I have been looking for the grave site of a preacher I knew when I first started preaching. I was living in Smithville, MS between 1969-1974. Arnold Shattock, Jr. was preaching for the Liberty church of Christ in Dennis, MS. I meet him several times at our area preacher meetings. He was always very excited about preaching the gospel. I remember he walked with a limp, but I never knew why. He was a young man, but died suddenly while living at Dennis. This week the church secretary at Liberty sent the following information: Arnold Shattuck was buried on July 25, 1972 in the Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanogga TN, located at the hill of Look Out Mountain, Section 14 Lot number 140. Even though he died 36 years ago, I still think about him and rejoice in his hope.

In 1892 M. H. Armor appeared on a lectureship at the West Tennessee Christian College, along with David Lipscomb, and several other preachers. During the 2008 FHU lectureship, I asked J. A. Thornton from Booneville, MS if he had ever heard of M. H. Armor. He said, "I sure have. I was named after him. That is what the 'A' in J. A. stands for.

So, a new search begins to find where M. H. Armor is buried. Here is what I have found about him so far. His name appears several times in History of The Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) in Mississippi by M. F. Harmon.

1. M. H. Armor was the preacher for the Aberdeen, MS Christian Church for about 8-10 years. The building was erected in 1893 while Armor was the preacher.

2. Armor held meetings for the New Hope Christian Church.

3. Armor preached in the Baptist church in New Albany in 1888 or 89. He reorganized the church in February 1921, in the home of sister J. T. Armor. They met in the court house and also the home of C. F. Work. The membership was about 56 and Armor served as one of the elders.

4. Armor preached once a month in 1915-16 at the Rienzi Christian Church. On August 7, 1921, Armon preached the first sermon in the new church building. His topic was "The Word of God."

5. Here is what Harman writes about the West Point Christian Church: "From Bro. N. B. Patterson, one of the Elders of the church in West Point, and who has lived there for more than forty years, we get the following: "The congregation is about 67 years old, and has had pastors as follows: J. B. Inman, 3 years, one fourth time, A. G. Fried, I year, one fourth time, R. P. Meek, three years, one half time, N. B. Patterson, one year full time, W. G. Harbin, three years full time, A. P. Finley, 2 years full time, J. L. Greenwell, four years full time, Wynne Stout, one year full time, J. W. McGarvey, one year full time, I. J. Omer, one year full time, C. E. Moore, seven years full time, N. B. Patterson and E. J. Stanley one year as supply, Sam J. White, two years full time, W. T. Young, one year full time, J. Will, Walters, two years full time, W. T. Donaldson, six months supply, and the present pastor, L. E. Sellers who has been with the church for two years. During this time the church has been served by the following evangelists: J. B. Inman, James Sharp W. B. Howe, T. B. Larimore, Morgan Morgans, R. P. Meek and N. B.Patterson, John A. Stevens, M. H. Armor, S. M. Martin, Hugh McCleland, T. L. Cooksie, J. A. Crossfield, I. J. Spencer, I. M. Boswell, C. E. Moore, W. T. Donaldson, E. S. Baker, Will Sheffer, J. T. Brown, Will Tinsley, 0. P. Spiegel, J. W. Walters, C. C. Cole, J. W. Caubel, Virgil Wallace, Frank K. Dunn and Roger Fife."

6. Armor served as one of the preachers for the Okolona (Miss) Christian Church.

7. From Harman's history of the Hickory Flat, MS Christian Church, we learn that the M.H. stands for Milton Hatly and his father was J. B. Armor. The Armors and the Crums were closely related. Here is an account of their conversion to New Testament Christianity:

John Smith was a Primitive Baptist who lived in Indiana. He heard a gospel preacher speak about the importance of "Rightly Dividing the World of Truth." After hearing the sermon, he and his wife became "Christians only."

The Smiths had five daughters who were taught diligently by their fireside to read, understand, and obey the scriptures. They later moved to Hickory Flat, Benton County, Mississippi. Having five young daughters, they became the center of attention of the young men in the community. But before marriage the girls brought each man to the New Testament faith.

