ERIC METAXAS GUEST
Recently I was invited to be the guest for an hour on the Eric Metaxas radio talk show, broadcast nationwide.
The interview aired yesterday, Wednesday, April 19, in the second hour. The podcast of that conversation may be heard at :
www.metaxastalk.com/podcast/wednesday-april-19-2017/
Eric was kind, courteous, and sincerely interested in the topic. He was also well-prepared, asked me about Hell and Mr. Fudge movie, and apparently had read rather broadly on the topic. He treated me withrespect and presented himself as a humble lover of truth throughout. He is an Ivy-League scholar, and a top-notch biographer himself (Bonhoeffer, Luther, and others). It was
an honor and a pleasure to converse with him. The podcast demonstrates God’s strength in my weakness and reminds us that though the outer man perishes, the inner man is being renewed day
by day.
A GODLY WOMAN
The Apostle Paul writes (Romans 16) concerning a godly woman in Rome whom he calls “a mother to me and to many,” Mary Alice Ciampa fits that description in my life. As a young preacher in Kirkwood, Missouri from 1968-1972, I was blessed to have her as a surrogate mother. She was my greatest supporter and also my sharpest critic (in a good sense.) She loved to study the Bible and took copious notes of my sermons and classes in a notebook left on her front row pew. I sometimes referred to them during the week to confirm what I had covered! Although small in stature, she was feisty in spirit, strong in faith and fully committed to Christ. She reared three fine children (Tomme, Jan, and Mark), encouraged many preachers and teachers (including our mutual friends Arvid McGuire, Jerry Phillips, and Carl Ketcherside), and lived a long life with increasing disabilities, trusting that the God who raises the dead would see her through the ending of this life and into the life to come. She lived past the 100 year mark and died on Easter Sunday. Rest in peace, dear Mary Alice. Sara Faye and I owe you a great debt for feeding us, loving us, and encouraging us as a young married couple in our first church ministry. You leave behind a legacy of godly commitment and unwavering trust. We look forward to seeing you again, in redeemed, immortal bodies that move with ease and gaze with clear vision into the face of our Savior and Lord. 