Periodically, someone places a few words in print that strike to the core. Steven Strauch, director of missions for the Laclede County Baptist Association in Lebanon, Mo., is battling for his life against cancer. When I saw these words, I shared with him that it is not unusual for someone facing a life-threatening illness to articulate something incredibly profound. In the context of Thanksgiving, I knew I needed to share these words with Pathway readers, so I asked for, and received, his … [Read more...]

Missouri Baptists are incredible people. The practices of the vast majority of our churches demonstrate incredible qualities that point people to the King of kings. Who or what can be compared to our Lord Jesus? When Missouri Baptists convened to hear great ministry reports, vote on cooperative budgets and policies, elect trustees for our entities, express perspective through resolutions, hear great preaching and fellowship with colleagues from across the state, we always pray for and … [Read more...]

For decades now there has been a concerted effort in October to express appreciation for the minister in your life. Perhaps 2020, with its COVID-19 cancel culture, face shields, and social distancing, frames the need for expressing appreciation for your pastor and other ministers more acutely than at any time in history. Plenty of studies are rolling out that speak to the pressures leaders are experiencing with the many facets of COVID-19 and their impact on life as we know it. As Sharon … [Read more...]

Celebrate! The Facebook post showed our big yellow 18-wheel Disaster Relief truck with a trailer in tow, pulling into the parking lot of First Baptist Church, DeRidder, La. I must tell you that my heart was encouraged because “bringing help, hope and healing” is not just a slogan. It is the heartbeat of Missouri Baptists to be on mission with God. Some Go. Many Pray. Others Give. These warriors of faith are cooking food for volunteer teams and hungry people. They are using their trusty … [Read more...]

With an avalanche of concerns cascading in my mind and heart, I needed a fresh word. I was reading a prayer expressed by a Puritan brother of the past. The verbs articulated my cry to the Lord: “O Lord, Bring us into that state which attracts Your eye . . . Show us our danger that we may fly to You for refuge . . . Possess us with more faith which is the key to all vital godliness . . .” In these troubling times, no matter how gifted or experienced we are in life, we must have the … [Read more...]

Walter Russell Mead wrote Aug. 4 in the Wall Street Journal a cogent article about the COVID-19 pandemic. As a sampling, “Eight months after the novel corona-virus burst out of Wuhan, China, it has created unprecedented economic and social disruption, with economies cratering across the globe and more destruction to come.” By now I was thinking COVID-19 would be harnessed and put back in its laboratory bottle and we would write about it in a history for new generations to read. While … [Read more...]

This week I came across a chart published by the Texas Medical Association on probabilities related to COVID-19. The key question was this: If you participated in certain kinds of social interaction, what would be the probability, on a scale of 1-10, of acquiring the virus and spreading it to others? Granted, the measurement is ranked by physicians predominately in metro areas of Texas where COVID-19 is raging. For example, on the chart you will find that grocery shopping is a 3, while … [Read more...]

As I waded across the creek in chest-deep muddy water, I thought to myself, “This is not smart! You are all alone and it is questionable if you will make it to the other side.” When I was in high school, I was a long-distance runner. Four days each week during spring training, I would run home from school to my parents’ home, 5.2 miles away. On this particular warm spring day, I thought I would take a short cut through a pasture, through the woods, and over the creek. I could save a … [Read more...]

When a major life-threatening event occurs that changes people’s lives, organizations, and commerce, people often act out their insecurities and grief. Major natural disasters like COVID-19 have placed these tendencies on full display. This should not surprise us. Man-made terror like the 9-11 World Trade Center attack and the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, or the graphic death of an African-American man by a euro-American police officer, create opportunities for people to act out … [Read more...]

Governor Parson and the director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, Dr. Randall Williams, are targeting the state-wide reopening for 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 31. Of course, our state leaders are monitoring closely the data and hope they do not need to draft orders to extend precautionary measures. I hear repeated questions: “When do our churches begin to return? What is the next stage for our churches?” Let’s be perfectly clear: The church never closed and never stopped being … [Read more...]