I was a college student when on a family vacation, we made a stop in El Paso, Texas, and for the first time in my life, I crossed the U.S. border into a foreign country, Mexico. A few years later I went with my Dad to a meeting in Detroit, Michigan and crossed over the…
When I was in college, all my friends were Democrats, except for one roommate, who was a member of the Young Republicans club on campus. But we were still friends, and in fact he was in my wedding. For the past four decades I have worked in a religious environment described as a “Conservative Resurgence”…
The little child was running around in the airport waiting area, laughing, full of joy, with seemingly not a care in the world. Suddenly all activity stopped, and the child realized the surroundings were unfamiliar. Then in the midst of fanatic crying, the child spotted a parent, and ran quickly in that direction. Have you…
Many organizations, and not a few churches, talk of “unity. It seems this is a much to be desired characteristic for groups. The fact that it is so often discussed, is an indication we have not yet arrived at the unity we desire. There is a good reason for this. True unity is not natural….
I first met Jim Essian when he played 3rd base for the Fort Worth Cats minor league baseball team and I worked with the team Chaplain. I next met him years later as he was starting a church in downtown Fort Worth. Many church plants don’t make it seven years, but many are not started…
I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone who loved their pastor more than my wife loved hers. Joanne grew up as a member of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio where Buckner Fanning was her pastor. I learned a lesson early in our marriage, that led to a decision that, partially at least, shaped my…
Growing up I lived with my grandparents in Bellmead, Texas. It was during World War II and my Dad was in Germany. My mother had contracted Tuberculosis, and was in a sanitarium in west Texas. My grandfather worked hard six days a week, but Sunday was our day. We went to church, followed by lunch,…
When Jacob was finally made aware of the location of his son Joseph, he was allowed to take his family to Egypt. Upon arrival, Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How old are you?” (Genesis 47:8). In most cultures, this is a question that is considered rude to ask. Most older people don’t want to give their age….
Here’s a Christmas word for you. The oft-read “Christmas Story” from Luke 2, contains a wonderful word, largely a lost word in our vocabulary – “ponder – “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; to meditate; to weigh carefully in the mind; to consider thoughtfully.” “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart”…
I speak in a lot of diverse places and under a variety of circumstances. Sometimes the welcome is warm and cordial. Other times, not so much. This time, I had completed a Sunday evening assignment of speaking in a church located not far from my home. I make it a practice to know as much…