We Did Not Ask For This Room

December 31, 2016.Reading time 17 minutes.

“We did not ask for this room or this music. We were invited in. Therefore, because the dark surrounds us, let us turn our faces to the light. Let us endure hardship to be grateful for plenty. We have been given pain to be astounded by joy. We have been given life to deny death. […]

Looking Back At the One Thing Worse: The Legacy of Prophetic Preaching

November 18, 2013.Reading time 28 minutes.

A Sermon Preached at Northaven United Methodist Church, Dallas Texas November 17, 2013 Audio Version of this Sermon: Here Original Bill Holmes sermon text from 1963: Here “History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Does Rhyme.” — Mark Twain Today, we take a special look back at one of the events that most changed our […]

One Thing Worse Than This

November 17, 2013.Reading time 13 minutes.

On November 24, 1963, two days after the assassination of John F Kennedy in Dallas, Rev. William Holmes, pastor of Northaven Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas preached this sermon. The sermon, and the reaction to it, became its own story, when Walter Cronkite ran an extended excerpt on the CBS Evening News, and Rev. Holmes […]

A New iTunes Single and Reflections on 50 Years

October 29, 2013.Reading time 29 minutes.

I’m pleased to announce that my song “Sitting In the Trade Hall (11.22.63)” (1) is now available on iTunes as a single. This song will eventually be on my new CD, whenever it’s finally done. But given that we’re a month-out from the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, I thought it was a good […]

Sitting In The Trade Hall

November 22, 2011.Reading time 15 minutes.

Below, there’s a new version of a very old song for you. But first, a story…. Because, if you grew up in Dallas, even almost fifty-years later, you know what today is. Yes, it was a deep and scarring event for the entire nation. But for those of us from here, it’s always been a […]

The Word and Our Words

January 9, 2011.Reading time 24 minutes.

(A sermon delivered at Northaven United Methodist Church, Sunday January 9th, 2011, in response to the shooting of Rep Gabby Giffords. Apologies for any and all typos. Let me know and I’ll correct them…) Listen to it here. This morning, I am weary. This morning, I am tired. This morning, I am, in a sense, […]

It Wasn’t That Long Ago

August 18, 2009.Reading time 10 minutes.

Set aside your beliefs about health care for a moment. Friends, things are getting out of hand with respect to respect for the President. Things are getting out of hand with respect to the things people are saying about Barack Obama. Things are getting out of hand with respect to their actions. I have written […]