While moving my office recently, I came to the music bookshelves – hymnals and song books, collected over the years. There it was – the green-back Broadman Hymnal, and the inscription on the front cover – “West End Baptist Church, Houston, Texas.” Significance? Not only was my father the pastor of this church, but this…
Recently I had coffee with a long-time friend, an accomplished and highly sought-after soloist, with whom I taught on the Southwestern Baptist Seminary faculty. I used to sit next to him during Seminary graduations and convocations and wish I could preach as good as he could sing. Last week I sat next to a good…
Last week was a medical week for me. I went to bed on Monday night with a slight pain but thought nothing of it. I woke up Tuesday with a lot of abdominal pain. A text to my Dr. informed me which meds to take. By Thursday it had worsened to the point that I…
I went to an estate sale last week. I seldom attend one of these, except this one happened to be in the home of a long-time friend and colleague. I made it OK through the living room, even though I had to see the couch and chairs where my wife and I last visited with…
I keep getting out of shape. So, I’m once again walking early each morning, even before my spiritual quiet time. I am intrigued by 1 Timothy 4:7, “exercise yourself toward godliness.” The Greek word is “gumnasia,” variously translated, “exercise,” “discipline,” or “train,” and from which we derive the English word for “gymnasium.” I can think…
Do you ever wake up with a song on your mind? I often do. This morning it was a hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr. from the late 1800s. He wrote over three thousand hymns, but this is the one I remember. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings, see…
In the midst of my third pandemic book, I developed writer’s block. Wikipedia defines this as “a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown.” When we were first told to shelter in place, I was extremely frustrated so I asked God…
A long-time friend posted an article concerning the church going dark – that is, low lights in the congregation, and spotlights on the stage. Another attempt at what I call performance-based worship, which may in itself be an oxymoron. We used to sing “Standing on the Promises” while sitting on the premises, I guess we…
When I read a book that I really love, the end of each chapter causes a mini-disappointment in my mind, as I get closer to the end of the book. Life is similar. I appear to be close to finishing a chapter. A few days ago, I was surprisingly informed that my retirement office was…
In the early days of the Coronavirus quarantine, I was extremely restless and frustrated. Even in retirement, I’ve been running close to full speed. Sitting in my den recliner I was reading my Bible, and praying, and asking God what I was to “do” since my travel was now limited and cancellations had caused more…