It is not often I have the opportunity to introduce someone for whom I care as much as I do Sasha. I can think of few people who years ago were less likely to be honored here tonight than Sasha. It’s not the honor that surprises me because by the arc of her life from an early age you would know she would lead a life worth honoring. It’s not the honor but our good fortune in her being here to receive it. What are the odds that a young girl speaking no English moving from place to place would find her way to this community in America so many…

James Howard Parnell was born September 28, 1954 in Tyler to Joe Esther and Ruth Chance Parnell. Jim died on October 6, 2012 at 58 years of age. He was married to Lynn Hamilton Parnell for thirty-six years. He is survived by his four older brothers – Pete Parnell and wife Ann, Joe Parnell, David Parnell and wife Shirley, Dennis Parnell and wife Dawn. His in-laws Sam and Mary Hamilton; brothers-in-law, John Hamilton and wife Cindy as well as Dan Hamilton and wife Stacy and many nieces and nephews and extended family members. Jim was a 1973 graduate of John Tyler High School and employed by Hamilton Supply for twenty-seven…

These are Scott Harrison’s word. “In 2004, I left the streets of New York City for the shores of West Africa. I’d made my living for years in the big Apple promoting top nightclubs and fashion events, for the most part living selfishly and arrogantly. Desperately unhappy, I needed to change. Faced with spiritual bankruptcy, I wanted desperately to revive a lost Christian faith with action and asked the question: What would the opposite of my life look like?” Scott and I have a lot in common. Few of you know I made my living promoting fashion events – but at calf roping contests in East Texas. I’m not going…

Max De Pree wisely says the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. That’s sage counsel but it almost assumes a steady course and fair winds. What is the role of the leader when the bottom falls out and the reputation of the company and your personal integrity are being called into question. Reporters are showing up at the door and employees are losing their jobs. Millions in assets are being washed away. What’s the first responsibility of the leader then? We talked a little Thursday night about those volcanic intrusions and upheavals in…

1. In many ways, this is the story of two men – not one. It is the story of two men who personified the best and worst traits of Germans in particular but humankind in general. They are illustrations of the finest and the most fiendish of the German soul and the one thing they had most in common was the fate of the Jews. They began at opposite ends of a spectrum but met – no, collided – at the intersection of the treatment of the Jews. Hitler’s adult life was completely dedicated to the extermination of the Jewish race and Bonhoeffer’s life became focused on his mission to save…

In the early 90’s I invited Dr. John Stott to meet in Florida with a select group of pastors from large churches around the country.  I was the President of Leadership Network a ministry to senior ministers and staff of those large and growing churches.  While many of these highly entrepreneurial pastors had little regard for academia or even the seminaries from which they had graduated, they all thought of John Stott as something of a rock star in their world.  Even though they were often far more interested in being with successful business leaders they jumped at the chance to be with “Uncle John.” The normal format for these…

Two years ago I heard a teacher of the psalms remark that our modern worship songs and the choruses we sing are full of praise, hope, thanksgiving and God’s love for us. In fact, he went on to say, maybe there is so much emphasis on God’s love and care for us in every detail of our lives that we have excluded hymns that reflect our own laments, complaints and petitions. In doing so, have we unintentionally taught that all of our burdens, problems and questions should be resolved by focusing only on those songs that encourage and inspire us? Something like the power of positive psalms. I don’t think…

On Thursday night, I quoted from 2 Timothy 1 and Paul’s admonition to keep our special gift stirred up: God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. Sometimes boldness becomes distorted and the flame of the gift consumes not only the person but those around them. I think that is part of Phil’s message to all of us in his book, Me, Myself & Bob. Some of our failures are private and well hidden and some, like the failure of Veggie Tales, are painfully public. To take a small company and experience revenue growth of 3300% or from $1.3 million to $44…

I don’t believe I have ever introduced a speaker using his own words until now. I might quote from a book they have written or something said about them but never have I used something from personal correspondence. You’ll see why shortly. When I asked Eugene Peterson to be the Bible teacher this year I did not know what to expect. When he said “yes” I was delighted because in the small amount of personal contact I have had with him over the years I have been impressed with his directness, practical application with poetic language, and his dedication to his own ordination as a pastor. When the trend seems…

I met Jim for the first time several years ago when he was brand new to the role of President at Focus on the Family. It was in the Board room and, I confess, I was expecting an appropriate wait with a bit of a grand entrance with maybe some mid-level advance staff preceding him making sure everything was just so. I could not have been more wrong. Instead, a smiling and genuinely friendly Jim Daly walked in and all of us relaxed. This was not an audience with a ministry leader. This was a conversation with a new friend. I’m not going to tell Jim’s story for him. I…