Now Concerning Spiritual Gifts

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

I've just returned from eight days that were quite stimulating in ministry coupled with personal relationships.

A week ago Thursday, I flew to Washington, D.C., to preach twice last Sunday at the National Presbyterian Church. How refreshing it was to share once again with that great congregation whose pulpit I've been privileged to fill on various occasions, going all the way back to the early 1970s. It was a time of great nostalgia, as I thought back to dear colleagues in ministry who have pastored that church and been dear friends. I went back to Ed Elson, Louie Evans, Jr., Bryant Kirkland, Craig Barnes, Tom Erickson and now the present pastor, Gareth Icenogle.

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I went a couple of days early, both to help the jet lag adjustment and to also have some quality time with my long-term friend, Doug Coe, of the Fellowship Foundation. I stayed at their retreat house, Cedars, engaging with the constant flow of persons who are part of that fellowship, but also thinking and praying and thanking God for wonderful friendships and relationships, going all the way back to Richard C. Halverson who first introduced me to Dr. Abraham Vereide, Doug Coe and others of that fellowship when I was in my first year at Princeton Seminary in 1962.

Then after church on Sunday, I flew to Chicago, for the Executive Committee meeting of Christianity Today International. At our fiftieth anniversary celebration in October, I become chairman of the board of that "Print-Plus" ministry founded by Dr. Billy Graham in 1956, which now has expanded to publish Christianity Today, Today's Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership, Christian History & Biography, Leadership, Books & Culture, Your Church, Ignite Your Faith, Men of Integrity, MOM Sense, Preaching Today and a host of Internet information services for Christian leaders. Our biggest task at this moment is to identify and install the next generation of leadership and a CEO/Publisher and Editor-in-Chief to succeed the strong three-decade leadership of Harold Myra and Paul Robbins.

I had the serendipitous privilege of bracketing my Tuesday and Wednesday Chicago meetings for Christianity Today with some unencumbered, relaxed time with my 92-year-old mother, Dorothy Huffman, on Sunday evening, last Monday, and Wednesday evening to Friday morning. Then I returned home Friday to a desk stacked high with all the controversies of the world, the nation, our denomination and a local church, all gone crazy with various kinds of conflict.