When I was 22 years old and fresh out of college, I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life. At the University of South Carolina I developed a love for writing. When I began my last semester I needed to do an internship. I wanted to focus on sports writing so I applied for and was accepted as an intern in USC’s sports information department. Because
Over the last several years during the Advent and Christmas seasons, I have noticed that churches increasingly seem to be singing traditional Christmas carols less and less. I’m not sure what all the reasons may be, and I’m certainly not attempting to impugn the motives of those who choose the songs. But I do believe it’s unfortunate for us if we hear familiar carols more in the shopping mall than
The week of Thanksgiving affords us the opportunity to unplug, evaluate, and offer thanks for the numerous blessings in our lives in a way that the pace of our normal routines doesn’t always allow. I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and every year. My relationship with Jesus is growing. I find myself in a place that I deeply love, surrounded by people who enrich my life,
Other than the great news of Jesus Christ, have you ever been told something so wonderful that you would want to tell everyone you know and shout it? Well, I finally can. I have known for the past two weeks that Chris Turner, the TBMB’s director of communications, will succeed me as editor of the Baptist and Reflector. No one is happier than me, and for several reasons. First, it
It is a joy to be with you on this journey. That’s how I end every Clarity column, and it truly is a joy to be with Tennessee Baptists on this journey as we cooperate and collaborate in the work God gives us to do. But to gain perspective on where we’re going, we’ve got to occasionally look back to see from where we’ve come. A little more than two
Thursday, Sept. 26 was a relatively calm day on the mountain. There was a steady rain throughout the day. By that evening, the Doe River which runs on the other side of the back yard at the parsonage had filled its banks, but it was still contained and I went to bed with optimism that things might not get as bad as had been forecasted. Even with the spirit of
Over the last two years, I have been privileged to be part of the Acts 217 visioning process. I have witnessed the Lord’s hand at work throughout the entire journey. As we gathered in listening sessions, submitted surveys, gave feedback, compiled and interpreted data, discussed challenges and then pieced together a plan for moving forward, our steps were ordered by our Heavenly Father. It has been humbling and gratifying to
Lonnie Wilkey has told me for years that I need to carry cash when I travel. “Cash is old school,” I tell him. “In this age of digital enlightenment, you can swipe or tap and transact.” Unfortunately, Lonnie was right. I arrived first at the diner where we were meeting and saw the “Cash Only” sign on the door. “C’mon,” I said with no small amount of frustration. “It’s the
I am writing this column on Oct. 30, six days before Americans go to the polls to vote for the next president of the United States. So, when you read this, I have no idea who won. The only thing I could control was how I cast my ballot and I did that in early voting. The same is true for all of us. When election results were announced on
I don’t know a stranger, or at least that’s what my oldest granddaughter believes. She says I can’t be anywhere for two minutes before I start talking with someone I’ve never met. She’s not wrong. It’s not that I intentionally think about engaging people; I just find people interesting. Everybody has a story — is a story — and I believe people want to tell their stories, mostly because they
When I was 22 years old and fresh out of college, I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life. At the
Over the last several years during the Advent and Christmas seasons, I have noticed that churches increasingly seem to be singing traditional Christmas carols less
The week of Thanksgiving affords us the opportunity to unplug, evaluate, and offer thanks for the numerous blessings in our lives in a way that
Other than the great news of Jesus Christ, have you ever been told something so wonderful that you would want to tell everyone you know
It is a joy to be with you on this journey. That’s how I end every Clarity column, and it truly is a joy to
Thursday, Sept. 26 was a relatively calm day on the mountain. There was a steady rain throughout the day. By that evening, the Doe River
Over the last two years, I have been privileged to be part of the Acts 217 visioning process. I have witnessed the Lord’s hand at
Lonnie Wilkey has told me for years that I need to carry cash when I travel. “Cash is old school,” I tell him. “In this
I am writing this column on Oct. 30, six days before Americans go to the polls to vote for the next president of the United
I don’t know a stranger, or at least that’s what my oldest granddaughter believes. She says I can’t be anywhere for two minutes before I
