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...]

Periodically, while reading other state Baptist newspapers, I stumble across an extraordinary column. Such was the case with a column by Matt Tullos, the stewardship development specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention. I asked Matt for permission to make a Missouri adaptation of his column for you. “It’s that time again when the sun bids us to flee from the status quo and frolic with the family in favorite locations,” writes Tullos. “Whether you are a one-week mountain man or a … [Read more...]

As soon as I leaned through the doorway of the florist shop, I smelled the spring flowers. And when I stepped into the room, the rush of blooms surrendering their pungent fragrance enveloped me. Immediately, my mind raced to Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is attractive, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” The experience was so … [Read more...]

Churches often hold prayer meetings. How often have you heard the pastor or prayer-meeting facilitator ask, “Do you have any prayer requests?” In most meetings, what follows is a list of prayer requests related to sicknesses and other troubles people we love are experiencing. We should pray for healing, comfort and peace. Too often, however, we spend too much time reciting these troubles and not enough time on our knees crying out to our Heavenly Father. My friend and prayer ministry … [Read more...]