The Bible Story Family

 Carmen and I directed _Amahl and the Night Visitors_ for the first time when we worked at Ordway Baptist Christian School, Ordway, Colorado, in 1976. The cast included high school students from OBCS. Kim Terry played the part of the Mother, and Ricky Kienitz played Amahl. In 1995 we directed _Amahl_ once again. This time the cast was composed of college students from Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Owatonna, Minnesota. Sarah Douglas played the part of the Mother, and Christian Augsburger, the son of Kim Terry, who was now married to Bruce Augsburger, played the part of Amahl. This weekend, I have the privilege for a third time of participating in a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, by Gian-Carlo Menotti. The Deo Cantamus Choral, one of the premier singing choirs of the upper Midwest, will perform the concert version of the opera as part of their “Give We Thanks” concert. I have been invited to narrate the opera. “Give We Thanks” will be presented at 4:00 p.m. on Satur...

  FIFTY COMMONSENSE REASONS FOR THE APPEARANCE OF AGE IN CREATION 1.      Adam and Eve were adults. 2.      Adam and Eve were capable of reproducing. 3.      They didn’t need to learn how to walk. 4.      They didn’t need to learn how to talk. 5.      They were capable of feeding themselves. 6.      Fruit appeared on the trees when first created. 7.      Light from distant stars could be seen on earth. 8.      Scientists say it takes 12.9 billion years for light from the furthest star to reach the earth, so Day One light from the stars appeared to be that old. 9.      Animals were created as mature. 10.   Flowering plants already bloomed. 11.   Trees already had leaves. 12.   Roots were already deep in the soil. 13.   Soil contained minerals which seemed to ha...

  Three months in Spain—vacation, right? Not for Don Odens. After retiring from a half-century of teaching at Central Baptist Seminary (sometimes full-time, sometimes as a adjunct) Don left for an extended mission trip to Spain. He is working with Seth Grotzke, who was commissioned for the work in Spain while on staff with Pastor Odens at Liberty Baptist Church. Don will be teaching, mentoring, evangelizing, and encouraging in Spanish, a language he studied in high school and has endeavored to keep fresh over many years. The challenge will be great, and the blessings even greater. Missions trips have been a part of Dr. Odens’ ministry throughout his pastoral and teaching career. Brazil and China are just two of the countries he has visited to encourage missionaries and participate with them in teaching the Word. Even so, three months on the field represents a unique step in the process. As his brother-in-law, I am probably not at liberty to share Don’s age. Just let it be s...

  Interim pastor Bob Townsend greeted the crowd at the 120 th Anniversary of Maxwell Baptist Church by reminding them of his own tenure as pastor. “I served here when I was young,” he said, “and again later, and now as interim. I don’t know whether to refer to it as “third time’s a charm,” or “three strikes and you’re out.” Personally, I am thrilled to have Pastor Townsend serve once again with people we grew to love in our thirteen years as their pastor. The entire day, last Sunday, reminded us of the faithful men who have preached in Maxwell for all these years. What a blessing to see succeeding generations of believers as a result of a church which grew out of American Sunday School Union meetings back in 1903. Another blessing of the anniversary celebration was sharing the platform with my good friend, R. P. Smith, the cowboy poet. R. P. wrote a poem in honor of the one hundredth anniversary twenty years ago. He also joined us when we celebrated the 110 th Anniversary i...

  Meet the Plymels! Brianna, Dalton, Justin, Sterling, and James. Several months ago I shared the beautiful story of the instant family God gave to our niece Kim Plymel and her husband Kevin. The final adoption papers were filed last week and now all five children are officially part of the family. James came into their home as a newborn, and his adoption was just completed. The other four were siblings, but in different foster homes. The initial placement happened within nine days of when James was born. So, in just over a week Kim and Kevin’s household grew from two to seven. We had the privilege of meeting all of the children at the Odens family reunion last summer. What a joy to see the evidence of faithfulness as these children grow in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Just in case you don’t remember—Kim and Kevin are both in their forties. “It has been interesting and challenging,” writes Kim, “but we are making progress in connecting with each...

  I had the privilege recently of meeting Elijah Schewe, a Law Enforcement Chaplain with the Regular Baptist Chaplaincy. He has been commissioned by Grace Baptist Church of Mankato, Minnesota, where a long-time friend Larry Johnson is the pastor. Elijah raises support for the Bibles Born for Battlefields missions project. “ Bibles Born for Battlefields is a first responder-focused mission with the goal of reaching those in law enforcement, military, and first responders with a Bible that is durable and rugged and able to take the kind of abuse this field is known for,” says Elijah.   The Bibles are distributed directly to first responders and law enforcement centers. “As a law enforcement chaplain my duty is to help officers, ambulance staff, fire fighters and other first responders cope with the traumatic nature of the job,” Elijah told me. “To help them with what they have seen and had to deal with, the Word of God is the only way to truly effectively manage the emoti...

  Missionary Seth Grotzke ministers in Spain near the route of the Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of St. James. Upwards of 200,000 people make the pilgrimage each year along with hikers, cyclers, and organized tour groups. Walking alongside the pilgrims on the Way offers the Grotzkes many opportunities to make friends and share the Gospel. One day a new friend who opened up to Seth about some difficulties in life said, “I want to pray, I just don’t know how.” That conversation became the impetus for a short volume of prayers called Liturgies for the Pilgrim , as well as two other short books. The liturgies include such fascinating titles as “A liturgy for when the mountain seems so tall,” and “A Liturgy for when I realize I have been walking for miles in bitterness.” Offering the book as a gift to a fellow pilgrim leads to deep conversations and spiritual encounters. “The idea for the resource came at first from my own need,” writes Seth. “There have been t...