Category: Reflections (2018-present)

Personal reflections and musings

Baptists: 
A Word from Bill Jones, Weekly Baptist Roundup, 7/20/2019: Fresh out of high school, recording Apollo 11 with my graduation present 
by Bill Jones

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Fifty years ago, I was fresh out of high school in Missouri, having graduated in June from Oak Park High School in the North Kansas City school district. For my graduation, Mother and Daddy gave me a reel-to-reel tape recorder. In July, the Apollo 11 astronauts went to the Moon, and I put my brand-new Read more . . .

Baptists: 
Remembering our first visit to Wilshire Baptist Church on July 4th 15 years ago 
by Bill Jones

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Fifteen years ago today – Sunday, July 4, 2004 – Joanna and I visited Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas for the first time. I had met George Mason, Wilshire’s pastor, and heard him speak two months earlier in San Antonio at the annual conference of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission – then led by my dear friend Read more . . .

Baptists: 
A Word from Bill Jones, Weekly Baptist Roundup, 6/15/2019 
by Bill Jones

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COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP GENERAL ASSEMBLY meets this week in Birmingham, AL. I’ll be arriving Tuesday morning to attend our annual T. B. MASTON FOUNDATION CBF Student Scholars Retreat. Then I’m looking forward to attending Wednesday morning’s BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY Annual Gathering at the historic SIXTEENTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH.   Thursday evening, at a dinner Read more . . .

Baptists: 
Jimmy Allen: ” . . . thanking God for the touch of T. B. Maston in my life”

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There can be no one definitive memorial column to JIMMY RAYMOND ALLEN. His footprints in Baptist life and the wider Christian community are much too big for that. So I simply want to share a few of my personal and special memories of my friend Jimmy Allen. I commend the reader, as well, to excellent Read more . . .

Baptists:
“No. 1: MARY ALICE,” the premiere

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Friday evening, I attended the premiere of “No. 1: MARY ALICE,” the inaugural entry in the micro-documentary series, each entry to feature a woman pastor, co-produced by BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY (BWIM) and ETHICS DAILY. The namesake of this first entry is MARY ALICE BIRDWHISTELL, senior pastor of CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH in Waco, Texas. Accordingly, Read more . . .

Baptists:
Billy Graham: A couple of stories you haven’t heard

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November 7 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Baptist evangelist BILLY GRAHAM. This brought a couple of stories to my mind. The first is a personal story – one concerning my dad, A. JASE JONES, who served for 22 years (1/1/57-1/1/79) as Midwest Area Director with the Interfaith Witness Department of Read more . . .

Baptists:
TBC’s legacy, my own journey, and a few of the key people in both (remarks to my retirement dinner)

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(Click here for video of the entire program.) First, a few thank yous to: • George Mason and Wilshire Baptist Church, for hosting this dinner • Heather Mustain, for facilitating all of the preparations • Chef Elizabeth Ferguson and your staff, for the wonderful meal • David Hammons for taking care of the sound and Read more . . .

Baptists:
Memo to Jimmy Draper: your friend James L. Sullivan exposed the truth behind your ‘conservative resurgence’

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On July 21, 2018, the Sullivan Tower in Nashville – former headquarters of LifeWay Resources, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) publishing arm – was imploded. In an article dated July 23, Baptist Press reporter ART TOALSTON covered the building’s demise and wrote about its namesake, Dr. JAMES L. SULLIVAN, longtime president of the Baptist Sunday Read more . . .

Baptists:
SUZII PAYNTER: Planting seeds, bearing fruit

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This week, SUZII PAYNTER announced she is retiring after 5 years as executive coordinator of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). I first met Suzii in the late 1990s during my visits to First Baptist Church, Austin, with my dad, JASE JONES, who was a member there. However, where I truly got to knowing Suzii was in Read more . . .