This Veterans Day, we commemorate more than 251 years of American military service. Established on June 14, 1775, the Continental Army preceded the nation whose independence it would help secure. From the beginning, American patriots took up arms to defend a people who would soon appeal in the Declaration of Independence to the “Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” They understood liberty as a gift from God, worthy of their courage and sacrifice.

Some of my earliest memories of music involve sitting beside my Mimi at the piano. My grandmother was the church organist at Hoboken Baptist Church, and when I was about four years old, she would get me home from church on Sunday morning and, before we had lunch, sit me down at the piano.

​My brother tells the story of inviting our Mom to go with his family on a trip to Canada. At the time, Canada didn’t require a passport from US citizens but did require two forms of identification. Mom’s birth certificate and driver’s license would suffice.

A few years ago, my beloved was asked to preach the annual sermon at the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. (He’s from Big Creek of Pike County. Neither of us saw that coming.) He would have the privilege of sharing a sermon with his preacher friends and peers from all over the state.

Before we can build a culture of evangelism in our lives and ministries, we must begin with an honest look inward. The first phase of this process is to examine: to ask ourselves, “How am I doing spiritually?”