On Sept. 20, 2007, more than 20,000 people from across the nation gathered in small Jena, La., to protest an outbreak of racial tensions at the local high school, exposing old feelings of racism and hate. It was in response to the treatment of a young man by the law enforcement authorities. Sound familiar? Celebrities such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton fueled the media’s glare on this small community of 15,000 made up primarily of foresters and farmers. The only thing people outside … [Read more...]
Maximize your time: Five important maxims for redeeming the time
I was challenged by this thought the other day: Imagine you have a bank account and someone places a gift of $86,400 into the account every morning. There are rules: You have to use it all every day. None of the funds can carry over to the next day. No refunds and no borrowing from the next day. You must give an accounting of how you spend the funds, and the donor has high expectations for its use. Sound familiar? You guessed it. You and I have 86,400 seconds to utilize every day. … [Read more...]
Summer reports indicate you are making a difference
Our state missionary staff has been all over the state this summer with a variety of powerful ministries that you enable by your church’s giving through the Cooperative Program and the Missouri Missions Offering. Last week the reports of MBC summer ministries started coming in. The St. Louis Mission Project included our state staff and our collegiate summer missionaries, collaborating with Global Encounter to reach pockets of lostness in a part of our state. Matt Kearns, catalyst … [Read more...]
John Yeats: Handling snakes by the tail
Following the presentation of a comprehensive report to a Christian organization, the presiding officer asked me to lead in prayer. My mind was flooded with how to digest the enormous report we just heard in a board setting, and how do we make a faith response. I knew that the organization’s response to the report would make a change in the trajectory of the organization for generations to come. I also knew that parts of the report were simply unhealthy for those we served. I do not … [Read more...]
When you need a transitional pastor
Throughout the years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on staff and as pastor of some great churches. Since God’s call has led me to state convention service, I’ve had the honor of serving 12 churches as transitional (interim) pastor. With rare exception, throughout the life of a church, pastoral leadership has a way of changing for multiple reasons, and when it occurs it is a great time for assisting church leaders with the process of change. One of my colleagues in the role of state … [Read more...]
Talk less, pray more
There seems to be no end of making books. I’m a lover of books, so my desk at the office and at home are piled high with some great-looking books. Some are academic. Others are biographical and fiction, and some are religious devotional volumes. Sometimes a book catches my eye because I know the author, or because of a recommendation by a friend or colleague. Those tend to float to the top of my stacks. One I received recently pricked my interest because it shares a similar title to a … [Read more...]
Pray Across Missouri: ‘The Fried Pickle Tour’
This spring, Sharon and I have been on the road to pray with people at Missouri’s county courthouses. It has been an amazing journey to 41 county courthouses where we prayed with some of Missouri’s finest saints. Our goal is all 114 county courthouses and the City of St. Louis. The gatherings were primarily Baptist in composition, but some other evangelical groups participated in the local prayer gatherings. Joining us were county commissioners, assessors, collectors, sheriffs, mayors, … [Read more...]
Treasury of Testimonies: A tool for reporting accurate church membership
Baptists are notorious for throwing numbers around. “There are 16.5 million Southern Baptists!” the brochure proudly exclaims. If so, where are they? If only 4 million show up for Sunday school, and estimates run as high as 8 million for worship, what makes us think we can account for all who actually belong to a Southern Baptist church? In the context of churches affiliated with the MBC, we estimate somewhere between 550,000 to 600,000 people acknowledge their membership at one of our … [Read more...]
Understand the times
At the end of March, I had the honor of preaching at the “Show Me Your Glory” event at the state capitol. The following is a synopsis of my address: For the Christian community, what we believe teaches us that we are to live by faith. Faith that is substantive and based on the truth of God’s word, not the whims of mankind. Such faith can take people through the trials of life. Such faith enables God’s people to embrace the impossible challenges of life, and hope for an incredible work … [Read more...]
Resurrection Day: It’s shouting time
As Resurrection Day quickly approaches, thoughts crowd my mind about the reality of what happened when the Lord Jesus burst out of the tomb. As products of an education more oriented toward metaphysical facts than biblical truth, many people are open to various hypotheses to explain the resurrection. Thoughts of a cardio anomaly or reincarnational experience seem more justifiable for some than what our mighty God has done. The phrase, “He is not here. He is risen, just as He said,” is … [Read more...]
It is time!
The other day Sharon and I were flying through a city, and we were able to sit in an area of the airport where frequent fliers often congregate. When we went in, we noticed one guy lounging in a chair and in a deep sleep. He was obnoxiously snoring so loud that people in the area were either significantly annoyed or chuckling at him being such the center of attention. Around the corner of the sitting area came an agent for the airline and spoke to the man. He never missed a beat. He was in … [Read more...]
Great Commission Conference takeaways
A friend taught me years ago the great value of reviewing events. An evaluation has a way of helping you determine future choices. You may determine whether to share with others about the event and future similar events, or you may determine there were simply too many pitfalls for recommendation. Evaluation also helps you find where improvements can be made. Because we are all human, there is always room for improvement with everything. The only human thing I have ever found that doesn’t … [Read more...]
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