Author: Gary Furr

I am a musician, writer and Christian minister living in Alabama. I am founder and President of the Alabama Coalition for Healthy Mothers and Children.
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Life Goes On

Gary Furr

Been away for two weeks welcoming our new grandson. He’s glorious, sweet, wonderful, and his big sister turned four while we were there. We celebrated at Chuck E Cheese. Grands give me hope, yes they do. Not certainty, the world is too unpredictable than that, but a baby’s face does something, makes me root for humanity in spite of ourselves. Just keep finding something good to do where you are. It matters. My daughter had a framed saying in her kitchen when we brought our little prince home: “You are the sky—everything else is just weather.” We kept big sister … Continue reading Life Goes On

ancestors, Christianity, Culture, Family, Family, fear, history, humanity, racism, spirituality

Ancestors

Gary Furr

I made the mistake of getting interested in my ancestors several years ago. Genealogical research is when you set off in the most hopeful of frames, just knowing we will discover Dukes, Earls, celebrities, inventors, Queens and famous artists in our personal tree. More likely you will find ordinary people who farmed, had children and never moved. Or worse, horse thieves and other people running from debtors prison or an ex-wife and children. It’s like a fellow who was looking into his heritage, but he wasn’t very encouraged by what he found. He wrote a friend and said, “It’s not … Continue reading Ancestors

Disappointment, Faith, fear, hope, humanity, Jesus, Spirituality, spirituality, Story1 Comment

The Gift of Doubt

Gary Furr

My children asked the question, “Have you ever doubted your faith?” This is what I wrote. I hope it reassures you to know that the answer is simple: Yes, of course. In some ways, the question itself could open so many different directions. Is the question, “Have I ever doubted whether I have faith?” Yes. Many times. Have I ever had questions that threatened to undo my sense of belief, everything I had trusted in my life? Yes, those are more about the subjective experience of faith. Sometimes it could be taken to mean, “Have you ever doubted the faith?” … Continue reading The Gift of Doubt

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Shepherd’s Tracks

Gary Furr

There is a logical fallacy called “the mirror image” mistake—know how you look in the mirror and your part is on the other side? A mirror image fallacy is the opposite of the logical answer. Here’s one: we believe blessing comes with obedience, curse if we disobey. That’s from Deuteronomy. When good things happen it is the blessing of God, therefore we take bad things to mean we must be cursed.  When we come to difficulty and darkness in life, we do not automatically assume that this is something we have done wrong.  Yet we can make an additional mistake—we … Continue reading Shepherd’s Tracks

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The Mystery of Daddy Shucks: A Memorial Day Story

Gary Furr

Rev. Tommy Simons is the Pastor of Third Baptist Church in St. Louis, and a friend of more than thirty-two years. This week, his pastor’s email came with this reflection about Memorial Day. I asked if I could share it and he graciously agreed. Here it is: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was created to honor the U.S. armed forces members who served and died in the Vietnam War (1955–1975).  The winning design was Maya Lin, 21-year-old Yale architecture student. A V-shaped black granite wall, sunken into the earth, inscribed with over 58,000 names in chronological order—connecting the … Continue reading The Mystery of Daddy Shucks: A Memorial Day Story