I do not remember much about the day itself. A few days earlier we had flown from Dallas to Birmingham to see my father one last time. The three weeks before that are a blur in my mind, starting with the late-night phone call from my mother saying that my father had suddenly become very ill. That in itself was strange to me…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999This week I don’t have enough to make a full column, but here are some items that you might file under the general category of Odds and Ends. 1) Plans for the Bible Reading Marathon (December 28-31) are well underway. By now the 30 Watch Captains are actively recruiting Bible readers for this unique 90-hour event where we w…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999A few months ago the Southern Baptist Convention published a prayer guide urging Christians to pray for the followers of other religions to come to personal saving faith in Jesus Christ. The suggested guidelines included praying for your Jewish friends and acquaintances during the Jewish Holy Days (especially Yom Kippur, th…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999It is a fundamental mark of spiritual health to be able to say, “I was wrong.” If you want a verse to go with my thesis, take a look at Proverbs 28:13, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” When we sin, Solomon says we only have two options. Option 1 is to conceal…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999A few months ago I announced to the congregation that we would mark the end of this millennium with a Bible Reading Marathon. Here are the details. The Bible Reading Marathon will take place during the last 90 hours of this year-from 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 28, to 12:00 midnight on Friday, December 31. During that ti…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999Maybe you missed the news from Kansas. If so, let me fill you in. Last month the State Board of Education passed a new policy removing the word “evolution” from the science curriculum guidelines for local school districts. The implication is that each school district can make its own decision regarding how much or how littl…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999By now most of you know that I will be on sabbatical during the months of July and August. That means that I won’t be preaching at Calvary and for a good part of the time, I will be out of town. It also means I wont be in the office except to check my mail from time to time. Last November the elders decided to give me a thr…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999This being the season of graduation, and since we are living in a age where our greatest lessons came from kindergarten, here are a few brief thoughts that may help you along the way. The woman who said, “Wear sunscreen” had a good point. But its not a big deal if you dont. Life is short. It probably doesnt seem that way to…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999Last fall I was approached by a young man in our church asking if we could send my book What a Christian Believes to prisoners. On his own initiative he contacted Prison Fellowship and they agreed to offer the book (with the cooperation of Crossway Books, the publisher) without cost to prisoners through their monthly public…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999This being the season of graduation, and since we are living in a age where our greatest lessons came from kindergarten, here are a few brief thoughts that may help you along the way. The woman who said, “Wear sunscreen” had a good point. But it’s not a big deal if you don’t. Life is short. It probably doesn’t seem that way…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 1999