I don’t know how many churches I’ve been in. Surely the number is in the hundreds. Mostly, but not exclusively, Baptist. They have been large, medium, and small; red, yellow, black, and white; city, suburb, small town, and open country; alive, dying, and dead (with delayed funerals). In most, I have worshipped, at least at…
Last week’s “Monday Morning Manna” made a reference to listening to the radio in my childhood years. Several friends near my age group responded in various social media. It caused me to think about it a bit further. Those of us who grew up listening to the radio developed the ability to envision rather than…
A friend posted a second set of Ten Commandments that he had as a child – some of which related to watching TV. It prompted me to reflect as follows. In addition to TV commandments, our family each had two favorite programs on our Mitchell B&W round screen TV, and no one was allowed to…
Unless a movie is showing on American Airlines or in my hotel room, I might not even know it is in existence. Needless to say I am not a motion picture fan – unless of course, the film is about baseball, football or golf. So when I saw a review in my local newspaper of…
It has happened again, right here in Tarrant County, Texas, a place called by some the buckle of the Bible belt; home of one of the largest and most conservative theological seminaries in the world as well as other religious institutions that would rank as very conservative in comparison to most. Last weekend, a lone…
I completed another good year and I’m finally as old as the old people I used to think were old. I read that 60 was the new 50 and 70 was the new 60, but 80 is 80. I understand. Age is interesting. I’ve never been a big fan of Dr. Seuss, but I like the following: “How did…
Since the emergence of COVID, I have preached in dozens of churches, and served as interim pastor of two. Sunday after Sunday I have seen partially filled worship centers and heard church leadership explain how many they had “prior to COVID.” Attendance seems to be down everywhere. In an attempt to serve their congregations, churches have…
One of God’s greatest gifts is that of memory. I spent much of my birthday last week attending the funeral service and burial for one of the finest men I ever knew – Dr. Jack MacGorman, Professor of New Testament and Greek for more than fifty years at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. He had died two days before…
The last week of December is my favorite week of the year. Beginning with Christmas on December 25, followed by my birthday on December 30 and New Year’s Day on January 1. Family, friends, food, gifts and giving, ending and beginning. I often reflect on the quote by author Bill Vaughan “An optimist stays up…
I was feeling unusually tired that morning. Maybe it was my age – since it was my birthday month. Maybe is was the fact that I had been especially busy in the preceding days. Whatever the cause, I was tired and I had a speaking assignment that day and a few miles to travel before the event. That’s when…