Not all opportunities present themselves as such. One showed up recently as a record-setting snowfall, and a good dose of ice that canceled most church services in our neck of the woods.

Love him or hate him, Donald J. Trump is now the 47th president of the United States. Both the messiness and beauty of the American experiment were on full display in what is undeniably one of the most historic elections in our nation’s history.

Rob Peters, transitional pastor of the church I retired from almost a year ago, told about leading Bible study one Wednesday night and noticing a couple he’d not seen before, a dark-haired Middle Eastern man and his wife, a blonde-haired woman. After the service, the couple approached Peters and requested a few minutes to talk.

I just realized I forgot my column this morning. For the first time in 15 years, I forgot to write my column. So, here I am playing catch-up.

Though making an annual trip to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., admittedly causes a certain amount of anxiety, there is no greater feeling than hearing that my son remains cancer-free after a decade since being treated for leukemia. We praise the Lord each year after learning that his scans are clear, just as we did all those years ago when we first heard the word remission.      

I read a statement in a leadership journal that points to one of the dangers of passive leadership. The requote from Catherine Rymsha was given at the HR Specialist Summit this past year. She said, “The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.” 

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48). He added, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever…” (John 6:51). The Lord was speaking to a multitude of people following Him for more of the miraculous food He had provided them previously. But Jesus was speaking of spiritual food, something far more important.

Once again, Georgia Baptists will host pastors from across the state at the Georgia Capitol on Feb. 6, 2025, for the 11th annual Pastors Day event. Pastors and ministry leaders will hear from several leaders in the legislative and faith communities.

Change is difficult for most people, especially for those in my age bracket. I don’t ever want to be a negative person, but it appears to me that many things have not changed for the better. Take the game of football for example. Oh, there are rule changes, coaching changes, new formats, teams changing conferences, bowls ad infinitum, NIL, and the college transfer portal.

A motorist slipped the following note under the windshield wiper of his car: “I’ve circled the block for 20 minutes. I’m late for an appointment, and if I don’t park here I’ll lose my job. ‘Forgive us our trespasses.’”

Vittorio Ristorante & Pizzeria was a quaint, family-owned neighborhood eatery tucked just off Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades. When my wife and I visited Los Angeles to see our daughter, our trip wasn’t complete without a visit to Vittorio’s.

Do you consider yourself a happy person? If you had to complete the following sentence, “I would be most happy if ________,” how would you fill in the blank?

Recently while listening to an old Gospel hymn, I realized how wonderful I felt in knowing Christ as my Savior. And it caused me to start thinking how much I pitied people today who are unbelievers. I pity them for the sheer joy they miss on earth by not believing in God.

Most of us have an annual check-up with our doctor.  This is important and part of staying healthy and catching potential health concerns early.  Every year, my doctor orders bloodwork and conducts a full physical. 

Edith Lovejoy Pierce said, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

On January 13, the Georgia General Assembly will convene for its 2025 legislative session. Having been down at the Capitol for 18 years, I am looking forward to my 12th year representing Georgia Baptists on social and moral issues facing our state.

Sunday morning, I preached an expository sermon from 1 Peter on living as resident foreigners and enduring hardships for the sake of Christ. I began by leading our congregation in prayer for persecuted believers in Sudan.

Recently, I was marveling at the scientific advances in technology that affect all of us today. And I realized that these things emphasize our modern way of life to the extent that one is tempted to think that this is all there is.

January always brings snow and ice unless you live in the most southern part of the United States. Even then, you aren’t guaranteed to escape January without some harsh weather. 

When I first got here as a missionary, I learned that people wouldn’t whistle because they fear that might summon a demon. They wouldn’t clean their homes at night because they believe that might upset demons. They live terrified of evil spirits.

“The older you get, the faster the time goes.” Those were the words of my grandmother at the beginning of a new year when I was just a boy.

A new year is transition. The date changes. Some of us will mess up writing a check a time or two because we’ll write 2024 until it finally sinks in that we are in a new year. 

Should Christians make New Year’s resolutions? While no such biblical requirement is explicit, Scripture does admonish us to contemplate our lives and commit them to the Lord (Prov 16:9). We are told to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2) and to put our immoralities to death (Col. 3:5) while pursuing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Col. 3:12).

PLAINS, Ga. — Georgia’s most visible and influential citizen has died at age 100. Jimmy Carter lived a long, full, and meaningful life. He will be missed by people all over the world. His accomplishments since his presidency have perhaps been even more significant than what he accomplished while in the White House.

A man brought to Jesus his daughter who “had an unclean spirit.” Jesus told the man, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). The child’s father tearfully cried out to Christ, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24).