Resources and Reflections

Without An Introduction

I went to Dallas Christian School growing up and daily chapel was a part of the schedule. On one occasion, the father of one of the students was to speak in chapel. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Lipscomb, asked me to lead a prayer and then introduce the speaker. She handed me a piece of paper with the sentence I was supposed to read about the speaker.

Chapel began and I sat in a chair on the podium waiting for my time to pray and make the introduction. Using my fourth grade mind, I began to think about this introduction and concluded that it wasn’t necessary. After all, the speaker was well known at our school. His two sons went to the school and the parents were at athletic events regularly. “Why introduce someone everyone already knew?”

So that morning, the speaker had no introduction. After a few awkward moments, he went to the microphone and began to speak. Mrs. Lipscomb caught my eye and glared at me. She later said something about my failure to follow instructions. (My wife, a longtime school teacher, heard this story and basically said the same thing.)

This story has been filed in my memory under the heading, “Stupid things I did or important things I failed to do.” (This mental file has became quite thick over the years.) Maybe you have such a file.

Little did I know then that years later I would spend much of my life introducing guest speakers in churches and later at Harding School of Theology.

Kind of ironic.

“Sidekicks” or “Enablers”?

Jessica Hagy wrote a little book entitled, How To Be Interesting: In 10 Simple Steps. An interesting read. At one point she contrasts “enablers” from “sidekicks.” An enabler tends to foster the worst in others. Meanwhile the sidekick (or encourager) tends to bring out the best in another (pp. 154-155).

One example of this in my life was Fred Hoyle, a manager at the Jack-in-the-Box where I worked for several years. Fred was from California, a college graduate, and had a manner that was warm and engaging. I was particularly impressed with the way Fred treated his employees. Most of us in this store were 17-19 years old.

Fred brought a certain maturity into the work environment. He showed a genuine interest in each one of us. He was cheerful and paid attention to the little things in his interaction with us.

I was 17 years old and was too immature to appreciate him until years later. Yet, now as an adult, I have thought a lot about this. I would like to have some of Fred’s qualities.

• Do I show genuine interest in another or am I preoccupied with my own concerns?

• Am I a cheerful person or do I tend to be moody and unpredictable?

• Do I pay attention to the little things that might help me get to know another person? Or, am I more concerned with the things that interest me?

Reading: Looking Over Another’s Shoulder

I enjoy hearing what others are reading. I pay attention whether it is Russell Moore’s “My Favorite Books of 2024” or Bill Gates “Reading List.” Occasionally, I will discover a book that I too will read.

I recently came across a book list which may interest you. Dan Peltzer (now deceased) read these 3,599 books in his lifetime. Now his list his available for anyone to see.

Dads and Their Significance

For months, I have been reading articles/books on being a dad. One important study that I read was: Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids: The Importance of Fatherhood in Virginia (June 2025) From the National Marriage Project.

While the focus of the study is the state of Virginia, the 60 page document which reveals the finding of the study highlights the many reasons why fathers are so important to children. You might find this document interesting.

Barber and Baseball

When I think of summer, I think of baseball. I also remember the wonderful morning conversations each Friday between NPR’s Bob Edwards and Red Barber (from 1981-1992). At the time of these interviews Barber was retired in Tallahassee, Florida.

In earlier years, he became well known to many because of his baseball broadcasting. “From the 1930s through the '60s, the pioneering sportscaster did play-by-play successively for the Reds, the Dodgers and the Yankees” (See Baseball Memories: The Red Barber Centennial)

You might enjoy listening to some of these conversations between Edwards and Barber (Usually less than four minutes). See the sampling of these conversations listed on this page. You might also enjoy hearing Bob Edwards discuss these conversations on a program called, “Now I’ve Heard Everything.”

Some Excellent Biblical Resources

I recently stumbled upon a resource that might be helpful to anyone who studies the Bible. Dr. Carmen Joy Imes is professor of Old Testament at Biola Seminary.

She is producing brief videos in which she is recommending six or seven of some of the best resources on a particular subject.

I particularly appreciate her recommendations on three levels: beginning, middle, and advanced.

A sample of her videos: 7 Books That Help You Understand Old Testament Theology; My Top 6 Books on OT Bible Backgrounds; My Top 6 Books on NT Bible Backgrounds, etc.

Also, you might enjoy Dr. Kevin Youngblood’s article, “Avoiding Pastoral Malpractice: Implications of the Study of Biblical Languages for Spiritual Care.” Youngblood is an Old Testament professor (Harding University) and has written a fine article demonstrating the importance of the Biblical languages. Of course, not everyone has to know the Hebrew or Greek. The article, however, does a good job of showing some of the practical advantages of spending time with the languages.

I formerly served as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to this, I served as a minister in various congregations for 36 years.

Much of my time is spent in conversation with ministers and other church leaders. I do mentor/coaching each week. I continue to teach and preach in various congregations by request.

I am a husband, father, and grandfather. One of my favorite things to do is to come alongside another person and encourage her or him.

My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging. — Jim Martin