Category: Personal

  • Cruising on the Baltic!

    Marci and I left Harwich, England on Saturday on the cruise ship Constellation and woke up Sunday in Amsterdam, Holland. We did a walking tour of the city under clear blue skies and also a boat right through the many canals which run throughout the city (much like Venice in Italy). City highlights included the…

  • We’re Going On A Cruise!

    Tomorrow Marci and I fly to London for a cruise to northern Europe with my sister Mary and her husband Gary. We’ll be visiting places like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, St. Petersburg. Just unbelievable. We never thought we’d ever get to do something like this but we have been blessed by a loving family. I’ll try…

  • Guess who caught the biggest fish?

    I finally managed to take a day off from writing yesterday to do a little fishing. My son Corey went with me. Shortly after we left, two of the four tires on my boat trailer went flat and I had to get them fixed before we could get out on the water. But we finally…

  • Another Good Week in Mexico

    I just returned from a week-long (June 7-12) mission trip in Ensenada, Mexico with a group of families from Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. My good friend Ken Elben is the student ministries pastor there and he invited me to come, which I was happy to do. I’ve always enjoyed these trips which…

  • Singing with Johnny Cash

    Here’s a fun sing-a-long that my old band Brush Arbor did with Johnny Cash and his family (Mother Maybelle Carter, June Carter Cash, Anita Carter and his daughters Rosie and Rosanne) on an NBC-TV special in December, 1973. We’re on the back row wearing our “Nudie Suits.” The clip opens with a quick shot of…

  • A Salute to My Dad on Memorial Day

    I write this on Memorial Day 2009 as we pay tribute to all the men and women who have served our country over the years, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and way of life. I want to remember especially my father John Forest Rice, who was a Navy Seabee…

  • Easter 2009

    We had a great time on Easter Sunday celebrating the Resurrection with a back yard full of family and friends. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious and joyful bluegrass music was heard all over our neighborhood. I hope we can continue hosting this event every year. I love Easter and I know everyone…

  • Can You Hear the Music?

    Years ago I heard my old friend Ben Patterson quote a theologian (can’t remember his name) who said, “Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is dancing to it.” I’m not much of a dancer, so I can’t really relate to the dancing part of that equation. But I’m amazed by how many…

  • Happy Easter!

    I love Easter and and the season leading up to it. From Ash Wednesday, the entire 43-day season of lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day, it’s a special time of the year to reflect on the price that was paid for our salvation on the Cross of Christ and to celebrate…

  • Our XLIII Anniversary

    Marci and I never forget how many years we’ve been married because our January 27 anniversary date is forever linked to the number of Super Bowls that have taken place (43 this year) … plus it always falls on the about the same weekend. We always try to celebrate our anniversary as big as we…