I’ve been thinking and reading about holiness lately. Holiness is not knowledge-Balaam had knowledge; nor great position-Judas Iscariot had position; nor doing many things-Herod did many things; nor zeal for certain religious matters-Jehu had zeal; nor outward respectability-the young ruler was respected; nor taking pleasure in hearing preachers-the Jews in Ezekiel’s day enjoyed that; nor…
I made my first visit to Vancouver in the late 70s. It was love at first sight, as well as an instant addition to my prayer list. If memory serves me correct, there were eight Southern Baptist churches in metro Vancouver in the late 70s. In recent years I have visited Vancouver at least once…
All along I thought I was having “senior moments.” This past week a friend told me that he didn’t have “senior moments,” but rather suffered from “intellectual interruptions.” Since I’ve had this problem long before I became a senior, I think I like the new term better. Whether your memory lapses are “senior moments” or…
Recently, a friend shared a quote with me – “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence.” I was impressed with the quote and being a professor who is in the habit of looking for footnotes, I asked who made the statement. He didn’t know. In curiosity, I began a search. I…
Waiting in the Denver airport terminal this past week for my connecting flight, I heard a familiar announcement with a new ending. The airline employee, with routine discipline, announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are ready to begin boarding our flight to Rapid City. Please have your boarding passes out and ready for the gate attendant.”…
One of the indicators that the years are passing by is that you attend more funerals than you do weddings. I’ve attended my share of weddings, performed a few of them, and now the funeral count is catching up. I attended another funeral last week. If funerals must be attended (I only know of one…
Life is a series of adjustments. I just had another one, but I’m not sure what to call it. I made a big deal about “retirement” not being biblical for those called to vocational ministry, reminding folks that I was only “retiring” from a position, not from a calling. Friday, at my “retirement” reception, the…
I’m not sure where the mistake was made – probably by me, perhaps by some well-meaning secretary, then again it could all be blamed on the computer. It doesn’t really matter. The sermon outline that appeared in the bulletin yesterday had both of my main points listed as “II.” There was no point “I” only…
Last Friday was my last day of full-time employment at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. It hardly seems like twenty-two years ago that I entered my first class room full of seminary students. I remember being filled with a mixture of holy boldness and absolute fear. Come to think of it, those are the same two emotions…