As I begin this column titled “The Role of the Food Pantry,” please allow me to make a confession. While I knew our church, Central Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas, had a food pantry, I did not know much about it, other than we provided help for needy people twice a month. When I did some research on this subject, I was really enlightened. If you have not done this, I suggest you do it at your earliest opportunity. One thing I learned that is rather sad is that my…

My friend, if you don’t think God is serious about sin, let me read a few verses of scripture for you. These are the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5:27-30: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, ‘thou shall not commit adultery’. But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee, for it…

Back in the days when I was working for the late Earl Nightingale, I remember him saying, “There is no price too great to pay for creditability.” I have thought of that saying many times since then. Here is my question for you as we begin our time today: How many times do we have to catch another person in an outright lie until we begin to doubt everything else they say? The correct answer is once, because from that point on, we will begin to doubt everything else they…

If you like to learn new things you will love today’s column. First a little background. About 10 years ago my friend Cliff Garrison invited me to attend their men’s prayer breakfast at the First United Methodist Church here in Conway. After some time, prayer, and thinking about it, I took him up on his offer, and the amazing thing is that they let a “Baptist” in. I am the only one. This breakfast takes place from 7 to 8 a.m. each Wednesday morning. Around 6:30 a crew of men…

We have a couple in our Sunday School class who we pray for regularly, but they do not get to attend very often due to health problems. We also pray for them because they have a son who is estranged, and they have not seen him in several years. You can imagine how trying this would be if you were in the same situation. Janis and I have developed the habit of going to our local Hardee’s restaurant on Saturday mornings to get a couple of their famous biscuits and…

I am unhappy to report that the “scam” business in America is alive and well. My wife Janis has a credit card company that she has used for several years, and lately she has had to be on the phone several times asking them to remove charges that she knows were not hers. They usually take care of her, but lately she has been asked to call a number, and when she gets them on the line they have an “accent” that is not English. A while back she was…

In every community in America there are those individuals who deserve our respect, love, and appreciation when they die. One of those individuals for us here in Conway, Arkansas, was the late Billy Farrel Johnson. Bill, as he was known to his friends, was such a man. Bill passed away on Aug. 27, 2024, and he had so many friends that they had to find a larger church to hold his memorial service. He was a true icon in every sense of the word. He was a charter member of…

Each year, Money Magazine produces a list of the best places to live in America. I remember one year they chose Fort Collins, Colo. This small community, home of Colorado State University, is nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and has a lifestyle that appeals to many urban dwellers. Many have moved to Fort Collins to escape the rat race of big city life. One of the things I noted about Fort Collins, along with all the other communities on the list, was a low crime rate.  In…

When I thought about a way to introduce my topic today, I was reminded of a question a man asked one of his lady friends. He said, “Have you ever been real sick?” She said, “No, but I have never been real well.” The medical profession in our nation has a tremendous challenge each day, as they try to keep as many of us as possible “real well” or as well as we can be given our age, medical history and other factors that determine the longevity of our lives.…

If I may, I would like to begin today’s column with a question. How long has it been since you had a really good meal? In this respect, I am truly blessed as my wife Janis is an excellent cook. She came by it naturally! Her mother was an excellent cook, and she taught Janis to cook at an early age. Later, she and her late husband owned Pickles Gap Village, and they had a restaurant for many years, so she got some more experience here. During these years she…