp

I was thinking... Have you ever failed at something? I certainly have failed at many things. I love the game of baseball (Go Braves!), and it is said baseball is a ‘game of failure’. You can fail at batting two-thirds of your ‘at-bats’ and still make the All-Star team, and if you consistently fail in this way, you will ultimately be inducted into the ‘Baseball Hall of Fame’. The overriding issue of Baseball is not, “Will I fail or not?” The issue is “What will I do with my fa