Early in my attempts to follow God’s will, it seemed to some that I had gotten myself on a dead-end road, in a place that had no future. Looking back, it was a place used by God to prepare me for everything else I was to do in ministry. I learned when you follow God’s…
Last week Billy Graham observed his 97th birthday. He and my Dad were the same age, both born in 1918, only a few weeks apart. Growing up, I had great respect for both men. Both were preachers worth imitating – although it was much easier to imitate my Dad’s Texan than it was for this…
Another saint went home to heaven recently, reminding me again of the quote, “If your loved one is with the Lord, and the Lord is with you, they can never be very far away.” It is this blessed hope, this assurance of reunion that marks the difference in how Christians bury their loved ones and…
I’m hung on a phrase. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, in his non-Presidential-candidate speech, lifted a line from an earlier Bill Clinton speech, and said we must lead by “the power of example,” not from “the example of power.” Wow! Over the years of my ministry I have seen the power of example lived out…
In an earlier Manna I wrote, requesting prayer for 800 missionaries who have been asked by the Southern Baptist International Mission Board to take early retirement and return home by December of this year. Every missionary over the age of fifty received this Voluntary Retirement Incentive (VRI). I’ve received several interesting E-mails, Facebook private messages,…
I was suffering from what a minister-friend called, “intestinal uncertainty” but it was certain enough that I did what I almost never do – cancelled a nearby speaking engagement, and then cancelled an out-of-country trip. When I saw the doctor I told him, half in jest, “I need to retire one of these days” to…
“Sending prayers your way.” Please don’t! There is little to nothing I can do with prayers sent my way. If you want to pray for me, please send your prayers to God, who can not only hear them, but is able to respond. I know I’ve written about this before, but I keep seeing it…
Many of us grew up in churches that taught us to pray for missionaries. Now is the time to intensify that prayer. Through tear-stained eyes, I have been reading communications from missionary friends this past week, many of whom are former students of mine. They received a Voluntary Retirement Incentive from their sending agency (Southern…
Preceding the kick-off of a recent Monday Night Football game the announcer asked the fans to stand for a “thirty-second moment of silence.” There had been a tragedy in the area and a silent observance was appropriate, but a “thirty-second moment” was a bit confusing. Having thought about it for a few days, I think…