Ray Van Neste

When our youngest, Timothy, was 4 years old he often eagerly asked to say the blessing. His prayers developed, of course, moving first from unintelligible to intelligible and then adding and substituting topics. At one point a new item began appearing in his prayers. He began, in his list of things for which he gave thanks, saying, “Thank you for tomorrow.”

Dear Class of 2024, ‘Tis the season for graduation addresses, and as a college professor for many years I’d like to share some thoughts with you (and others who might want to listen in).

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) – It is nice once again to be approaching Christmas. The weather is cooler, college students are taking final exams and other schools are winding down. There is something especially exciting about Christmastime!

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) – It’s graduation season, and I’d like to congratulate all you graduates, as well as your parents, family and friends. This is a momentous accomplishment for which you should be justly proud.

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) – One key way to be involved in the advance of the Kingdom of God is to pray for pastors. This is always the case, but it is even more significant at this time. As the last six months or so have disrupted life for all of us, a host of challenges have arisen for pastors.

Baptists should celebrate the Reformation, Ray Van Neste writes, noting: "Here is why: At its heart, the Reformation was a rediscovery of the Gospel."

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--The daily news coming in from the disasters in Myanmar and China is horrifying on many levels. Many are discussing what we should do and how we can help.

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Not long ago a pastor sent me a link for an article titled “Don’t be original -- be effective!” by a pastor and author in Ohio. After reading the article, I simply sat there dumbfounded, stupefied. I felt like imitating Ezra when he said, “When I heard about this matter I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled” (Ezra 9:3).