Heroes are for the young, memories are for the old. As a teenage preacher, one of my heroes was Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. I cannot remember the first time I heard him preach but I was quickly captivated by his resonate voice, biblical depth, and how he had a majestic reverence for the Lord Jesus. Personally being more of a tenor in tone of voice, I never felt the need to imitate him in preaching but I loved that fact that someone so solid on the Bible was out there, somewhere, preaching the truth. It was comforting somehow. There was a prophet…
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The Passion Play Prelude
In 1633 the Black Death struck the town of Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany. The people of the town vowed to God that if the Plague would pass them by then they would perform a Passion Play every ten years in honor of the miracle. They have kept their vow for over 350 years. In an Oberammergau source called the “Chronicle” it states, “in diesem Leydwesen sind die Gemeinds-Leuthe Sechs und Zwolf zusammengekommen und haben die Passions-Tragodie alle 10 Jahre zu halten Verlobet, und von dieser Zeit an ist kein einziger Mensch mehr gestorben.” [in this time of suffering the village councils of the Six and Twelve met and vowed to perform…
Sunt un Trombonist
Every international traveler fears that moment. You have unintentionally said something embarrassing/inappropriate or just downright stupid. Having traveled the world I should have overcome this fear but, alas, this fear always remains, packed away in my carryon bag. Every new culture you encounter is another opportunity to add to your list of personal faux pas. Beautiful Romania, encompassing the mountains of Transylvania and lying along the historic Danube River, was the setting for my latest adventure in inappropriate phraseology. My partner-in-verbal-crime this time was Monte Shinkle, alum and pastor from Missouri. After seeing how popular brass bands are in the churches here I desperately wanted to join in. After…
I Found You
The pastor remembered the encounter but not the name. Some memories dim but they never completely fade away. As a young sailor, he remembered his ship docking in New Orleans, Louisiana. He remembered walking the docks as the man approached him and struck up a conversation. He remembered the man telling him that Jesus Christ could save him from his sins and give him eternal life. He remembered praying the sinner’s prayer and the change that came over him. But what was that man’s name, the witness? That, he couldn’t remember. The young sailor returned to his home in the Philippines and sensed that God wanted him to tell…
The Last Flight of the Listen Here Tojo!
September 15, 1943: New Guinea On Wednesday morning, September 15, 1943, B-17s of the 43rd Bomb Group leave Jackson Field, Port Moresby to bomb the Japanese forces near the town of Lae. The flight is not long but it is over the formidable Owen Stanley Mountain Range. On the return flight, the formation flies into a cloud bank in the mountains. When the formation breaks out of the cloud cover one plane is missing: the Listen Here Tojo! #41-24552. This will be the last B-17 lost in combat in the Pacific Theater in World War 2. The wreckage of the plane will be discovered 50 years later and the remains…
Sons of the 43rd
The jungle knew all along. But for fifty years it had held its secret. The war had moved on and left it in peace, or what passes for peace in the still uninhabitable regions of New Guinea. Searches were conducted, families mourned, and memories faded. Still, the jungle only hid its treasure, it did not erase it. The story goes that a logging team was cutting a road when they discovered something man made in the depths of the New Guinea jungle. The object was large, very large, and had been there for some time. Among the clues to the identity of this creature was a number, still visible…
The Baptist Attic
From time to time I chance upon unremarkable discoveries that seem to compel me to search out their secrets. Of course, if I was better informed to start with I could dispense with the effort and move on to something more productive. However, today productivity must take a back seat to the necessity of curiosity (i.e. I’m wasting valuable time). Today’s adventure is not my fault. I happen to work with the greatest theological librarian in Middle-earth, TNB. He is constantly assaulting me with relics from a bygone age which he has uncovered in his never-ending quest to spend all of our school’s money on more books. Alas, I should banish…
Confessions of a Large Trail Runner
With the coming of 2018 its time to review the races of 2017. It was a great year and I made the transition from trailrunner to occasional road racer. I’m not a competitive runner so all races are either: to support a cause, the race has a great setting, I like the drama of the race, or the races are good training for longer events. Trailrunning is my running passion and I usually run in the Lucius Birch Natural Area of Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee. (shelbyfarmspark.org) I’ll do more on Shelby Farms Running in a future post along with some cool video and some stories of…
Beginnings
Welcome to my place to observe the world in action. My interests are varied, bordering on eclectic. Topics may range from travel, to sports, to faith, and to history. I have so many interests that I…
NEW book release! Sons of the 43rd
New! Book by Dr. Mike Spradlin traces WW II story of Gray Allison and Delmar Dotson—A story of bravery, strength, and grit Sons of the 43rd tells the story of two men who left their small-town America to travel around the world and fight an enemy they had never met. One man survived World War II, and the other disappeared, his fate unknown until a chance discovery 50 years later. Delmar Dotson of Pound, Virginia, lost his father and grew up in an orphanage. The disappearance of his plane in the jungles of New Guinea has haunted his family for decades. Gray Allison (circled in photo) of Ida,…