It's a funny thing: you can't become a grandparent until a grandchild arrives. I don't have any grandkids, yet, and that causes me some concern. My wife and I got married while we were young, but our sons both waited awhile. As a result, many of...

My name is Walker Moore, and I don't know how to text message. There, I finally said it. A man who has spent most of his life working with young people can't text message. One of our students tells me that if I want to communicate with this...

I love the scene in the movie "Shrek" where Shrek and Donkey are talking about who they are. Shrek finally gets frustrated and tells Donkey that he is like an onion: he has many layers.

There are two types of heroes. First, there are the ones who generate national attention, such as Michael Phelps and many other Olympians. The record books are full of people such as this who have accomplished amazing things. Yet there are also...

Like you, I was captivated by the excitement of the Beijing Olympics. I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool sports fan. I know many of you men enjoy any kind of sport. You watch game after game and enjoy sitting around with your men-friends to analyze the...

'Tis the season . . . for children to head back to school. A friend once told me that school is the smartest place in the world. The children come the first day thinking they know everything and leave the last day knowing nothing. Somewhere in...

Communication: what a challenge! Relationships rise and fall on our ability to communicate what we think, what we feel and what we desire.

Forty-two days, eight hours, 33 minutes and 27 seconds . . . until my wife and I begin our vacation. I have a counter on my computer that keeps track of the day, hours, minutes and seconds until vacation time. When I was growing up, our family...

In my 10-plus years of writing this column, I have never recommended a single movie to my readers. I will change that . . . today. Recently, I had the privilege of being among the first to see the movie "Fireproof." I belong to a wonderful...

The other night, my wife and I were meeting another couple for dinner. I wanted to be on my best behavior. I wanted to make a good impression-on them and on . . . my wife.

I swore I wasn't going to write another article that mentioned the price of gasoline. It was more like taking an oath than actually swearing . . . although I admit that I have come close to that when I paid more than $4 a gallon to fill up my car.

Today's high gas prices are finally causing us to rethink some of our driving habits. We are combining trips and doing whatever we can to cut back on unnecessary travel. A pastor friend of mine tells me the costs have risen so much that he doubles...

I am as upset about the price of a gallon of gas as . . . you. Every morning, I turn on the news and the announcer says, "Today, another record price for gas." If gas keeps going up, everything else goes up, too. Soon, it will be cheaper to mail...

I just returned from a trip to Panama. While I was there, I worked with a group of indigenous people called the Kunas of Tribaldi. When we arrived, the tribe contained only 12 believers. By the time we left, God had added 33 more Kunas to his...

As we move further into the political season, I keep hearing people saying that certain politicians are playing "the race card." If there is anything I hate, it is the evaluation of an individual based upon his pigmentation. Man is much more than...

What a privilege it was to stand before you and Caleb and speak those sacred vows into your hearts. First, I want to tell you how much I appreciate your graciousness. I don't know another bride who asked her future mother-in-law to go with her to...

In a few days, you will stand before me in one of the most solemn ceremonies in which a person can participate: your wedding. You will share vows and exchange rings. Those few moments will alter your life . . . forever.

Every day at this time of year, my mailbox is stuffed with graduation announcements from students we have taken overseas. Some are graduating from high school and others from college.

The other day, I was driving by a church that had a big sign out front: "Every Saturday Night at 7 p.m., Professional Wrestling, $5.00." I am not making this up-I really did see this sign! I don't want to pass judgment until I know what the church...

It seems to me that our society has lost the art of graciousness. There was a time when we had an unwritten law about this-when graciousness was an integral part of our culture. Remember the cartoon, "Chip and Dale?" In almost every episode, the...

I am a missionary who works with many different language groups. I am comfortable in a meeting where multiple languages are spoken. For the most part, I can follow all the conversations. Yet I have the hardest time understanding English dialects...

As I wrote a few columns back, I have had a bad case of the "everlasting flu." This virus hits you hard for about four weeks. When it finally wears off, someone else in your family catches it. After it spends months going through different members...

The older I get, the more things I find I wish I had taught my children. I keep asking myself, "Why didn't I pour these life skills into my sons at an earlier age?" Back then, I just didn't know what I know . . . now. If I could do the parenting...

If you have been one of my Baptist Messenger readers for any length of time, you know I have a love for carnivals. My grandmother was a carnie, so I guess you could say it's in my blood. Every year, I serve as a chaplain at the Tulsa State Fair so...

