Friday, January 22, 2010

"A Giant Oak In God's Forest Has Fallen"

 
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"I see the handiwork of God which is beauty; people who are oppressed and in need of things physical and spiritual."

These are the words of my favorite professor, scholar, and mentor, Dr. Donald Potts. He was a kind man, a wise man, and seemed to have almost infinite patience with his students. Even up to the very end, he continued to read, study, and write.

The last few years of his life he struggled with physical disease and limitations, but that didn't keep him from serving the Lord. He kept teaching and mentoring those who would stop by to visit him.

A few years ago, I was preparing to teach a seminary course on preaching. Dr. Potts always had thorough notes and well developed outlines. In fact, one of the greatest things he taught me was to think logically and outline those thoughts in a logical progression. I stopped by his home to get a copy of his preaching lectures. As I expected, he was gracious and generous with his materials. I enjoyed visiting with him and using the opportunity to "pick his brain" on numerous subjects.

I can recall that as a student,we called his Pastoral Ministries class "Story Time." He had some dillies of stories to tell. It seemed that Dr. Potts as a pastor had one amazing adventure after another.

I recall him entering the classroom on test day with a stack of tests in his hand, chuckling with a somewhat sinister tone. Every test I took from him, no matter what the class, seemed to follow the same format: 1st Page- True/False, fill in the blank; 2nd Page- Matching and short answer; 3rd Page- Essay. His tests weren' that hard, but they were thorough. When he came back to class with the graded papers, he always graded on a curve. He would show the scores on the board, sometimes reaching waaay down to get some students on the passing side. He liked to say, "Grace did abound!" In his class, it did.

I recall he was a walking library of knowledge. You could ask a question about Bible, theology, or just about any other subject, and he would reply with a thoughtful, well-reasoned answer. He never got very excited or emotional. He remained calm and steady, even in times of test debates with students who thought they knew more than he did. One particular incident I recall was when a student was arguing with him over some fine point of theology. After some discussion, with time running out for class time, he said, "Well, we'll just let you be wrong if you want to be." Sometimes I found myself cheering inside when he would, with his typical flawless logic, refute a student who was half- cocked in his thinking.

Not only did he have a library in his head, his personal library was huge. The few times I conferred with him at his college office, I was impressed with the hundreds of volumes on his shelf. I daydreamed about having a library like that. When asked if he had read them all, he would say with typical understatement, "Well, I know what's in them!"

I recall that in his former life in the world of work, he had been a nuclear physicist. His engineering background certainly showed in his carefully organized notes, outlines, and thinking. He once told us that for people to say that a man would enter the ministry strictly for the money was being foolish. He said that before he entered ministry, he made more money in a week than in a whole month as a pastor.

I recall that when I first began preaching and teaching, I found myself using phrases and thoughts he first put forth in the classroom. I applied his pastoral wisdom to several situations I have faced in my ministry.

Once he told us that we should learn parliamentary procedure because it kept him from being fired by a church. By knowing what was out of order, a business meeting where some were going to try to get rid of him was over before it got started. I've never forgotten that lesson.

I recall a few years ago visiting with his wife and him in the hospital as she was dying. His wife, Jean, was a mentor to ministers' wives herself. When I entered college, my wife met with her to learn how to be my helpmate in the ministry. Mrs. Potts could tell some good stories herself! When I visited with them, Dr. Potts asked me to pray. It was clear that the end was near, and Dr. Potts loved his wife dearly. It was a reverent and tender moment, one which I was glad I shared. When his beloved Jean died, Dr. Potts preached her funeral service. I don't know that I could do that myself, but I remember being lifted up, encouraged, and leaving with even more admiration and respect for this man.

Dr. Dane Fowlkes, a classmate of mine at ETBU, had the honor of preaching Dr. Potts' funeral message. Dr. Potts, ever meticulous and prepared, had chosen for the text Philippians 4:1-7, which emphasizes, "Rejoice in the Lord always." It was a fitting text. As he concluded his message, Dr. Fowlkes told a story that I have been pondering ever since. He said that last Saturday, the day Dr. Potts died, Dr. Potts did something rather uncharacteristic for him. He closed the curtains looking out on the patio, locked the front door, and then wheeled his scooter chair into the hallway of his home. He backed his scooter against the wall to face the pictures of his family lined up down the wall. There he was later found, slumped over, asleep in Jesus. It was as though he knew that it was his time to "go the way of all flesh." He died quietly and peacefully among pictures of the people he loved most.

