A stranger showed up one day at the church office, before this pandemic. He wanted to talk to the pastor. But this time it was different. Hundreds of strangers show up at church office doors wanting to talk to the pastor. Basically they all want help, as in money. It’s not hard to get cynical and skeptical. I have had to get philosophical over the years. I’ve decided that begging for money is a full-time job for some. Many times I have seen “shift change” at an area street corner where one person with the “Anything Helps” sign is replaced by another with the “Will Work for Food” sign. Going church door to church door is another full-time job for some. Discerning the true need from the really good story is not as easy as it sounds. I have found that the people who get angry and chew me out are the scammers. Most people in deep need are slightly embarrassed, not manipulative.  

The man at the office door wanted two things—a chance to listen and a chance to pray. Listen to what? Listen to God and listen to the pastor. I took him to a pew where he asked me to sit near by. I kept a respectable distance. He silently stared at the Good Shepherd window for a few minutes. Then he turned to me and asked me to talk to him. Thinking he wanted a counseling session, I tried to find his need.  “No,” he said, “Tell me about your walk with God.” Okay. So I began to tell my faith story, my call to the ministry and my daily spiritual “routine.”  We came to a stopping point and he told me “thank you.” Then he offered to pray for me, a sweet and genuine prayer. He said goodbye and a thank you once more. It reminded me that not all strangers at the church door want food and money.

That passage about Christian hospitality near the end of Hebrews encourages us to “entertain strangers,” outsiders, because they just might be angels. A stranger may have unwelcome motives, or they may be someone sent to bless your life. The only way to know the difference is to engage them in a conversation, and pray.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today.  Be friendly to all the angels. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while we are apart.

I was browsing in the local Cokesbury bookstore, before it closed a while back, when I came across the most recent release of a favorite book of mine. I was impressed that sixty years after it was first published, this book is still being used by countless aspiring preachers as a guide in communicating the Gospel message. This book was written by Dorothy’s second cousin, Charlie Koller. He was born in 1896 in Waco, Texas.

He grew up as a member of Waco’s German Baptist Church now called Central Baptist. Dorothy’s grandmother, Elise Koller Niederer, organized the Woman’s Missionary Union at that church in 1910. Her grandparents were so impressed by the dedication and faithfulness of this man that they named two of their sons after him. Charles William Koller went to Baylor and studied law before following the call to preach and earning his Doctor of Theology degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He later served as the professor of preaching and president of the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago for more than twenty years. Dorothy introduced me to him once at a church anniversary in Waco. 

The book, now titled How to Preach Without Notes, provided the framework for understanding expository preaching, which is basically reading the Scripture, relating the background of the passage and the application of its meaning for today. He emphasized how deeply one must study and prepare before standing to preach. By preaching without notes rather than reading from a prepared manuscript, the preacher could take what was in his head to his heart before speaking it to the people. The book is his seminary course on preaching. The chapter on how to file sermons in folders and manila envelopes has saved many a preacher’s Saturday night. The last half of the book contains 15 of his sermons. I had wonderful preaching professors in college and seminary, but Dr. Koller’s book shaped me profoundly, and I am grateful. The preacher’s watchword is found in Paul’s admonition to Timothy: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim. 4:2)

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Hide God’s Word in your heart. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while we are apart.

It took a long time to happen, but the colorful fall foliage was gorgeous for about two weeks before the windy cold front chased it all away. Winter is coming. The neighborhood leaves are making their way into our yard, as always. I was able to bag some leaves to keep them dry for next spring’s compost before the rains on Tuesday. “Winter is coming” is also an ominous warning from a popular book series. I saw it being used as a caution concerning the double dangers of the coronavirus and influenza. This is the year to get a flu shot and the pneumonia shots, whether I want to or not. (Check with your doctor’s office for their recommendations for yourself.) 

Updates on the coronavirus show glimmers of encouraging breakthroughs and alarming sirens of rising danger all around. The news of a possible two injection vaccine with a 90% effectiveness rate, sent Pizer stocks soaring. Reports indicate that, following the scientific review process, the vaccine could be ready for first delivery around the end of the year. There is still the whole manufacturing, distribution, and inoculation issues involved in providing a vaccine throughout the world, twice. On another hopeful front, an anti-coronavirus vaccine nasal spray has shown great success in animal tests. That sounds easier all around if human trials prove safe and effective. Keep praying. Meanwhile, our situation in Oklahoma keeps getting worse each week, with record hospitalizations pushing our intensive care bed limits. Add to those pressures a growing number of fatigues, burn-out and resignations in medical staff and support personnel, and we are facing a possible deep crisis in all of our medical and health facilities.

I am more than ready for this season of sickness and precautions to pass. I am more than ready for us to get back to meeting together, and singing together, and eating together. But we must persevere in keeping each other safe from this disease. We must persevere in checking on each other, looking out for our neighbors, and not growing weary in prayer and encouragement. This is the season of gratitude and thanksgiving. Count your many blessings. Name them one by one. Prepare for the coming season of our lives.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Winter is upon us. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while we are apart.