Scatter shooting, while wondering if leisure suits will make a comeback. (asking for a friend)
We need to pray for my friend, classmate, and former pastor Steve Gaines, the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. He’s been diagnosed with kidney cancer. The disease must be advanced because he will consult with doctors at the M D Anderson Clinic in Houston.
My career as a football pundit was short-lived. After Alabama lost to Texas in week 2, I wrote them off. They’ve won every game since, including an amazing win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alabama won the game on a last-second pass from the 33-yard line. On Sunday morning, an internet headline proclaimed—God is an Alabama fan! This coming Saturday Alabama and Georgia will face off in the Southeastern Conference championship game. We can safely assume that William Thornton will cheer for Georgia, while C B Scott will support Alabama. Years ago, Tom Landry, famed coach of the Dallas Cowboys, declared, “God doesn’t care who wins.” Do you agree with Coach Landry? He was a dedicated Christian.
About the amicus brief brouhaha—I’m sure the lawyers for the Baptist entities had good legal reasons to file the brief. I wonder, though, if the benefits for those SBC entities are worth the PR damage that resulted. We must be careful not to let the lawyers lead us. They serve the Convention’s entities, not vice versa.
I’m amazed at the antisemitism we’re seeing in the USA. I thought we, as a nation, were way past that. Clearly, I was wrong. We must not tolerate antisemitism. Beyond that, we must support Israel in this conflict. They were attacked by Hamas, not the converse.
Did you know that Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing, was born in Turkey, Texas? The town hosts a music festival each year. In some counties in West Texas, there are more Baptists than residents.
I wonder if Bart Barber is the last SBC pastor to wear a coat and tie. Dressing that way used to be the usual thing, but now it’s unusual.
Speaking of ties. If you keep your ties long enough, they will come back into fashion. I have ties that are older than my seminary students.
I taught a Ph.D. seminar at Southwestern Baptist Seminary this fall, and I’ll teach a master’s level class in the spring. The reports and comments about Southwestern’s impending death are inaccurate. It is true the seminary is digging out of a financial hole. It is also true that the accrediting agency issued a warning about its finances. A warning is NOT the same as probation. Dr. Dockery and his administrators have implemented many cost-cutting measures. Further, the seminary has sold an apartment complex to the city of Fort Worth. This complex is two miles from the campus, and it has not been used for several years. The funds from the sale, approximately 15 million dollars, will go a long way toward solving the seminary’s financial problems. As Southern Baptists, we owe President David Dockery and Chancellor O. S. Hawkins a debt of gratitude for undertaking the task of renewing Southwestern in their retirement years.
Readers of Scatter Shooting know about my dysfunctional relationship with Starbucks. Well, the other day my dear wife asked me to drive her to Starbucks. When we arrived at the drive-through window. The young woman handed me a red cup. I said, “It’s empty.” She replied, “It’s a red cup.” I answered, “Yes it’s red, but it’s empty.” She responded, “This is a red cup day.” At that point, my wife poked me and explained, “They are giving away reusable red cups today.” In the end, I accepted the red cup, and the staff had something to talk about the rest of the day—that ignorant old codger! The red cup is sitting on our kitchen counter; it’s still empty.
I hope our Voices readers will give a generous donation to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year. The national goal is $200 million dollars. The Lottie Moon Offering provides 55% of the IMB’s budget.
