On Easter Sunday, I thought back to my years as a pastor. I can guarantee that every pastor has thought/wished this: “Maybe they’ll all come back next Sunday.” Of course, the attendance the next Sunday reverts to the usual level. Still, a pastor can dream.
I was sad to learn Steve Gaines passed away on March 20th. He was formerly president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the famous Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. I first met Steve at Southwestern Baptist Seminary when we were students in the same PhD seminar. At that time, he was pastoring in Lake Dallas, and he invited me to speak on missions in his church. Many years later, when we retired from missionary service, we joined Bellevue and enjoyed hearing him preach weekly. I always thought that he preached like an old-fashioned country preacher who had gone to seminary—fiery and erudite. I learned one thing about him after we joined Bellevue Church. He could play the guitar and sing quite well. Bellevue invited Greater Vision, the famous southern gospel trio, to perform a concert. At the end of the evening, they invited Steve to sing with them. He sang the bass part, and it sounded great. He could have toured with them. I recall a funny thing that happened one Sunday morning. His youngest daughter, Bethany, regularly sang with the praise team in the contemporary service. One Sunday, they sang just before the sermon, and Steve walked onto the stage as the singers stepped away. He stopped Bethany and kissed her on the cheek. Steve’s wife, Donna, always sat on the front row. She spoke up, and when he began his sermon, Steve said, “By the way, the woman I kissed is my youngest daughter, Bethany.” Of course, the congregation laughed, and I’m sure his television audience was reassured. Steve Gaines was a faithful preacher of the gospel. Rest in peace.
In my opinion as a missions professor and author of books on the history of missions, Dr. Rebecca Naylor is the “Lottie Moon” of the 20th century for Southern Baptists. She served with the FMB/IMB as surgeon and administrator at Bangalore Baptist Hospital in India for more than 35 years. During her years of leadership, the hospital doubled in size and evangelized well in the area. My main claim to fame is that I had a class with Rebecca at Southwestern Seminary. When I was in the MDiv program at Southwestern, a rumor spread across campus that the president’s daughter had enrolled as a student. In those years, Robert Naylor was the president, and the rumor proved true. Rebecca had completed medical school at Vanderbilt and her surgical residency. Nevertheless, in order to serve as a medical missionary for the Foreign Mission Board, she had to complete 30 semester hours of seminary courses. She did that at Southwestern Seminary. Now, in those days, Southwestern had been inundated with students because of the Jesus Movement. Every place on campus was crowded: hallways, classrooms, restrooms, and the Student Center. The hallways were so crowded that it was hard to walk to your next class. That was not true for Rebecca. When she walked down the hall, the students parted and pressed against the walls. She passed freely down the hall, like the Israelites through the Red Sea. I’m happy to tell you that in her “retirement,” she teaches missions at Southwestern as its Distinguished Professor of Missions. She also serves as a consultant on Human Needs Ministry for the International Mission Board. I hope the IMB will commission someone to write her biography.
Every year, I enjoy watching March Madness, the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Of course, this year Michigan defeated UConn in the final. I doubt many Southern Baptists had a dog in that fight. I thought Florida, from my beloved Southeastern Conference, would make the final four, but Iowa knocked them out. Still, their first-round game against Prairie View A & M caught my attention. Now, this was a mismatch between Florida, a number one seed, and Prairie View, a sixteen seed. I watched Florida run out to a 40-point lead in the first half. Late in the first half, the CBS sideline reporter interviewed Byron Smith, the Prairie View coach. The reporter asked him, “What can you do to slow down Florida’s offense?” He replied, “We need some help from the Lord.” His answer went viral, but God did not answer his prayer.
I saw this on the internet the other day. In 2025, 19.1 Bibles were sold in the USA. That represents a 12 percent increase over 2024. I’m wondering what conclusion to draw from that fact. What do you think?
