Soldier Salute

Second is happy to be the main sponsor for a huge community event to
honor active duty and retired military men and women in the
Springfield area. We look forward to serving the people who have
served us.

The event will occur May 22. For more info, check out www.SoldierSalute.org
. You can sign up to be a Facebook fan of the event, and you can be
added on an email list to receive the latest info on the event.

Our snow schedule for tomorrow, January 31, is as follows. AM regular
schedule. PM all activities cancelled.

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Church Birds

Enjoyed the Missouri Baptist Convention Evangelism Conference at FBC
Branson yesterday. Gary Taylor is our fearless state leader in this
area. He is a soulwinning machine. I envy him.

Charles Billingsley's music lifted us to Heaven. He's Minister of
Music at Thomas Road BC in Lynchburg VA.

Larry Winn and Dr. Chuck Kelley, President of my alma mater, New
Orleans Baptist Seminary, preached well. They are two of our greatest
leaders.

The emotional highlight was Ron Herrod's sermon on church birds. He
used maybe ten birds to illustrate traits of Church members. For
example, Vultures like to hang around things that stink. Canaries are
caged inside their buildings. Eagles soar. You get the drift. I was
laughing uncontrollably at times. Preachers are comedians.

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Rainy Day

Weather affects Ruth. She doesn't like rainy days. For some reason I
have always been impervious to weather. Sun, rain, clear sky, cloudy--
bring it on. It doesn't matter to me.

This morning I highlighted both of tomorrow's sermon manuscripts. I
use about ten different colors.

Green marks a Bible verse address. Yellow highlights Bible words.
Purple denotes a quote. Orange means a significant pronoun or person.
Dark blue points out the main thought in a paragraph. There's also
dark red, light red, brown, black, and light blue. I often tell Ruth I
don't have the best sermons, but do have the prettiest.

I find myself using larger and larger print all the time. Before long
the choir will be able to read my manuscript.

This afternoon I scribbled out parts of next Sunday's sermon. My
assistant types them into the computer for me. Tonight I will
repeatedly read tomorrow's manuscripts. I probably read a sermon 15 or
more times before I preach it. Great cure for insomnia. Just kidding.
I hope.

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Car Rustling

It's been almost a week, but still no sign of John and Amanda's stolen
car. We fear it's gone for good. Sad.

I had no idea our church's money gift to Haiti would elicit the huge
amount of media attention we received. You are the giving-est people I
have ever known.

I received news today that Southern Baptist surveillance teams had
arrived in Haiti. They will be plotting strategy for providing help in
the near future for Haiti.

My weight has stabilized. I had gained eight pounds but have finally
leveled off at five pounds up. Did I just use the words "gained" and
"leveled off" in the same sentence? An oxymoron for sure.

Humor helps. The best thing about diets is, you can always start them
tomorrow (trust me; I know). Did you ever notice that at class
reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks (delusional)?

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Meatballs Movie

Tonight Ruth and I made history. We took all four grandchildren to see
a movie. We made it all the way to the end. Yes, to the very end, to
the credits.

We saw the Meatballs movie. It's an animated spoof on the foolishness
of eating unhealthy food. I laughed out loud a few times.

Ian had seen the movie before. He sat next to me, telling me just
seconds ahead of time what was about to happen. What a memory! Did my
rememberer ever work that well?

Humor helps. Jeff Foxworthy says you live in Missouri if you have gone
from heater to AC to heater the same day;
if driving in winter is better because potholes are filled with snow;
if you know all four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter,
road construction.

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Shane Segars

Shane had his formal introduction to Second this morning. He preached
all three worship services. He had an exalted theme: the preeminence
of Christ. Everyone was blessed. Amen and welcome to Second, dear
Segars family.

My Cowboys are finished for this year. Only Chicago Cubs fans know how
frustrated we Cowboys fans feel. Hope refuses to die. Maybe next year.

Humor helps. Jeff Foxworthy's thoughts about Missouri. You live in
Missouri if you have worn shorts and a parka on the same day; if you
measure distance in squares of farm land; if you know people who have
hit a cow more than once.

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Various Details

Please be careful as you travel this holiday weekend. Interesting
sidelight about this particular holiday. It is the only one that
honors a Baptist preacher.

Speaking of Baptist preachers, Johnny Hunt, President of our Southern
Baptist Convention, received good news today. He does not have
prostate cancer as originally feared. A surgeon told him he is cancer-
free.

Shane Segars, our new Teaching Pastor, will preach all three morning
services this Sunday January 17 at Second. Pray for him to be anointed.

At the end of all three services, we will receive an offering for
Haiti. My heart agonizes over that country's plight.

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Craig Fields

I'm ministering to a dear friend who is walking resolutely through the
valley of the shadow of death. For about a decade, my number one local
Pastor prayer partner, especially concerning my difficult days, has
been Craig Fields, Pastor at Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church.

He has been a trusted friend, counselor, and advisor. He is battling a
rare lung disease that took his mother's life when she was about the
age Craig is now.

His prognosis is not good, but his faith is unshakable. I am amazed at
the utter yieldedness and surrender and contentment I sense in him.

How can anyone's faith be this strong?Craig is letting the Lord make
him more than a conqueror. He's not just barely winning. He is
marching forward triumphantly.

Please pray for Craig. Pray for healing. Pray for God's will to be done.

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My Coldest Memories

My friend Sonny was murdered in Gosnell by a burglar. Next day a
blizzard hit. Ground was a frozen block of ice. After the funeral we
took his body to the cemetery. No one, not even the casket-carriers,
broke through the glazed ice. Pick-axes had been used to open the
grave. His aged mother walked across that treacherous ice. I felt it
was a terrible moment for the family to endure.


One morning at church, I began sliding down a sloped parking lot in an
ice storm. Couldn't get my footing. Every move I made I slid further
away. Ruth yelled for me to stand still. She gathered about ten people
to make a human chain to reel me in.


Coldest day of my life, temp -19°, windchill -57°. Licked my lips as
I walked up to the church. They froze together. Fortunately they
thawed once I entered the building.


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