faithrunner

One of my beefs with the coverage of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was that no one , I mean no one , that I heard or watched ever mentioned he was a pastor of a local church long before he led a national movement for civil rights. Why is that important? He was a preacher , not a public speaker. He was a pastor , not a community organizer. He preached Sunday after Sunday from the Bible that dealt with real issues in his congregation's life , and from addressing those needs in a biblical-theological way, the message from the local church touched the community, state, nation and then the world . Mervyn A. Warren in his book King Came Preaching wrote that King believed God and his people, not governments and community organizations would change the world. "In the sermons of King, then, God is the sustaining power in the universe whose presence assures the ultimate triumph of good over evil. As the One who provides human beings with inner resources to meet life's pr...

After last week's revelations about the goings on at Pen State and Coach Joe Paterno , I have realized again how hard it is to finish well . The older I get, I am more and more grateful for men like Billy Graham , whose recent birthday at 93 and his book, Nearing Home , let me know it IS possible to finish well . But, what about the rest of us? I spoke on this topic this past Sunday at Legacy Church . (If you want to hear that message, you can hear it here .) I highlighted Paul's words to his protege, Timothy, that are recorded in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 . I hope to state with confidence the words he confessed in his last season of life as I finish my race. I have a mentor, Ray Rust , who is 86 now, and with whom I have shared my story and life for over a decade. He moved to the area after retiring as the leader of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. We met at 7th grade B-team basketball game when his grandaughter and my daughter were playing each other. We have been friends si...