By the end of the week, millions of Valentine cards will be bought and sold to express our love and care for people in our sphere of relationships, especially our spouses. For married couples, there is something that has better impact on intimacy than a Valentine card or a pre-paid Master Card. We learn this activity from the Lord Jesus. When Jesus interacts with people, what does He do to peel back the veneer and get to the heart of an issue or the depth of personal persona? He asks … [Read more...]

In recent days, Sharon and I went to a prayer meeting at the Jerusalem Prayer Center in Israel. The place was a large house on Embassy Row that was formerly the consulate for a European country. Now, it has been converted into a beautiful location for prayer. The staff was very grateful for the Missouri Baptists that volunteered and assisted with the construction of a garden at the facility. Those who supervised the place reminded our group that we needed to be quiet because some people … [Read more...]

As I read the following quote from Eugene Peterson in a Paula Hemphill post, I was captivated by its simple truth: “Without a cultivated memory, we live from hand to mouth on fad and novelty. But Christians don’t sprint out of the starting blocks in each generation in a race for heaven. We are on a relay team. We have a heritage, a richly composted family history.”* She went on to say that the quote resonated deeply in her heart. And her mission is focused on passing on a love for God’s … [Read more...]

Periodically, I look at my calendar and behold I have a Sunday clear. When those days occur, Sharon and I try to visit churches within an hour’s drive. I can report to you we have some great preachers and teachers of God’s Word serving wonderful churches. One of those Sundays occurred last month. We visited a delightfully friendly church where the pastor did a great job of exegetical preaching. When the service began, there were the normal announcements. This time of year there is the … [Read more...]

Without much fanfare, at least in the evangelical community, the evening of Oct. 8 and the daytime of Oct. 9 passed. Surely, there were of a myriad of activities and busy schedules that needed attention. A “to-do” list for that time span needed to be completed. Life seems full of excuses when something is important. While the special day, Yom Kippur, was on the Jewish calendar, it wasn’t even a speed bump to the vast majority of the Christian world. Didn’t seem to matter that the … [Read more...]

A few months ago, I posted at my website, JohnYeats.net, a list of attributes for SBC leaders. At the moment I wrote, several SBC ministries were without leaders. As you might expect, there was a massive scramble, blog posts, and hype by too many to fill those leadership posts with people who would be of our personal liking. If we are to be the people of God on mission with God, our particular personal “liking” or persuasion about a leader is not the order of the day. Like pastoral search … [Read more...]

The Southern Baptist Convention has a new leader. Dr. Ronnie Floyd’s new official title is the president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. His inauguration was a clear presentation and celebration about the goodness of the Lord to place Dr. Floyd in this role for such a time as this. Sharon and I were present at this event, along with the other Missouri Executive Committee members: Daniel Carr, Monte Shinkle and James Freeman, III. Also from Missouri was Dr. … [Read more...]

On September 8, all across the Southern Baptist Convention, churches held baptismal services for new believers. Some Baptists didn’t get the memo about this special Sunday requested by SBC president J.D. Greear. That’s okay because people come to Jesus on many different days and when the Spirit convicts of sin. The idea was to celebrate many new people coming to faith in Christ. Among Missouri Baptists there is a stirring of eternal proportion. After all, God does the saving and we get to … [Read more...]

I wish you could hear all the stories I hear about Missouri Baptist churches baptizing new believers. Just last week I heard of 18 baptisms in one Sunday, five more in another church, and 60 baptisms per year for the last three years in another church. You might think these stories come from mega suburban churches in our state, but I am hearing reports like this from inner-city churches and rural congregations. SBC President J.D. Greear has encouraged all SBC churches to hold a Baptism … [Read more...]

Church leaders either inherently know or learn that if the Lord assigns you to an existing group of people, you must focus on transforming the culture of the people toward the passionate heart of God. This doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a huge investment of love. And past victories do not guarantee success in the future. Great leaders – godly leaders – quickly find the confines of their prayer closets to discover the precise cultural change the Lord wants to impress on a people. … [Read more...]

While at the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs were underway. Unless you were in “airplane mode,” you know that the St. Louis Blues decisively triumphed! A big win for the team. A great win for St. Louis area supporters. The rest of the “Show-Me” state celebrates the winners. As I write, I’m on the plane from Birmingham. I began reflecting/evaluating about the past few days of SBC activity. I must confess that responsibilities as the recording … [Read more...]