FRIAR’S FRAGMENT

Winter is here and Thanksgiving will be here soon. In the end of September, 2022, I finished serving as Interim Pastor at Dover Baptist Church, Manakin-Sabot, VA. I began with them the first of February. This was one of my shortest interims. On September 17, 2023, Dover Church celebrated its 250 anniversary. We all are still concerned about the coronavirus and how long it might last. We all are keeping our distance and trying to be safe. Our prayer is that it will soon be passed and we can get on with a normal life. We are settling in at Lakewood and finding many friends from our church and community and meeting new ones. We like our apartment, but I still miss my library and fireplaces. But life moves on.

The years go by too fast whether I am working full-time or not. Right before Christmas three years ago, my brother, Preston died, and four years ago, my best friend, Paul Simmons died. Their deaths have caused me deep grief. This year I will continue my service on the board for the VA Baptist Historical Society and Heritage Center and with Bluefield College where I serve on the Advisory Council. As usual, I am still busy writing.

 Stories that Continue to Speak to Us Today: Looking Again at the Parables of Jesus was published the first of 2022 by CSS Publishers. Jesus’ Journey to the Cross was just published in October of 2021 by Energion, and Lessons from the Old Testament was published by Smyth & Helwys in January. The Rebirth of the Church was published by Energion in 2020. Markers Along the Way was published in 2020 by Smyth & Helwys. Conversations with My Grandchildren about God, Religion, and Life was published by Energion in June of 2019. The Difficult Sayings of Jesus was published by Smyth & Helwys in June of 2018, and Energion published my book, Which Voice Will You Follow? that same year also. My small book, Beginning and Ending a Pastorate was also published three summers ago by Energion. CSS published my book The Abiding Presence: Communion Meditations, in February of 2018. I am continuing to work on several other books, three of which will be published soon. I am looking forward  now to doing some traveling this year, continuing to spend time with my grandchildren writing, and preaching when opportunities come.

I hope to see you soon. I hope to find some time to be with my family and reflect  as we approach the summer months.

Bill