Teaching at William Carey University this spring has entailed commuting the 95 miles to Hattiesburg on Highway 49 South each week. This prominent highway that runs diagonally across Mississippi from Memphis to the Gulf Coast, is the primary thoroughfare for getting from Jackson to points southeast. I well remember the trek years ago when my […]

It has been a delightful experience to re-connect with William Carey University and friends in South Mississippi through teaching a missions course on Tuesday nights this spring. Founded in 1906 as Mississippi Women’s College, it became co-educational in 1954 as did Blue Mountain, Mississippi Baptist’s other women’s college in North Mississippi. Women’s College kept its […]

What a week! The blessings of celebrating our Lord’s death and resurrection just kept building in emotional worship experiences through the weekend. Maybe its a matter of slowing down and refraining from personal travel and speaking to fully participate in passion week programs, but it also has something to do with the focused way our […]

Although I am often perceived as a compulsively organized person, my life has never been one characterized by a “normal routine.” With all the travel, meetings, administration, writing, speaking, public relations events, church and family, it would be impossible to describe a typical day or week at any point over the last 40 years. I […]

We have always had a tendency to fill our schedule with planned commitments which tend to diminish flexibility and eliminate the margin needed for spontaneous activities. This is especially true in teaching four college classes each week and the preparation needed for each one. However, the last couple of weeks have been enhanced by several […]

The biblically allotted three score and ten years was finally attained last weekend, and I am now living in the bonus! The inevitable accumulation of years have been edging toward this decadal milestone. An age once considered ancient, I find that 70 is a liberating time of enjoying life more than ever with freedom to […]

Spring break from teaching assignments this week provided a window of opportunity to schedule the quarterly time of training with new missionaries at FPO (field personnel orientation). It was encouraging to see 120 preparing for their field assignments, the largest contingent since appointments began to be restricted a few years ago. Returning to Richmond is […]

Many have commented on how busy we continue to be and question references to our current lifestyle as retirement. We are enjoying the journey and find idleness no attraction. Teaching college students this semester at Mississippi College and William Carey University is less demanding and more fulfilling than I had anticipated; teaching “Impact Your World” […]

When I was elected as president of the International Mission Board in 1993, Bobbye and I had been overseas for 23 years. We had been in leadership roles but knew nothing about administering a large, global missionary-sending organization. We had had no involvement in the denomination and suddenly found ourselves immersed in a fast-paced task […]

Last week began with a trip to St. Louis where we had the privilege of participating in a Global Impact Celebration at First Baptist Church Arnold, speaking in four services on Sunday. These events are truly a blessing as we have opportunities to continue to challenge and mobilize churches as we have been doing for […]