One daughter, Rachel, said to her boy friend: "Let us read the Bible together, hear our ministers fairly, pray while we study, and do what we believe to be God's will as revealed to us in his word." After a few months of reading, learning, and praying J. B. Armor became a Christian. He became a gospel preacher, as did his son Milton Hatley Armor who went to school under J. W. McGarvey. Both the father and son did much to bring the gospel to people in north Mississippi.

Brother M. H. Armor spoke on a lectureship, along with David Lipscomb in Henderson, Tennessee in 1892. Brother J. A. Thornton, a long-time gospel preacher and father-in-law of Ralph Gilmore who teaches at Freed-Hardeman, is named in honor of M. H. Armor.

The youngest daughter of John Smith, Mary Malvina, married W. A. Crum. They had no discussion of religious issues until the first baby was born. Eli Crum, father of W. A. Crum and a devout elder of the Presbyterian Church, urged his son to have the babe baptized. Mollie's reply was, "If God so teaches, I am willing. I have heard that there is neither command nor example for baptizing infants; but show me the scriptures for it and I will consent at once."

Eli went to his Presbyterian preacher for help in finding biblical authorization. In the meantime, William Crum began to study the Bible for himself, which lead to his obeying the gospel. He became one of the strongest preachers in the state of Mississippi during his time.

His son, William Eli Crum, was the first gospel preacher for the Beech Hill church of Christ, Benton County, Mississippi.

8. Armor served as the pastor for the Baldwyn, MS Christian Church which was established by J. B. Trimble. Knowles Shaw preached in the largest meeting every assembled at the church.

9. Harmon gives the following short biography of Armor: "MILTON HATLEY ARMOR. While not an evangelist in the strict sense of the word, yet M. H. Armor has held many meetings in Mississippi, and has devoted his entire life to the state that gave him birth. And that too, within a radius of not much over fifty miles of the spot where he was born. While not an evangelist, I feel like this book would be incomplete without mention of a man who has done so much for the cause of Christ as has Hatley Armor. He was educated in Kentucky University, long before it became Transylvania, and quite a time before he anticipated entering the ministry. He got a thorough education for his life work, let it be whatever it might. Stevens used to call him "old Greek," because of both his looks and his familiarity with the Greek language, I suppose. But for some years after coming from College, Bro. Armor was engaged in the railroad business. All at once he became obsessed with the idea of preaching. But he was getting a fine salary for that day, $100. per month. And there were no strong churches of Christ wanting a preacher and ready to give him a better salary than the Railroad was paying. In fact there were few churches of his choice to be found anywhere close to him to call him at all. But he gave up the fat job he had and found four poor country churches that would all told pay him just half what the railroad was paying. Brother Armor lived here in Aberdeen for nearly ten years, and then lived in Columbus for several years, and then in Tupelo for a number of years. His home for some years was with the church at Baldwyn, and from there he moved back to New Albany, close to where he was born, to spend the rest of his days. No man in the North East District has done more for the upbuilding of the Kingdom than has Hatley Armor.

William Woodson, former Bible teacher at Freed-Hardeman University and David Lipscomb University, former Bible and Greek teacher of mine, Head of the Bible Department and Lectureship Director at FHU, and I recently attended an Accordance Bible Software seminar in Louisville, KY. Below is a statement from brother Woodson about his views and struggles with computer technology and Bible study.

Whom It May Concern: Greetings.

I am happy to make comments about preachers and the use of adequate computer programs for the study of Scripture. I regret I did not begin such studies years ago--I got my first computer in the early 1990s. It seemed then to be a kind of fad, a submission to gadgets, etc. Was I ever wrong.

I had no training, but out of awareness I was teaching students who were more and more competent in the use of computers, and a desire to be at least aware of something of what they were more and more able to do, I finally bought an old, used computer with the agreement the "hacker" who sold it to me would help me get started and become better with it. Like: this is how you turn this thing on! With his help and with a manual, I began. It was learn to do this, do it again and again; then do that; then another. I gradually learned.

