Saintly DOMs
I noted with sadness the deaths of two directors of missions, Harry Ball and Howard O. Marsh (Nov. 2). They were my directors of missions when I served as pastor in Hunt and Rehoboth associations. Seeing their obituaries caused me to reflect on the contributions they and other DOMs have made to my life and ministry over the last 37 years.
Harry was a pastor to pastors—good friend and mentor, trusted counselor, encouraging presence. I still was the new pastor at Floyd Baptist Church when Harry arrived just in time to help me move a washer and dryer into the little parsonage. He didn’t blink an eye. He stepped up and provided the assistance I needed.
Howard also was a good friend. We affectionately called him “HOM the DOM.” He encouraged us at First Baptist in Mount Vernon to expand our church-planting interests toward Lake Cypress Springs, and for the first time in my pastoral experience, a new church was born. When an opportunity arose that most advised against, Howard was one of the few encouragers who helped me see opportunity in a discouraging situation. His counsel shaped the last two decades of my ministry.
Both men were giants of the faith to me, and I’ve been blessed with a series of great men of God as DOMs. In fact, I’ve never had a DOM I didn’t love, appreciate and respect.
Thank God for the DOMs of the world.
Mike Milburn
Burleson
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
Cultural captivity
Thank you for the editorial titled “Awakening versus cultural captivity” (Nov. 9).
I’m old enough to remember the disgraceful ways we treated black people back in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. We Baptists—and I’m Baptist—were so racially biased that we often treated our domestic animals with more care, respect and dignity than we treated black people.
Even today, although things are much better, I still find unreasonable, unthinking racial bigotry in a considerable number of people of all ages. Even some Sunday school teachers and deacons are so bigoted that it sickens me.
Dale Person
Marshall
Gun-toting ministers
All Chuck Mann says against gun-toting ministers (Oct. 19) is true to a point. But a verse much overlooked is Luke 22:36, in which Jesus advocates carrying a sword.
Some people will not be helped, and there are times we must defend ourselves. All of the Bible is relevant and important.
John Winters
Amarillo
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.