Do you ever think about who you would call if you had a crisis in the middle of the night or while traveling in the middle of nowhere? I was once in a vehicle in the wilderness of a west Africa nation, when someone asked where we were, to which the missionary replied, “We’re fifteen…
A frequent question that follows an unwise action is, “What were you thinking?” It usually implies that had you been thinking properly, you would not have done what you did. An early example for me was watching my buddies smoke grapevine stems. Thinking I might enjoy that also, I lit up and inhaled, only to…
I lost another friend last week. Dr. James Leo Garrett, Jr. was a distinguished scholar, remembered by former students as a kind and gracious gentleman. He taught at Southwestern Baptist Seminary from 1949 to 1959 and again from 1979 to 1997. In addition, he taught at Southern Baptist Seminary from 1959 to 1973 and at…
It is not unusual to have two songs or hymns merged together, but this one was a bit strange. While attending a recent meeting in an Amish owned hotel I heard on the background soundtrack, the mixture of the 1970s classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the 1770s classic “Amazing Grace” by John Newton. The…
I’ve been brushing off old lecture notes, and adding new thoughts to them. Why, you ask? Because today, I’m going back – back to the classroom. No, not back on the faculty, but back to help prepare want-a-be preachers to preach revival meetings as a part of Southwestern Baptist Seminary’s spring revival practicum (now called,…
I was asked to take the lead at a Prayer Breakfast for Dr. Adam Greenway, the 9th President of Southwestern Baptist Seminary. Having served on the faculty of this institution for more than two decades, Dr. Greenway is one of my former students. So I gladly accepted the invitation to lead. However the date of…
A new term has been added to modern discussions. I’m hearing the term “exit ramp” used to describe everything from how to end a negotiation, to how to end an assignment. Recently a political candidate spoke of running full speed for office, and not planning an “exit ramp” if it didn’t work out. Best-selling author,…
There comes a day when one attends more funerals than birthday parties. I’ve been to an unusual number of funerals lately and noticed similarities. People walked by the casket and said things to each other like how natural the deceased looked, as if that were something to look forward to. A minister and possibly a…
This Monday, December 30, is a special day. It is my birthday. I’m not sure how I got this old. Dr. Seuss said, “How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before it is June. My goodness how time has flewn. How did it get so late…
Do you give any Christmas gifts to people you don’t know personally – like the postman, the firefighter, the police officer, others who give to you, but never meet you? For the past twenty-plus years I have enjoyed a Christmas Eve practice of giving to police officers I do not know. It started after 9/11,…