Bill Jones muses about Baptists, faith, ethics, justice, politics . . . and more
Date, time, & venue: September 4, 1976, 3 p.m., University Baptist Church, Shawnee, Oklahoma Occasion: Wedding of Joanna Ching-Ping Wong to William Jason Jones Officiant: Rev. Dr. A. Jase Jones, the groom’s father Giving the bride in marriage: Jovan Wong, the bride’s brother Maid of Honor: Sumiko Ushiban Best Man: Bob Morris Bridesmaid: Lam Yuk Read more . . .
Twenty years ago today, August 29, 2004, Joanna and I walked the aisle and, in traditional Baptist terms, “moved our letter” from the Plano church where we had been members since 1987 to become members of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. We picked a good day to join, as Wilshire was celebrating George Mason’s 15th Read more . . .
“Baptists can be patriots. Now I know that seems to some of you like a silly statement, considering that in some Baptist churches today – I promise you – there will be enormous American flags draped across the pipes of the organ and probably across . . . a cross that normally would stand back Read more . . .
In September 2001, Joanna and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. As an anniversary present, she gave me a framed picture of Lou Brock, which our son Travis had helped her pick out. It still hangs in my study, next to the caricature of me that Joanna drew while we were sitting together in the Read more . . .
To read Part 1, click here. As I noted in Part 1, Spring Valley is one of four RISD elementary schools that are closing because of budget constraints . . . in other words, because the Texas legislature has failed to adequately fund our state’s public schools. As most of my friends know, I am Read more . . .
To read Part 2, click here. How many people have the opportunity to be at a new elementary school when it opens and – 64 years later – be there as it prepares to close its doors for the last time? Not many, apparently. As alumni gathered on Saturday, May 11, to say a fond Read more . . .
It’s been a year-and-a-half since Bob Morris, my best friend (outside of family), passed away, and I had the honor of eulogizing him at his funeral. On March 18, 1974 – 50 years ago today – Bob and I met when we both started work as telephone operators (on the old classic cordboard) at the Read more . . .
Joanna passed away 3 years ago at 1:16 a.m., Sunday, February 14. 2021. In this blog post, I want to share just a few of the things that were special about this wonderful, sweet, loving woman who was my wife for the last 44½ years of her life and the love of my life for Read more . . .
Earlier this week, I published a blog post featuring a passage from a James Baldwin essay taken from the book, The 60s: The Story of a Decade, published in 2016. All essays in the book were published in The New Yorker magazine during the 1960s. In that post, I promised further blog posts based on Read more . . .
Last week, I pulled from the bookshelves in my study a book that has sat unread for years and began reading it. Titled The 60s: The Story of a Decade, and published in 2016, it gathers essays by some of the most insightful and literary thinkers and writers of the 1960s, all published in The Read more . . .