Monday Morning Ruminations

A ruminant is an animal that chews its cud. To ruminate is to sit back and reflect on yesterday’s happenings. Here are some I’m chewing on this Monday morning….

“What I Told Billy Graham”

As you doubtless know, they are soliciting birthday greetings for Dr. Billy Graham on the occasion of his 90th birthday which took place last week. How they will sift through a half-million notes and e-mails is anyone’s guess. What do you want to bet a book will be produced with the hundred most interesting?

In my note, I reminded Dr. Graham of the time in November of 1987 when he and George Beverly Shea and a couple of other friends sat in my office for an hour and a half, as we waited for the start of the afternoon funeral service of his longtime colleague, Dr. Grady Wilson, who was a member of our congregation (FBC, Charlotte, NC). I told him, “As we sat there, I found myself having a little inner conversation that went like this. I asked myself, ‘Do you pray for Billy Graham?’ I answered, ‘People all over the world pray for this man, but I’m only one person.’ I recall laughing at that and thinking, ‘Well, hotshot, do you know anyone who is two people? We’re all only one.’ Ever since, I have prayed for you!”

Incidentally — this is to our readers now and not what I said to Dr. Graham — I’ve been working on a missions sermon this week, and the Lord brought that incident to my mind. When it comes to the Lord’s work, many of God’s people excuse themselves from doing anything significant because “I’m only one person.”

The sermon could be entitled “I’m just one, but….” And it would work out to something like this.


1) I’m just one person, but I am commanded to obey. That means pray and give and serve and witness and obey. No believer has an excuse to do nothing.

2) I’m just one person, but I am not alone. God indwells each believer with the Holy Spirit and has put us with all the others in the Body we call Church. No believer is ever alone again.

3) I’m just one person, but God uses our little gifts and deeds in great ways. I think of the widow’s mite. No believer is limited to what he can accomplish.

4) I’m just one person, but I will be faithful. No believer is exempted from obedience and faithfulness.

“What I preached yesterday”

Lately, I’ve done the most remarkable thing, something I have never tried in over 46 years of ministry. I’ve preached the same sermon at least six times in various settings in as many weeks. It’s not that I didn’t have any other sermons, and it’s not that I couldn’t think of anything else to preach. I preached the same sermon to several congregations because a) I’m convinced the Lord led me to do so (always the best reason) and b) I’ll be delivering that sermon on Tuesday morning of next week (November 18) at the Alabama Baptist Convention in Montgomery and wanted to have it clear and worked out in my mind.

This is a luxury given to few preachers. The typical pastor preaches a sermon and then goes on to something else. Only those of us not confined to a pulpit — that would be evangelists and denominational workers, especially — have the freedom to repeat a sermon again and again. I can’t speak for the others, but I try to keep improving it, to get the rough edges off it and decide what to add or omit, where to strengthen it and where to prune.

The other remarkable aspect of repeating the sermon in numerous places is that on every occasion, the pastor or another host has assured me it was precisely the message the congregation needed to hear and was just right for that church. That kind of confirmation from the Lord is better than money.

We’ll post the two messages I’m preaching in Montgomery on this website next Tuesday, the 18th. Regular readers will recognize that they deal with themes we’ve been working on for some time. Several months ago when I was bugging the Lord about what to preach on this occasion, He reminded me to “preach what you know, what I’ve been telling you all this time.” It’s like when Mama has company coming to the house; that’s no time to try out a new recipe. Serve what you know works.

“Crossover New Orleans”

When the Southern Baptist Convention meets in June each year — typically on a Monday through Wednesday — we precede the session with “crossover” events on Saturday and Sunday. Since thousands of God’s finest will be arriving in the convention city, someone had the idea some time ago to ask them to arrive early and participate in evangelistic events in church parking lots and public parks across the region. These end up being giant block parties, with inflatable moonwalks for the kids, bands, face-painting, eats, and such. We invite the neighborhoods and interact with those who come, and invariably a number of people will make commitments to Jesus Christ in conversations with the Christian workers.

So, a few years ago, some of our state workers decided to give the same thing a try on a local level. So, since the Louisiana Baptist Convention is meeting here in New Orleans tonight and tomorrow — Monday and Tuesday, November 10 and 11 — we preceded the gathering with parties at playgrounds throughout the area on Saturday and Sunday. A number of friends from churches outside our area and from our state convention leadership arrived to help.

Saturday, I participated at the one in uptown New Orleans at Taylor playground. The event lasted from 10 a.m. until nightfall, and hundreds of neighbors came by. The church I belong to, First Baptist of Kenner, sent perhaps thirty or forty volunteers to work alongside many from other churches. The fellowship was great, the food terrific, the music loud (good, too), and I learned from Freddie Arnold Monday morning that over 30 people prayed with our workers to invite Jesus Christ into their lives. Events went on Sunday too. I’ll try to remember to post results of that here when I get them.

Sunday, I preached at Seminary Baptist Church in the small south Mississippi town of that name. Matt Chance is pastor and my seminary classmate Frank Bishop is the senior adult minister. This was their first-ever “senior adult Sunday” so it was the best one they’ve ever had and I was the best speaker for this emphasis they’ve heard. Until next year.

This is a great time in my life and I’m having a ball.

Thank you, Lord. And thanks to so many friends and loved ones who make each day memorable.

3 thoughts on “Monday Morning Ruminations

  1. yes, an Evangelist has more freedom in his messages, but I have found that after two years, most people have forgotten it.

    So I preach whatever The Lord impresses on me.

    God plus one man can do wonders. D. L. Moody is an example of this. he heard Henry Varley say,

    ”The world has yet to see what God will do with one man totally sold out to him”

    Moody said, ”By God’s Grace I will be that man.”

    And he reached millions for Christ.

    Dr. Paul W. Foltz

  2. Did you notice that Geoge Beverly Shea was 100 on Saturday? Two great men of God, ten years apart in age, but bound together in Glory as they served Jesus in a blended way. Each was just one man when they met.

    This article was wonderful, as usual.

    Lara in Greenville

  3. I’m looking forward to hearing that well-oiled, fine-tuned message at the AL Bapt. Convention!

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