A sleepless Saturday night was complicated by what one minister-friend calls, “Intestinal uncertainty.” For me at least, it is a rather frequent Saturday night experience when I am preaching on Sunday morning. Even though I’ve spent Sunday mornings doing just that for more than fifty years, the butterflies keep coming and some nights they turn…
I attended my college reunion this past week-end and dropped in on the Golden Luncheon, where those celebrating their fifty-year class reunion were assembled. These were the Sophomores, hated by those of us who were Freshmen. These were those responsible for initiating us into college life. These were our tormentors. I went to see if…
This past week we have had six different sales persons in our home, each making presentations and submitting estimates for a new air conditioner/heater unit. Some were very aggressive and forward. Others were very precise and detailed. One was a healthy mixture of both. We found him to be acceptable. He reminded me of a…
Have you ever been blessed by a family? Henry Blackaby is perhaps best known as the author of “Experiencing God” but I first heard him speak in 1975 and later was a guest in his home in Saskatoon, Canada, where he was pastor of Faith Baptist Church. His health issues of the past few days…
Don Miller is a ninety-one year old friend of mine. I’ve known him for his many years of teaching prayer and living a prayer life-style. As the occupant of the Chair of Prayer and Spiritual Formation at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, I was responsible for the Don & Libby Miller Prayer Room. Don prayed with me…
I never got into the “Roots” popularity of the 70s – the idea of tracing one’s heritage to places of influence. I never lived anywhere long enough for a place to influence me. My father was a Pastor who assisted with the short average tenure of ministers. We changed churches around every four to five…
After sharing thanks for various things, a friend said to me, “And thank God for God.” Not being familiar with that phrase, I soon went to my Bible to see if it was there. I found lots of phrases that began with “Thanks to God . . .” and “Thanks God for . . .”…
We had a rather unusual prayer sung at our wedding. We selected it because we believed that God had called us to ministry and knew there was biblical proof that when God calls, God also accompanies. Moses was dead. Joshua was the new anointed leader. Three times in Chapter 1, God said to Joshua, “Be…
One popular author wrote of another, “At an age when he should have been enjoying retirement on a beach in Florida, he kept getting on airplanes and flying to places to proclaim a gospel he believes with all his heart. . .” While there is no beach in Florida calling out to me, I do…
Many years ago, on a hot south Texas afternoon, my wife and I both said “I do.” Last week, we celebrated the fact that, we still “do.” In a society that not only allows “no cause divorce” but celebrates it, how can one couple stay together for so long? For one thing, we took our…