I am often reminded by friends who are NOT down home in Mississippi that our beautiful southern state has the distinction of being the most religious of the 50 states as well as having the highest rate of obesity. So, why would one whose life has been devoted to missions retire in the the most […]

“Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.” 1 Cor. 11:1 The Apostle Paul offers what appears to be a rather arrogant exhortation to his readers when he advised them to imitate him and, if they did so, they would be imitators of Christ. We tend to be more aware of our own […]

A significant trend has emerged in recent years to support “native” missionaries, working as evangelists and church planters. The rationale is that local indigenous workers are far more effective than Western missionaries and serve for only a fraction of the cost required to send and support workers from America. There have even been some large […]

Among the advice we continue to receive in transitioning to “retirement” is to stay active physically and mentally. We have also been encouraged to continue to be lifelong learners. We had a uniquely stimulating training experience last week attending a Mentoring Workshop at the facilities of World Venture in Denver, Colorado. Led by an international […]

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do those without hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Attending the funeral last week of Fran Buckley reminded me, in the unavoidable emotions I experienced, of the unique Christian perspective on death. Fran, with her husband, […]

One of the reasons churches are not doing more  to reach a lost world is that missions is just another program. Without passion for the mission of God, there will be little motivation to do what it takes to take the gospel to unreached people groups or even to the unsaved in our own community. […]

In an eight-day period over the last two weeks we had gratifying opportunities for speaking and influence. The highlight was the privilege of being commencement speaker for the two of the Mississippi College spring graduation ceremonies. Since returning to Clinton we have been delighted to connect with our alma mater and participate in a number […]

When the New Testament church was born, and the followers of Christ set out to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, it was not a welcoming environment. In fact, they encountered hostility, rejection and government restrictions, similar to what many modern day missionaries are experiencing. The reaction of established religious authorities was […]

I continue to be amazed at the passive indifference of so many churches to the mission of God. We pour budgets, time and energy into all kinds of programs and ministries for our own born-again fellowships and virtually ignore a lost world. All we have to do is turn on our television to see a […]

I get raised eyebrows when I tell people that my hobby is yard work. Pulling weeds, mowing grass and pruning shrubs are one of the most resented necessities of home ownership for most people. Having grown up on the plot of ground where we now live, I can recall how I detested hoeing the garden […]