I was hosting a video-based training program for the Evangelism Section of the SBC Home Mission Board in the late 1980s and I needed to interview someone who was a local church prayer coordinator. I was introduced to Elaine Helms, who served with the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. She graciously agreed to the interview. Later…
The full story can now be told. We were good friends and collegiate ministry colleagues for a lot of years. In the early years, he served at Texas Tech University, and I was at Pan American University. Every March we took a few of our missions-minded students to Southwestern Baptist Seminary for the Student Missions…
I moved several hundred books on prayer out of my office last week. It reminded me that someone once said, “Show me a man’s office and I’ll tell you about the man.” In my twenty-two years on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Seminary I had six offices in two buildings. In retirement I have a…
I was excited about the chance to speak on a subject I had not spoken on in several years. I worked hard updating old notes and adding new thoughts. I even spent several hours preparing a power point presentation to accompany my notes. An invitation went out to area churches including and emphasizing the live-stream…
I attended my first Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois when I was 8 years old. Needless to say, I have attended my share of conventions and enough for the share of some others. I enjoyed every one, partly because it was a place and a time to see friends, former students, past…
This week, the Southern Baptist Convention convenes for its annual meeting, There will be much discussion, perhaps another amendment or two, and then a vote on the issue of churches who have female staff members who carry the title of “pastor.” My feelings on the issue are forged by two experiences. The first goes back…
I recently spent more than three hours at a concert listening to old-fashioned, southern gospel quartet music. I have loved this style of music since my very early days in deep east Texas, where “quarterly singings,” sometimes called “fifth Sunday singings” were common. Last week was a journey back into those early days of yesteryear….
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. While such a day is not mentioned in the Bible, and in fact, only made it onto the U.S. calendar in 1914, many mothers are mentioned and honored. In fact, the sixth commandment says to “honor your mother” (Exodus 20:12). In honor and memory of mothers, here are a few of…
Last Thursday was America’s National Day of Prayer. I was reviewing my favorite quotes on prayer. Allow me to share ten of them with you. “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” – Oswald Chambers “True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It…
In 1952 the U.S. Congress passed a bill instructing the President to set aside one day each year as a National Day of Prayer. As the years went by this was observed rather sporadically and often without much advance notice as to the selected day. In 1998 the U.S. Congress passed another bill naming the…