Opinion

With this column I am formally announcing my retirement later this year as Word & Way editor after more than 20 years of service.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service. This makes 2016 its 100th birthday.

During this past Lenten season, our congregation journeyed together around the theme of forgiveness — God’s forgiveness of us as well as our forgiveness of ourselves and others. Here are some takeaways.

Given the circumstances of the time, the Missouri Plan was considered revolutionary. Leaders hoped it could become a model for Baptists in other states. Many hoped that one result of the plan might be for Northern and Southern Baptists to come back together once again.

In short, the plan was a way for Baptists who held different views to work together, particularly in missions.

In nearly every other area of our lives, curiosity is highly valued. Where would the world of information technology be without curious college dropouts working in their garages? Savvy entrepreneurs succeed because they invest in “what if?” So instead of shunning all this ambiguity and confusion, perhaps churches should embrace it.

Word & Way trustees and staff took note of my 20th anniversary as editor with a drop-by reception at First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo., March 19.

I’m glad that Lent is a part of the Easter season experience at the Baptist church where I have been a member the last several years and many others, in part because it helps us see Easter as more than just a single-day commemoration. Because of what Christ’s death and resurrection mean to me, it makes sense to spend more time on the subject and more time with Christ.

Late January marked the 46th anniversary of the death of my 16-year-old brother, Dennis, in a car accident. Forty-six years. If you think all of the grief is gone and my heart has completely healed, think again.

Missouri Baptist University and its students deserve commendation for engaging in dialog about interpersonal violence, learning to identify signs of abuse and helping male students to become “men of integrity” in treating women as God intended.

In Mississippi, where I spent my teenage years, one can acquire a driver's license at the age of 15. Despite its legality, my father thought I should not get a license until I was 16. It was a long year.