John Avant

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--It’s almost Thanksgiving, and there will be an empty place at our table. My father-in-law, Don Duniven, planned to join us as he has many times before. My wife could not have a better daddy. My children could not have a better grandpa. I could not have a better friend. But without any warning, on Monday, Nov. 7, Don died in his sleep. We are shocked. We are heart-broken. And we are overwhelmed with Thanksgiving. Because only Jesus could have made Don the man we will miss so much.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Have you had your annual "spiritual" this year? We all know it is important to see the doctor for a physical each year, to be sure that we are in good health and treat any disease that we might have. Isn’t it just as important that we do this in our spiritual lives?

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--I have been writing these articles for some time now and I have tried to tell stories from my own experience and that of many others to show that sharing the good news about Jesus is the most wonderful, joy-filled experience that any of us could ever have.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--I have two dogs. One is a 14-year-old mutt that is relatively useless, though I still love her. The other, though, is our young Boston terrier named PJ, for “pure joy,” and she is definitely that. Greatest dog I have ever had. Loves to sit in my lap and sleep, but also loves to play. And she is the fastest, highest-jumping dog I have ever seen.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--I was 25 feet up in a tree recently having a wonderful, peaceful afternoon. I had a few spare hours and was enjoying my favorite hobby –- bowhunting for whitetail deer. I feel the stress of life melt away every time I find myself in the forest, alone with God and His creation -– no phones, no e-mails, no noise. But not this time.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--I am preparing to step into the blogosphere. Did I even spell that right? I admit to being technologically challenged. I still believe that one day I will figure out how to work that darn VCR. It still startles me when my cell phone rings and there is no cord attached to it. I have kept my 8-track collection in hopes of a coming revival. I finally can work my Blackberry but I don’t know what two-thirds of the icons mean. And I hope we will stop creating new words like “blog” until I learn what all the ones we already have created mean.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--I promise that this will be the last article I write that deals with my daughter’s wedding ... well, I better not make that promise!

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--My daughter is married. Mrs. Christi Watson. Now, that just sounds weird. But wonderfully weird.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--I believe that a Christian should never have a boring day. Bad days? Yes. Restful days? We need more of them. But boring days? How can that be if we are really the missional ambassadors of the King of the universe, Who is active in, around and through us every second?

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Lebanon is on my mind a lot these days. When you think about Lebanon, the first thing that comes to mind is war, right? Not for me. When I think of Lebanon, I think of miracles! I have been there six times and I can tell you without hesitation that God is at work there. So are His people, and they are making evangelism good news in a place filled with so much bad news for so long.