A Great Day Off

I spent the bulk of today with Ruth. I always enjoy her. I've never
been bored in her presence. She played the piano a lot today. It's
like Heaven when she plays on and on and on. You would have to be here
to understand me on this one.

I had time today with Rebekah and Amanda. They are both excellent
conversationalists. It was nice to have talk time with them.

My day included time with all the grandchildren. Two of them had a
birthday today. Sam turned 11. Ian turned 5. Caleb ran errands with
me. Lilly Ruth jumped on the trampoline alone today for the first time
ever.

I wish I could have spent time with John 2 and Nathan. They are fine,
Godly men. It's always a pleasure to be around them.

Prayerwalked the neighborhood. Had a good devotion time. Ruth is
already asleep. I'm following suit. It's past my bedtime. I hate to
see this day end.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Prayerwalking Conclusions

I've now prayerwalked my block five times. I am drawing some definite
conclusions.

I don't think there's any extra merit or some kind of magical power in
walking as we pray. However, I do see some spin-off benefits of
praying on-site with insight.

It slows my praying. I pray regularly over a list of neighbors' names,
but sometimes I do it with lightning speed. Prayerwalking gives me
opportunity to take time to focus my prayers.

Prayerwalking gives us a chance to see neighbors outdoors and talk
with them. Another thing it's doing for our church is, it is bringing
us together to join in united prayer for outsiders.

At Second we have 399 people who are praying over their neighborhoods.
That's a good number of people praying, who might not otherwise be
praying. Pray on. Walk on.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Easter Prayerwalking

We're trying a new twist on Easter-praying at Second this year. We are
encouraging our people to daily prayerwalk their neighborhoods until
Easter.

We are not the only church doing this. Scores of Missouri Baptist
churches are trying it.

I have now walked my block three times, praying for each house as I
pass it. I'm analyzing my efforts. I pray for my neighbors every day
by name anyway. Why would prayerwalking improve what I already do?

Let me do some processing of this question over the next few days.
I'll get back with you on that one.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Pastoral Pastoring

I thoroughly enjoy the people centered aspects of being a Pastor. Ruth
and I went to a nice restaurant with friends today. Gift cards are
great. Friends are far greater.

Went to a funeral home tonight for a viewing. I was blessed by the
privilege to go from person to person being a true shepherd of a
flock. This is what I signed up for 43 years ago, when I entered the
ministry.

Remember to prayerwalk your neighborhood each day from now till
Easter. Pray for people to come hear the resurrection story on Easter.
Yesterday I forgot to prayerwalk my block. Tonight I prayerwalked it
twice.

Humor helps. Lilly Ruth is being potty trained. When her mother said
she was going to the restroom, Lilly Ruth said, "Thank you, Mommy, for
telling me you needed to go potty."

Twitter @john316marshall
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39th Anniversary

Ruth and I celebrated 39 years of nuptual bliss today. The day started
inauspiciously. I woke up deaf due to ear wax.

I used Murine ear drops. Used kleenex in both ears to keep the drops
in. Ruth howled when she saw me. She secretly took a picture of me. I
forbade her to post it on Facebook.

Ate lunch at Maria's downtown. Ruth said, "It's extra loud in here
today," I said, "Really?" We looked at each other and laughed out loud.

Tried hydrogen peroxide in my ears this afternoon. Once again I had
the "toilet paper growing out both sides of my head" look. Ruth has
been having trouble taking me seriously today.

Ate supper at Ocean Zen. Sat side by side so we could communicate.
Ruth asked if I liked the background music. I said, "What music?" We
looked at each other and again laughed out loud.

Pray my hearing is restored by morning. It would be good for me to
know what I'm saying while I preach.

Twitter @john316marshall
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My Irish Roots

Happy St. Patrick's Day. We all have a wee bit of the Irish in us,
don't we?

My family's Ireland story revolves around the ancestors of my Grandma
Sally Bird Marshall. Three Puckett brothers were conscripted by the
British to fight in the War of 1812.

The three refused to fight against the USA and chose to flee here for
asylum. They first settled in eastern Kentucky, but eventually settled
in western Tennessee, near Obion.

Years ago I went to see the old homestead. A house built over 100
years ago was still standing. It was the house where my Grandpa and
Grandma courted. I even found the grave of one of the three brothers.