The picture above shows me, a young man who surrendered to ministry under my ministry, and Dr. Potts at an awards event some years ago at East Texas Baptist University. Someone told me they could tell it was an old picture because I looked younger and thinner. Today, I treasure that picture- me with my mentor, and my mentoree, all in one shot. Three generations of ministers. The work and heritage goes on!

Countless ministers, students, and congregations have had the privilege to sit under his deep scholarship and sense his reverence for God and his word. I have sat under many teachers, but he remained my favorite. I count myself most blessed to have been a student of his. I hope I can pass on just a portion of what he gave me. In both knowledge and character, he was a "giant oak in God's forest."

So long for now, Dr. Potts. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"

Monday, January 11, 2010

If You Can Find A Better Deal, Take It!

As a followup to a previous post about Britt Hume's remarks concerning Christianity and Tiger Woods I share this item

This item is well put by Rocky Henriques, who compiles The Timothy Report, which is a source of information and illustrations for preachers. Here is his article verbatim:

It is so rare these days to find a public figure taking a stand for Christ, that when it happens, it is worth noting. You may have heard that Brit Hume recommended that Tiger Woods try Christianity if he really wants forgiveness for his misdeeds. This was his exact quote:

"The extent to which he can recover, it seems to me, depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So, my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

As you would expect, not everyone appreciated his comment. Tom Shales, writing in The Washington Post, demanded that Hume apologize, saying he had "dissed about half a billion Buddhists on the planet."

Regardless of what you may feel about Ann Coulter, you need to read her reaction. I don’t usually follow her, and would not have seen this had not one of my church members brought it to me. Currently on her website, http://www.anncoulter.com/, you can read her article entitled, “If You Can Find A Better Deal, Take It!” I heartily recommend that you read this for yourself. You certainly won’t agree with everything she wrote—I didn’t. But please read the entire article before you click off to somewhere else. You will find that she makes some very good points—pretty good for someone who does not claim to be a Christian apologist—even quoting some very pertinent Scriptures along the way.

She concludes her article:

“Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient old people or unborn babies -- no doing what all the other kids do.

“And no more caring what the world thinks of you -- because, as Jesus warned in a prophecy constantly fulfilled by liberals: The world will hate you.

“With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean and your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even though you don't deserve it. It's the best deal in the universe.”
--Rocky Henriques, www.timothyreport.com

Monday, January 4, 2010

There's Good News Tonight


My father once recalled a old time radio newsman named Gabriel Heatter. Heatter's news career spanned World War II. He was known for his trademark phrase, "There's good news tonight!" During the War, the news, particularly during the early days of America's involvement, was anything but good. But Heatter had a way of pointing out the good even in the bad.

Interestingly, Heatter did this, in part, for his own benefit. He was a very melancholy, insecure, and fearful man. In his broadcast efforts to pick others up, he was trying to cheer himself up as well.

But this post is not about Gabriel Heatter. It is however, about good news for the state of Louisiana. After all, this blog is about "LIfe and Ministry in Southwest LOUISIANA."

Yes, Virginia, there is good news tonight in Louisiana.

It was recently reported that the state of Louisiana came in at number one in something. Not in crime, corruption, or Cajuns.

But in happiness.

Louisiana has been deemed the "happiest state in the nation." Since my time here, I would have to agree. These Cajuns really know how to have a good time. So our state now leads the nation in happiness. There's good news tonight.

And that makes me very happy.

How Often Do You Hear Something Like This In Media?

Yesterday, Britt Hume made some comments on Fox News about Tiger Woods, even offering his counsel:



Hume is absolutely right. Buddaism has no theology of forgiveness. But Christianity does. Good advice from a place one doesn't normally hear it.

The one thing I would add is not that Tiger would come to the "Christian faith." I pray he comes to Christ. That's the only way he can rebuild his life.

Forever.