The Oklahoma legislature passed a very important pro-life bill during the 2008 session. A key feature would require abortion clinics to show a pregnant client an ultrasound of her unborn child before an abortion could be performed. Not...

What are we going to do with our time now? The election is complete, and we have a new president-elect, congress, legislature and everything in between. We have spent 21 months inundated by our national pastime-politics. We have been promised...

On Nov. 3, David Whitlock will become the 15th president of Oklahoma Baptist University. He is a native Oklahoman who is returning to lead our university into a new period of growth in both numbers and impact.

I don't understand why we need more churches! It seems like there are churches on every corner. Shouldn't we just strengthen the ones we already have?

On Sept. 28, a pastor whom I respect and appreciate as a leader on moral and ethical issues endorsed a presidential candidate from the pulpit of his church. He joined a couple of hundred pastors across the nation who chose to defy the IRS...

Some of today's most important vocabulary words have their root in the word "connect." Whether by cell phone, computer or other electronic device, it seems we are always looking for "connectivity." When successful, the computer tells us that the...

We are in the height of hurricane season. One storm after another comes across the Atlantic and several find their way into the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Coast states are in the cross hairs time and again.

Transition is a very familiar word in our day. Almost everything, it seems, is in transition. Checking my computer Thesaurus, the first word that appears as a synonym for "transition" is change. In many instances the word transition does not...

Some days are just harder than others. I realize each is a gift from God, but I don't always like the things that happen. You understand. Life just gets hard sometimes.

Some have suggested in recent years that Christians should abandon the public school system.

Procrastination is a habitual pastime for many of us. In fact, many would agree with the statement, "Why do today what you can do tomorrow!" Others live by the motto, "Don't get in a big rush-there's always tomorrow." But is there?

Have you spent time around 20-somethings lately? I presume the answer for many of you would be no. Polla and I have been privileged to have a houseful this summer. Our daughter just finished at OSU and moved back home temporarily, and two Aussie...

The word "program" has become taboo in Baptist circles. Anything that looks like a program, to the younger leaders in particular, is immediately dismissed. For them, a program seems too structured, restrictive and divorced from the opportunity to...

Youth Falls Creek 2008 is now complete. For 91 years, young people have made their way to the Arbuckle Mountains to have a divine encounter with the living Savior. Over these years, millions have come and been deeply touched and forever changed by...

I have just finished a new message on Matthew 16:24-28. The words of this passage convey clearly and simply that to follow Jesus requires self denial and cross bearing. As often happens, I was forced by the truth of Scripture and the Holy Spirit...

Polls have always had a place in American culture. They help us identify the thoughts, preferences and opinions of people in our society. In years past, a poll would be conducted and then a period of time would elapse before a new one was begun....

Several years ago, my mom and dad built a new house in a 100-year floodplain. Other relatives had built in the area, and so they were excited to be among family. No one gave a second thought to building in this neighborhood because, after all,...

One of the first acts of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma upon its founding 102 years ago was to establish a committee to consider the founding of a college. It was clear from the beginning that Oklahoma Baptists wanted a school that...

The campaign to elect the next President of the United States is about to begin in earnest. Barack Obama has now defeated Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side of the equation and John McCain has had the Republican nomination in the bag for some...

This time of the year provides some of the greatest opportunities for the presentation of the Gospel. Vacation Bible School, children's camps and Falls Creek are just a few of the places where we must make absolutely sure we give a clear...

How do we reach our communities with the Gospel? Every pastor and every church that has the heart of Jesus asks that question regularly. We are often puzzled about how to break the barriers that keep us from engaging lost people. I have found that...

Once when preaching from Ezekiel 37 on the valley of dry bones, I had a very humorous and yet very powerful experience. In theatrical tones, I posed the question God asked of Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Then, describing in graphic...

The last few weeks have been filled with tragedy. Storms have ripped across America, including parts of our own state, leaving many dead and many more injured or homeless in Oklahoma and several other states. I well remember preaching at Picher,...

In just a few weeks, another summer season of youth camp will begin at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center. This summer, like many before, will be filled with opportunity for life-altering experiences for those who journey to the Arbuckle...

Over the last several weeks, I have been making my way through an 895-page biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon was the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle of London in the mid- to late-1800s. He is noted by most scholars to be the...

In the last two years, Oklahoma has become a much safer place for the unborn. For more than 25 years, we have prayed and worked to see unborn children given love and respect. Today, the sanctity of human life has become a reality in our state.

