Dan Pezet
My Opinions

September 11, 2001 and 2021

On September 11, 2001, Cindy and I watched in horror with the rest of the world as nearly 3,000 people lost their lives. We were planning on leaving the next day for a Disney vacation to celebrate our first anniversary. We contemplated canceling the trip, knowing that Disney was a potential terrorist target, but we decided to keep our plans to not let terrorists win. Now, another tragic loss of American lives is happening. Yesterday, we lost more than 2,400 American lives to Covid-19. My prayers are with those who lost loved ones 20 years ago and yesterday.

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Journal Entry

Got My Shot!

I received my first dose and have one to go! I received my first dose at Shelby High School in a “mass vaccination event” through Atrium Health. Officials organized the event incredibly well. They served hundreds of cars quickly. As I was in line circling the high school, I recognized that this is was historic event. I hope that we will get this virus under control so that we can tell our grand children how we had to go in long lines at high schools to get our vaccines. For those of you still looking for shots, even if you aren’t in Group 3, there is hope. Walgreens sometimes has leftover doses around closing time that they need to use. I’ve even heard they go

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Spiritual Reflections

Advice to Voting Methodists

  Elections and contentious mud-slinging campaigns between political parties are nothing new. It was an issue that John Wesley and the early Methodists had to face. Wesley’s advice to the Methodists still rings true today.

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My Journal

Me and Congregational Vitality

At our Annual Conference today, I was appointed to the Conference Office as the Director of Congregational Vitality. The most common question I get when I tell people this is, “What will you be doing?” That is a very long and complicated answer. I will try to boil it down for now, and will be writing more about this in the months ahead…

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My Opinions

Avoiding eGossip

This post explores the problem of eGossip, or forwarding false information to others with services like Email and Facebook, and suggests a resource for confirming information before pressing “send.”

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My Opinions

Understanding Christians Who Vote Democrat

I live in a decidedly Republican area. How Republican? The church I serve is a polling place, so I can tell you: 1063 votes for Romney, 133 votes for Obama. I would break down the elections for other positions, but in all but a couple of cases, republicans ran unopposed. Democrats know better than to even try. With such an overwhelming Republican base, I often hear the question, “How can a Christian be a Democrat?” Kristen, of Rage Against the Minivan, offers a well spoken explanation of why she voted with the Democratic Party. Hopefully, this glimpse into the thinking of Democratic Christians will help lead to understanding, if not agreement. Read her full article here.  

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My Appointment

Moving: Sell or Rent?

Three years ago, I wrote a post titled, “Housing Allowance: Buy or Rent?” We bought.  Now we are moving to a new church and we are faced with a follow-up question: Sell or Rent? We are leaning toward renting our house out. Here are some of the things we have been thinking through:

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My Appointment

Plan Your Move

I ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant a few weeks ago with a group of fellow pastors. The conversation was mostly about guessing which pastors would be moving to which churches. I listened intently because I am moving this year. I did not learn anything about where I might be going, but my fortune cookie offered some interesting advice:

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Good Words

Encouragers offer good words to others and eases their anxiety. I am thankful for encourages in an anxious time! (Proverbs 12:25)

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Journal Entry

Disaster Recovery Trip

I traveled with a work team to Eclectic, Alabama to help with the disaster recovery efforts there. The damage was worse than I had guessed. Here is my report and a few pictures.

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Headlines

Chilean Miners and Super Mario

In the joy of the moment, I will express my thankfullness for the successful rescue of the Chilean miners by sharing something fun. Here is a picture about the Chilean mine experience that people of my generation will certainly recognize:

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Parenting

No Screen Day

A boiling hot summer keeps us inside, and we have ended up spending too much time in front of our various media screens (computers, TVs, and Video Games). So, Cindy and I declared No Screen Day. Here’s the report…

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Picking Kids TV Shows

I have a seven and a three year old. They love TV. We pay close attention to what they are watching, though, because some shows that are geared for kids are quite inappropriate. Today, I have gone through and listed some shows that I like and some that I do not like. Click on the first picture and then click on the right side of each picture to advance to the next one to see my opinion of each:

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My Journal

The Kindle: A 24th Century Birthday Present

I got a Kindle for my birthday! A Kindle is a digital book reader. It connects you to Amazon, where you can buy books, and it automatically downloads them in seconds. So, with my Kindle in hand, I went to the lake, and spent a good part of the day reading in a hammock. I stopped reading only to play with Cindy and the kids in the pool and grill steaks. I had a ribeye. What a wonderful birthday. The Kindle is cool. The first two books I bought (get ready to roll your eyes):  A Time to Sow and A Time to Harvest, they were the next books in the Star Trek, Next Generation series that I have been reading off and on. As I read these books

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Razor Blades Found Taped to Slides in Columbus, GA

Razor blades were found taped to playground equipment this morning at a park in Columbus, GA. An alert mother caught them before anyone was hurt. This is most likely an isolated event, but I know I will check our playgrounds out before letting my kids rush out to play. Wanted to let other parents out there know, especially those in our area. Here’s the story.

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The Good Old Days

Taking a trip down memory lane, I began thinking about my high school job, working at Burger King. It was the only drive thru in the United States to have its window on the passenger’s side. I looked for a picture to share. This is what I found:

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Headlines

Laughing and Crying at Despair

I admit that I am feeling some despair at the disaster approaching the gulf coast. I am from the Florida Pan Handle, and love that area dearly. It saddens me to know that the area is at risk. So, with the help of Photoshop, I made my own Despair poster using a picture off of the AP wire. It is one that plays on words a little, but I do not think it is funny:

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