I have been sick with the flu . . . or at least suffering from flu-like symptoms. Whenever I am sick, I can't help wondering if I have something more serious than an ordinary illness. You see, I come from a long line of self-diagnosers. I don't...

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at McGregor Church in Ft. Myers, Fla. I preached on "Our Disappointments are God's Divine Appointments." It was an incredible morning. I left immediately after the third service and arrived at the airport...

I visit Urak at least a couple of times a day, but I don't go to Holygek. You may be scratching your head and saying, "What in the world is the boy talking about?" In our office, we have restroom signs posted from the countries where we serve. If...

I am developing a teaching called the "Orphan Heart" from John 14:18. It contains a discussion about the role of the father versus the role of the mother in a child's life.

Blessings come in all sizes and shapes. One Friday morning not long ago, I got a call from one of my Baptist Messenger readers. He told me his name was Cecil, and he had been blessed by many of my articles. He also said he would like to come by my...

Today, I have reached a mile marker. The article you are now reading is my 500th "Rite of Passage Parenting" article, completing my 10th year of writing for the Baptist Messenger. I know of very few things in my life that I have done 500 times-not...

Valentine's Day has come and gone. This year, I promised myself to make my wife's holiday just right. The challenge was that my "right" and her "right" are never exactly . . . alike. Many of you men are nodding your heads in agreement,...

I have become aware of a shift in our culture. Somehow, it has changed from "we" to "me." When I speak to parents, I like to tell a joke that goes like this: "When I was growing up, I always had to wear hand-me-downs-and I had three older sisters!"

Our youngest son, Caleb, has just announced to his mother and me that he has found the love of his life, his soul- and help-mate. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, he got down on bended knee and proposed. I am not sure whether he got...

One of the best things that a man can do for his children is to love their mother. Somehow, seeing his father loving and admiring his mother surrounds a child with a special hedge of peace and protection. In his little mind, the process goes...

I didn't make any New Year resolutions this year-at least, not yet. After all, I am still working on the resolutions I made back in 1999 (not to mention the ones from 2000-2007). Why add any more to my list?

This is a story I find myself struggling to tell. I wish I weren't so close to it, but I am. I want to find a way to share it without sounding like a proud father, convinced that he has the most beautiful baby in the world. That's probably . . ....

My life is a string of journeys. In fact, every year is a journey broken down into months, weeks, days and hours. As a missionary, many of my journeys take me to remote and unusual places. Before each journey begins, I spend time in preparation. I...

While the great ice storm of 2007 was blowing and blasting its way across Oklahoma, I was fulfilling a speaking engagement in the sunny warmth of northern Peru. Every time I called my wife, she told of more devastation. Our backyard looked like a...

I think we all cherish a memory of that one exceptional Christmas gift-the one we received as a child that for some reason stands out from all the rest. I was probably 9 years old when I received mine.

Over the last few years, it has fallen upon me to put up the Moore family Christmas tree. I am far from an expert on Christmas trees, but I know that to the normal eye, our tree would not be considered politically correct. I have visited many...

I have come to the realization that there are two types of people: those who are like me and . . . the rest of the world. For example, I am a guy who can celebrate his birthday any day of the year. I was born on Oct. 7, but I have no problem...

What a blessed time I had last week being a part of the Women's Missions & Ministries Celebration in Moore! I met so many wonderful people who spoke such encouraging words. One thing surprised me, though. Many of the friends I met did not know...

God's Word: "He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas,' (which is translated Peter)." John 1:42

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it will always be yours. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours. But if it sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, uses your telephone, takes your money and doesn't...

This past weekend, I visited my oldest son, Jeremiah, and daughter-in-love, Erin, in Rockwall, Texas. They have recently moved there and are both teaching school. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the normal hugs and exchanges of affection, along...

My earliest TV-watching memories center around shows like "Howdy Doody," "Sky King" and "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin." Enthralled when the new, one-eyed glowing box appeared in our living room, it didn't take long for my brothers and me to...

My special gift kicked in again at the State Fair-you know, the gift I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. I can't go anywhere without running into someone I know, or running into someone who knows someone I know. I was walking through one of the...

I have just finished my 16th year as a chaplain at the Tulsa State Fair. There is just something about the State Fair and me. Using some self-analysis, I have tried to figure out exactly what it is. It may be in my blood. My grandmother was a...