I am preaching this morning. Yes, I will be wearing a bright green tie.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Happy Ending

My niece has faced seemingly insurmountable odds to become a prime
example of a Godly single mom. One part of her story I want to tell
here.

Her husband died years ago, leaving her with a young son. She knew her
husband had been married before and had a daughter, but there was no
contact with her whatsoever.

Recently my niece decided her son needed to find and know his half-
sister. Twenty minutes after my niece joined Facebook, she found the
half-sister and the first wife.

After months of FB contact, they decided to meet face to face. My
niece came from St. Louis; the others from Oklahoma. They met
yesterday at Bass Pro Shops here.

Long story short. Nervousness gave way to sheer joy. You should see
the pictures. DNA speaks truth. They are without doubt siblings. It
was a precious time. The Lord smiled on them.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Time Change

We now have about 8 months a year of Daylight Saving Time. Most people
like the later daylight hours after work. I do too, but I also wish we
made the change on Friday, not Saturday, night. It's tough on churches.

Facebook is abuzz with info about the time change tonight. Pastors are
rightly worried about church tomorrow. At least two have confessed
their fear that they themselves might be late.

Some people are admitting they had forgotten. Others are grieving,
especially those who attend early worship. Every Sunday morning at
7:11am several of us gather at the pulpit to walk through worship
service details. We will be a sleepy bunch tomorrow.

One parishoner said he had asked what the Pastor's sermon was going to
be before deciding whether or not to move his clock forward. One
person said, if your church has an early service, move your clock
forward, or your Pastor will be very lonely.

I've already moved my clocks forward. Maybe I'll be able to trick my
mind and body in the morning.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Barbie Stand-off

Lilly Ruth, age two, found her mother Rebekah Ruth's old box of Barbie
dolls, and instantly fell in love with them, as her mom once did.
This created an interesting stand-off.

Lilly Ruth said, "Mom, these are my dolls, but you can play with them
too" Rebekah replied, "No, Lilly, they are my dolls, but you can play
with them too." This conversation continued a while, with neither side
budging an inch. It will be interesting to see how this debate turns
out.

Remember to move your clocks forward one hour Saturday night.
Otherwise you will be one hour late for church on Sunday morning.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Biographies

Devout Christians have long known the Bible has to be our number one
reading material. Often reading biographies comes in as number two.

The lives of others have been of inestimable wealth to me through the
years. Ravi Zacharias' autobiography "Walking From East to West" has
reminded me again how powerful people's stories can be.

How do you know a book has deeply affected you? In this case I grieved
when there were no more pages to read. I had laughed and cried often
in following Ravi's story.

As I finished the bio, I sat in stillness, my mind wondering. Have I
done all I could for God? Has my life mattered? What can I yet do in
the time remaining to me? Is my life worth writing and reading about?

What makes a great biography? It's one that reminds us holiness
matters most, and compels us to seek a higher level of holiness.

Twitter @john316marshall
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"Oh Aunty Em"

"There's no place like home." I agree, Dorothy. I'm now back from
preaching twice at a world missions conference for FBC Gulf Breeze
(Pensacola) FL yesterday.

I woke up early this morning and wrote out a sermon rough draft in my
hotel while watching the sun rise over the Gulf of Mexico. I ate
lunch in the Memphis airport. I will soon eat supper with Ruth in
Springfield MO. By the way, R-u-t-h is how I spell the word "home".

Tomorrow we will burn the note in all three morning worship services.
Bye bye debt. 31 years together is long enough. Happy 125th
anniversary, Second Baptist Church.

Twitter @john316marshall
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Authorship

Thanks for the kind words some of you have shared about the
quasquicentennial book we released last Sunday. My name is on the
cover, but a host of people made it happen. Be sure to read the
acknowledgements.

We have sold 250 copies, about 200 more than I thought we would sell.
Thanks. You have spared me a bruised ego.

This Sunday March 7 our church's 125th anniversary continues. We will
burn the note, celebrating the fact we no longer owe anything to a
bank, for the first time in 31 years, almost one-third of a century.

I'm reading and being deeply blessed by Ravi Zachariah's
autobiography, "Walking From East to West." God lifted Ravi from a
life of utter despair, loneliness, and attempted suicide to become one
of the most gifted apologists or our era. I would like to meet him
someday.

Twitter @john316marshall
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