One thing remains… I have mentioned before that this summer is a big one for my family.  My oldest son graduated from college, my youngest son graduated from high school, and my wife is finishing her PhD.  In the financial world we would call that a lot of “volatility” in the markets.  In the family world we call that a lot of stress. We suspect a lot is going to change.  My wife and I will be empty nesters, something which we have not experienced for the last 22 years of our 27 years of … [Read more...]

In 1792, William Carey, in a sermon to a gathering of Baptist ministers, supposedly said, “Expect Great things from God, attempt great things for God.” Unfortunately, history has no record of the rest of the content of that message. No one hit record on the camera. But there must have been a third point to his sermon. Every sermon has three points, you know. Unfortunately, the third line did not catch on, like the first two did, and has been lost. Until I discovered it, yes, through … [Read more...]

I really like Silver Dollar City. It is a regional amusement park just outside of Branson. For many years, it was my privilege to serve a great church in the area, and thus, I found myself at the park quite often.  As you know, the word “amusement” is based on the word “muse” or to think. Often times an “a” in front of a word reverses its meaning. So, an amusement park is a place where you go “not to think.” As a pastor, sometimes we need to go to places where we don’t think—just to visit, … [Read more...]

Uncertainty – “Epistemic situations involving imperfect or unknown information. It applies to predictions of future events, to physical measurements that are already made, or to the unknown.” In other words, uncertainty is not knowing what will happen or not being sure what you think you do is really so. It sounds a whole lot like 2020, doesn’t it? I always thought there was going to be toilet paper at Wal-Mart, for instance. (One meme I saw had a grandpa telling his grandchildren that … [Read more...]

I have had lots of dreams.  I bet you have too.  A few of them have come true, like marrying that beautiful girl I saw from a distance on my first day of college; or pastoring a great church and seeing the Lord bless it. Some dreams, well I have matured past, like that “Unanswered Prayers” song. Others have crashed and burned despite my best efforts. But, this past Saturday, one of my long lost dreams, one I had abandoned a long, long time ago, came true. At least kind of. On September 26, … [Read more...]

It was hot. Now not any hotter than normal for late July in Missouri.  It was only 97 degrees, well within expected ranges.  But it felt unusually hot because as we drove across Missouri the vehicle in which I was driving no longer “conditioned” air.  You see the day before, I harvested my first deer.  I was on vacation in Colorado, and while I had planned on fly fishing (caught six my first time out, not bad I thought) I had not planned on going deer hunting.  A 2017 Toyota Highlander is … [Read more...]

There has been much written about heroes lately, as well as there should be.  Doctors, nurses, first responders, and all of those who run “toward” what the rest of us are running “from” must surely be commended and celebrated.  They deserve every accolade imaginable, along with those who protect our country through military service around the world. I invite you to reconsider the actual appearance of a hero.  I tend to think of the young, strong, and energetic.  While true, there is … [Read more...]

I remember my first triathlon. Ok, it was my only triathlon. I wasn’t competing in it; I was a volunteer. I was leading a group of single adults from Council Road Baptist Church in Bethany, Oklahoma in an effort to support the Lake Placid Baptist Church in New York as it provided volunteer coordination for the “Ironman Triathlon”. The church ministered by providing volunteers for the many sporting events in its small town,made famous when it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1980--when we still … [Read more...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Missouri Baptist Foundation (MBF) President Neil Franks is offering daily updates for MBF clients on the MBF Facebook and Twitter feeds. JEFFERSON CITY – As our global community navigates the personal and business implications of COVID-19, the Missouri Baptist Foundation (MBF) wishes to help Missouri Baptist churches.  We want to serve your church’s needs while you are caring for the ministry needs of your congregation. Knowing that with the restrictions on sizable … [Read more...]