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A few weeks ago Byron Gage approached me
concerning a renewal, or should I say revival, of the Expository
Review. This time it would be an electronic instrument rather
than the printed page. He asked me to make a few remarks in regard
to the old ER.
About June of 1981 I approached Robert
McDonald concerning a new gospel paper which would be dedicated
to mostly articles of exegetic nature pertaining to the Scriptures.
I agreed to handle all the mechanical, financial and other problems
concerning the publication if he would handle the editor responsibilities.
He was a little skeptical at first but called me about two weeks
later and accepted the responsibility and suggested as its title,
Expository Review. Our first issue came out in January, 1982.
It was received with a by far greater response than we had anticipated.
It continued until July, 1985. The first issue had Leon Odom
as the front page writer, McDonald as editor, I as publisher
and Byron Gage as Book Review Editor.
I suffered a massive heart attack
May 12, 1985, and since I was doing all the mechanical work on
the paper, and doing full-time work with the 22nd
St. church in Odessa, Texas, I felt it too much of a burden and,
sadly, we discontinued it in July, 1985. We were printing about
1500 at its demise. (I then had a quadruple by-pass in November
of 1985.)
I continued with the 22nd St. church
until July, 1986 and moved to work with a new church in Georgetown,
TX. I continued there until June, 1993. I began to feel my age
and some other symptoms which was later diagnosed as Parkinson’s
Disease, and decided to get out of full-time work. My daughter
and son-in-law, Judy and James DeVoll, who was preaching for
the Woodlawn Hills church in San Antonio, and us (Ola and I)
agreed to build a large enough house where we could live together
but have space to separate us at the same time. I preached on
an appointment basis for about two years, filling in at Woodlawn
Hills, Pecan Valley, West Ave. in SA, Kerrville, New Braunfels.
Seguin and Benchley. I taught a few 3 months classes at Woodlawn
Hills and then, because of the PD, my voice got so weak and scratchy
and my legs so wobbly that I had to give up public speaking and
confine myself to the printed page. I have been editing and printing
a weekly bulletin for seven years. That’s about it for me
and my complaints. PD is a progressive disease so I’ll just
have to wait and see what awaits me. Ola is my devoted care giver.
Robert McDonald moved from Odessa to Pecan
Valley in SA, then to the Greggton church in Longview, TX, then
to Benchly, TX where he and his wife, Betty Jo, still live. Robert
suffered two light strokes which incapacitated him so that he
had to give up full-time preaching and just does fill-in preaching
from time to time. Jo suffered a brain hemorrhage about a month
ago and remains hospitalized at the present time.
Leon Odom moved from Midland to Tyler where
he did a magnificent work with what is now the Rice Road church.
Leon suffered another heart attack (his first one was in Midland),
a car wreck, some other surgeries and has had to cancel most
of his meetings and just do fill-in pulpit work. Dorothy, his
dedicated wife and care giver, continues with him.
(Brother Odom has since passed on to his
reward. bgg)
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