Editor’s Note: The following column was written prior to 2012. My Big “O” birthday is coming, and my high school class is having a reunion. Most of us are almost 60! We are now officially too old to die young. It is funny how we describe age. When you are a kid, you are so […]
Wholly Healthy: Why Do People Keep Going to Church?
Physicians in general are a pretty intelligent group of professionals. However, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that because we know a lot about one particular thing, we must also know a lot about almost everything. However, given the exploding pace of advancing knowledge, that idea is arrogant. But it isn’t just science and […]
Outside the Walls: Finding Jesus on ‘TikTok’
I was astonished at Mitchell’s answer. He had just confessed Jesus as Lord on my front porch after attending our 9th-10th grade small group of young men for four months. As we discussed his background, an Asian-American teenager from a non-practicing Buddhist family, it became clear that he had very limited knowledge of Christianity. I […]
President’s Perspective: Who’s the GOAT?
“Is he the GOAT?” It’s the most popular question on sports talk radio. The 2020-21 version goes something like this: After appearing in his 10th championship and winning his fourth title with a third team (Los Angeles Lakers), is Lebron James the NBA’s Greatest Of All Time (GOAT)? Everyone has an opinion. One morning while […]
Editor’s Word: Can We Get an Amen?
The new year has bolted onto the scene with a sobering and upsetting reality as protestors swarmed our nation’s capital and violently forced themselves inside. The breech of the Capitol building was a horrendous and destructive act that sent a terrible message to the world. Then, the House of Representatives voted to use gender-free language […]
Comic Belief: The Battleground
It is encouraging to have a wife who is on your team instead of on your back when times get tough. When Job had all of his problems, his wife supported him by saying, “Curse God and die.” How would you like to be married to Mrs. Job? What happened to that relationship? I believe […]
Wholly Healthy: Winter Advice
I have taken care of some very, very cold patients over the years. When I was a medical student, there was a man who accidentally bodysurfed a river — in winter, in northern West Virginia. There was one who stood resolutely in the middle of a pond in January, up to his waist in water, […]
President’s Perspective: God Can Use the Worst to Produce the Best
“The Worst Year Ever.” That’s how Time magazine described 2020 in its December edition, and justifiably so. No one will miss a year marked by a global pandemic, business shutdowns, social unrest, natural disasters, and a divisive election cycle. The New Year’s ball couldn’t drop fast enough. But adversity is a great teacher, so before […]
Outside the Walls: Who Are South Carolina Baptists?
I was having a conversation with my 9-year-old son, Corder, about my new role as chief strategic officer for the South Carolina Baptist Convention when he posed the question. I thought of the complexity of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and its rich history. This year we celebrate 200 years of ministry, and I wondered […]
Editor’s Word: A Year of Hope and Challenge
The year 2020, with all its drama and turmoil, has given way to 2021, with its hopes (one of which is a vaccine for COVID-19) and challenges. Jan. 17 is Sanctity of Human Life Day (some will celebrate it Jan. 24) and is a great opportunity to remember that all human life from conception to […]