It happened again. The 4th of July came and went with us out of the country. That has happened more times than not throughout our adult life. That is not only due to being on the mission field for 23 years, but in the years since, summer always seemed to be the time for mission […]

The hot, sticky weather wasn’t so different than a Mississippi summer but the sounds, smells and people everywhere had a familiarity of life in the tropics. When we were awakened by the call to prayer from a nearby mosque at 4:30 am we knew we were back home in Indonesia. Not much had changed about […]

Our current travels to former places of ministry in Southeast Asia have brought to mind many long-forgotten experiences. In fact, there has probably been a sub-conscious effort to suppress the embarrassing language faux pas and painful times of cross-cultural learning. I have often shared with new missionaries that though God blessed us with valuable relationships […]

Returning to places of ministry in Southeast Asia have brought to mind the nagging sense of failure with which I left each place of responsibility. Okay, “failure” may be too strong a term; however, when God moved us to new responsibilities and places of service we followed in obedience, but always with a sense we […]

Our sense of being back home hit us broadside when we arrived at Changi International Airport in Singapore after an 11-hour flight from New Zealand. The cleanliness and orderliness defies one’s typical concept of an Asian city. Orchids cascaded down the middle of the baggage carrousel. Within 15 minutes we had processed immigration, picked up […]

It has been a wonderful experience to spend this past week in retreat at a beautiful lodge near the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand training global leaders from Crossover International in a strategic approach to church planting. It has refreshed the memory of many personal experiences from our 23 years on the field, and […]

One of the highlights of the Southern Baptist Convention was a dinner and fellowship with the six men (and their wives) who serve as my accountability group. The group has evolved over the years, but they are all prominent pastors and leaders who know and love me. The have a passionate devotion to missions and […]

We have been traveling for a long time–lots of travel. I have always been under the illusion it would diminish, but the last 30 years it has become our lifestyle. Once I moved into a regional leadership role on the field it became a necessity to fly to 15 countries from India to the South […]

It seems the church is on the defensive, scrambling for survival in a humanistic world that is attacking Christian values and the advance of God’s kingdom. Society is increasingly hostile to our Christian witness. We seem to be intimidated by a pervasive cynicism and influenced by hedonistic, carnal behavior. The Southern Baptist Convention bemoans a […]

The heat hit 107 degrees in Phoenix this week so no one wasted time in seeking refuge in the air conditioned comfort of hotels and the convention hall. It was strange to have no responsibilities or speaking engagements after 17 years of attending the Southern Baptist Convention as president of the IMB. It was delightful […]