In his message, “The Worst Things are Never the Last Things,” the late Rev. Dr. John Claypool reflects on the stories of the Old Testament patriarch, Jacob, and his son, Joseph, to illustrate how God can take the worst thing and make it the prelude to redemption and hope. He says, "The seemingly worse things are never the last things with God. God always has something creative up God’s sleeve. What that means is there is a basis for hope and for never, never giving up."
The Rev. Dr. John Claypool was one of America’s great preachers. He began his ministry in 1953 and served for more than 30 years as the pastor of Baptist churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Mississippi. In 1985 John became an Episcopal priest and was rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Alabama for fourteen years. After his retirement from parish ministry, John served as Professor of Preaching at Mercer University’s School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia. John was also a well-known writer whose books include Tracks of a Fellow Stranger, The Preaching Event, and The Hopeful Heart.
This archived 30 Good Minutes broadcast was first aired in February 2002.