1. Dallas Jenkins endorses my next book

Most of you know I’ve spent the past year writing a devotional book based on the Nicene Creed. I turned the manuscript into my publisher on August 1, and the editing process is now underway. The title they’re currently leaning toward (and titling is ultimately their choice, not mine) is, “We Believe: Walking Line by Line Through the Nicene Creed.”

The feedback from my technical and theological advisors—and from nearly twenty endorsers—has been wonderfully encouraging. But the most recent endorsement especially touched me:

Walt Larimore’s genius has always been to simplify challenging or complicated topics and make us realize, ‘Of course!’ And by doing so here with the foundation of our faith, these devotionals are indispensable. You will be on rock solid ground when you finish.

Dallas Jenkins, Creator and Director, The Chosen

His words meant all the more to me because he’s in the midst of filming the final season of The Chosen, which I understand involves 12- to 16-hour days.

2. An amazing response to my new God’s love devotional

Many of you have asked about the effort to upgrade my father’s World War II Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor. I’m grateful to report significant progress.

In April, a bipartisan group of six members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Hegseth requesting a formal review of whether officers who lost limbs in combat may have been unfairly passed over for the Medal of Honor. The Department responded by directing us to submit Dad’s case individually through the official upgrade process, and we are now building the nomination packet with the help of military historians, MOH process experts, and families who have successfully navigated this journey before.

The evidence is strong. Three sworn eyewitness statements describe a full day of combat on April 8, 1945, culminating in Dad — at age twenty — mounting a tank alone and riding it across 400 yards of open ground under fire from 150 enemy soldiers to save a trapped patrol. The captured German officer said his men were “demoralized at the appearance of the man on the tank that bullets could not stop.”

Senior military leaders who have reviewed the eyewitness accounts have confirmed that the action meets the Medal of Honor standard. We expect to submit the packet later this year. This is a long road – a marathon and not a sprint – but I believe it’s the right one. Your prayers are appreciated.

5. Last month’s happenings

• I met my August 4 deadline for turning in my final edits on the Nicene Creed devotional. Now I’m looking forward to seeing what the editors send back.
• On August 19, we were blessed to join Scott, Jennifer, and Sarah for the drive up to Rome, Georgia (about 90 minutes from us), to help drop off our granddaughter Katherine at Berry College, where she’s beginning her nursing studies. It was so much fun and brought back wonderful memories of dropping Kate and Scott off for their first year of college so many years ago (Kate at Clearwater Christian and Scott at Samford).
• I also spent much of August writing three new 30-day devotional series for YouVersion and was delighted to meet their September 1 deadline yesterday:
  • The 30 Most Important Questions God Is Asking You: One Question Each Day. One Life Forever Changed.
  • The 30 Most Important Questions Jesus Is Asking You: One Question at a Time. One Step Closer to Jesus Each Day.
  • The 30 Most Important Invitations of the Holy Spirit: One Day at a Time. One Step Deeper with God Each Day.

6. Upcoming

• Charles and Kate (our son-in-love and daughter) will be here September 5–10. We can’t wait to have them with us.
• Later in September, we’re looking forward to our annual beach vacation at Pensacola Beach. Barb’s sister, Sue, will drive over from Baton Rouge, and her brother, Greg, lives there. It’s always a highlight of our year.