One of the presidential candidates recently described people from small towns as bitter. He stated, "And it's not surprising . . . they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade...

Presidential politics dominates the airwaves these days. Debates, interviews, endless talking head analyzation and political games clog the media. Exaggerations, lies, rumors, counter-rumors, gossip and character assassinations overflow the...

I wish we could learn afresh the power that resides in united fervent prayer. It wouldn't surprise me one day in Heaven to have the Father show us how much we missed just because we failed to unite in fervent prayer.

Recently, I had the opportunity to preach at New Orleans Seminary and tour the city. It is both remarkable and heartbreaking to drive through New Orleans now, some two years after Hurricane Katrina. It is remarkable to see some of the renewal that...

Over the last several weeks, state news has been filled with comments regarding the words of Rep. Sally Kern concerning the homosexual agenda. The focus has been on her statement that homosexuals are more dangerous than "terrorists" as they push...

I have just finished watching the news. Death was the main topic of the day. Two coeds senselessly murdered in the prime of life. Bombs in Bagdad killed 50 or more innocent people whose only crime was to do their daily shopping. Death rules in our...

On June 1, 1968, Polla and I said, "I do." On June 2, when we moved to Pratt, Kan., to take a summer job in the oil field, we said, "Oh, me!" We found ourselves away from home for the first time and very alone.

A new television show called "My Dad Is Better than Your Dad" has captured my attention. Four teams made up of a dad and his young son or daughter compete with the goal of determining which dad is stronger, faster, smarter and braver than the...

I had read the words many times. Indeed, I had pondered them and mulled them over in my mind for days. What did the Psalmist mean when he said, "Those who sow in tears . . . he will surely come back with shouts of joy carrying his sheaves with...

I am so encouraged! Our churches are awakening to a new vision for missions and evangelism. Although a prairie fire has not broken out just yet, the embers are glowing. I see signs that give me great hope that Oklahoma Baptists are slowly, but...

Across the years, church ministry has become more multifaceted and complicated. We are endeavoring to find more ways to provide for the needs of members and in some cases connect with those outside the church. I find no fault in creative methods...

God has been so good to me. I have enjoyed multiple and varied experiences around the world, all of which impacted my life and strengthened my faith. I am constantly astonished by the saints God has raised up in faraway and often difficult places....

Years ago, a popular commercial for a fast food restaurant showed a diminutive older lady vociferously questioning the person at the counter. "Where's the beef?!" It was humorous, but the advertisement got the point across. Other burger chains...

OKLAHOMA CITY (BP)--Because I am a preacher, I tend to think in threes. Normal people have circular thoughts or thoughts that come in ones or twos, or maybe even fours or fives. But any self-respecting Baptist preacher will always think in three...

Prayer is the key. How often have you read this simple truth or heard it articulated by a Christian leader? All of my life, I have been taught, and throughout my ministry, I have taught others, that the key to the demonstrated power of God is...

Disaster: any happening that causes great harm or damage; serious or sudden misfortune; calamity; implies great or sudden misfortune that results in loss of life, property, etc.

A recent Barna poll revealed that young people today do not like the term "Christian." They prefer other designations that describe the "Christian" lifestyle. It seems that "Christian" has fallen into disfavor because it creates negative images in...

Because I am a preacher, I tend to think in threes. Normal people have circular thoughts or thoughts that come in ones or twos, or maybe even fours or fives. But any self-respecting Baptist preacher will always think in three points. It just isn't...

Like many of you, I have been to untold number of Christmas programs. It seems that there is a favorite ending to all. Whether a children's play, major choir program or beautiful Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, it usually ends with the...

As I waited to preach a message on missions last Sunday morning, I contemplated how fortunate we Americans are. Surely in the history of the world, no people have been more greatly blessed.

Have you ever had a mountaintop experience? These exhilarating emotional highs are usually fueled by good news and positive, encouraging experiences. Most of us can recall times in our own lives when we felt we were on top of the world. Nearly all...

One of my favorite Broadway musicals is Fiddler on the Roof. I can still hear Tevye, the father, belting out in deep and loud tones the word "tradition." Tevye found himself in constant conflict with newer ideas while he just wanted to hold onto...

Only on rare occasions do I use this column to reflect on past events, but if you will forgive me, I want to take this opportunity to share some thoughts about our recent convention. You will get the news through other pages of the Messenger, but...