The method was literally hunt and peck to do this. Learn it well, then learn to do that and do it well. I got to where I could write Syllabi, tests and test answer sheets. Then, I got to writing letters--of all things. Then, with gradual improvement, I started writing articles, then two good-sized books. Basically, I saw the computer as a good typewriter and word processor.

I asked about the way to use LOGOS software, and learned a little about it. It opened a rather new world for me. Simple word searches, a quotation from this or that reference book; but the thing started being of more and more help. What I needed was increasing instruction in how to use the computer to do more and more things.

Then, I got in touch with Tom Childers. I still recall the interest, competence, and skill with which he taught me this, this, this, etc., about what could be done. I got better computers, added email, and Internet.

Now, it was making much more sense, I just did not know how to do much with the tool I had. Well, much patient instruction later, doing and undoing, getting frustrated, hitting snags, etc., solving them or getting help to fix this, do that, etc. I now wish I had started years before I did, had good instruction from competent teachers with knowledge of the use of computer programs about Bible study, etc.

To put it bluntly: I almost think it was unwise to not get the instruction I needed long before I got the help I needed. Not everybody who has acquired the knowledge and know-how of Bible study resources and procedures with computers is willing to teach these skills to others! I know about the put--downs beginners get from those with much knowledge but who either are not willing or not competent to show others, or do not have the time, to help those getting started.

The fact is, such knowledge and skill are becoming more and more necessary. The old expression: "the sharper knives are in the best butcher shops" is too painfully true. Tasks I used to do with a concordance, with turning page after page, looking with fingers on pages to find a particular use of lexical aid on this word in this passage, are now done in seconds. Competition between producers of both computers and Bible study aids has brought better products and decreased cost. In addition to the books I have used and loved so long in Bible study, these increasingly up to date computer tools are available and benefit those who know how to use them.

I do not think the computer, with the best of Bible study programs, will prevent warped and erroneous conclusions from being reached in doctrine and practice in church life. The computer skills of Islamic terrorists are used to kill and destroy; false doctrine is still taught by computer specialists. The men who went before us--Freed, Hardeman, Hall, Roland, Dixon, Van Dyke, Woods, Nichols, Camp, Wallace, the names are legion--left a heritage gained by the patient and careful study of the English text of the Bible. They searched line and word by line and word, tested possible conclusions, and proved doctrinal teaching reached and defended under controversial circumstances. We cherish those conclusions, not just because they and many others did the work, but it was and is true.

There is still valuable discipline and learning to be gained by the methods they used; I for one do not propose to give up my now dog-eared lexicons and grammars, debates and special studies. I see no need to.

That said, much of the manual labor of checking and writing on paper various lists of nouns and verbs, and a pen, with the finger on the passages in, say, Hatch and Redpath's or Moulton and Milligan's concordances, can now be done in just a few minutes, if one knows how.

Here is where the dedicated and capable teacher comes in. I know, because Tom Childers has given me hours of his time and expertise and I flatter myself that I have used his help to make almost giant steps since we began working together.

I still recall the curriculum constraint of a good university program of study. I also know changes can and have been made over the years in the presence of new needs, skill, and objectives. The trade-offs are like devils in the small print.

But this I know: Tom Childers is technically more than qualified to teach students the requisites computer skills in the use of Bible study programs. He has done it, and done it well, with me. He is a very good teacher.

Careful thought should be given, with requisite time and discussion by and among all concerned personnel, to consider adding electives in computer based Bible study training in all our colleges and universities that propose to train preachers for proficient and continued growth and usefulness to the churches of Christ. I have come to this conclusion after years of thought. I cherish and do not begrudge the years spent without such training. But, I now see the benefit of having the best of the old and the new ways of instructing young men in Bible study techniques.

For whatever it is worth, I commend Tom Childers and the proposal to your consideration.

Best wishes in these matters to you in all the good work you do in training preachers as well as all other students.

William Woodson--an old once was but not done yet!