The standing name for this column has been “Compass Bearings.” The metaphor may be lost on a GPS generation, but the imagery hearkens to the old seafaring maxim “Whoever has the discipline of the compass has the freedom of the seas.” When we have tools for navigation, we progress on course, even in the face of heavy seas or tricky currents that could otherwise cause perilous drift.
Gary Walter
Compass Bearings: Billy Graham, Lon Allison, and You
I was invited to attend the private memorial service for Billy Graham. Well, as private as it can be when millions of others join by television. […]
Compass Bearings: Aspirational Discipleship
In my service at Covenant Offices over the past twenty-seven years in three different roles, I have had a front-row seat watching this fellowship move from being a small obscure denomination wondering about its missional impact to being a small obscure denomination that fights above its weight class. […]
Compass Bearings: A Maturing Life
The saying goes, “You are only young once, but you can be immature forever.” The Apostle Paul understood that a maturing life with Christ is not inevitable. […]
Let Your Gifts be 3StrandStrong at End of Year
The calendar reminds us that the year is drawing to a close […]
Compass Bearings: Burden More Than Vision
This is a major year for leadership transitions in the Covenant. Two conferences, Southeast and Canada, will be searching for superintendents. […]
Presidente Walter comenta sobre DACA y el Camino Por Delante
Me uno a otros líderes cristianos para expresar mi profunda preocupación para el futuro de jóvenes emigrantes que actualmente están protegidos por el programa de DACA – La Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia. […]
Compass Bearings: Four Loves
This Companion issue highlights the ministry of our Town and Country (T&C) churches, where some of the most consequential ministry in the Covenant takes place. […]
President Walter on DACA and the Way Forward
CHICAGO, IL (September 7, 2017) – I join with other Christian leaders in expressing deep concern around the future of immigrant young people currently protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA participants encompass roughly 800,000 young […]
A Statement from President Walter Denouncing White Supremacy
I join with other Christian leaders to unequivocally denounce hateful white supremacist ideologies, brought into stark focus by the distressing events of Charlottesville, Virginia. […]
Compass Bearings: Grace and Truth
In John 1:14 we read that Jesus came, full of grace and truth. That balance can be elusive for his followers, but it is who we are at our best as imitators of Christ. […]
Compass Bearings: Inaugurating a new season
My apologies to our constituents in Canada, but there is a little matter of a presidential inauguration […]