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...]
Praying for Missouri Baptist churches
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...]
A few thoughts for such a time as this
Hold the rope steady We learned early in Sunday School the story of Joseph. How the Lord used the teenager with a coat of many colors to move from a broken family, to slavery, to organizing and operating a corrections facility. After a series of events, by the ripe age of 30, Joseph rose in one day to become the second highest-ranked person in the mightiest empire of his day. It truly is an amazing story of how God honors faith, diligence, and discipline. Joseph’s greatest work was … [Read more...]
A rolling stone and the resurrection
For some reason, pastors really like to preach in their own pulpits on Resurrection Sunday. When I served as a local church pastor, I felt the same way. This year, however, I’m in the pew on the Sunday that commemorates the most important event in human history: the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Allow me to share with you some obscure insights about the resurrection of our Lord. Let’s use Mark 16 as our text, and notice the question posed by the women going out to visit the grave … [Read more...]
Transitioning home
The recovery journey began in 2001 with the idea that it would take just a few months to reclaim the corporations that removed themselves from the MBC family of ministries. The five entities filed legal papers to become self-perpetuating boards instead of boards duly elected by the MBC. After early reconciliation processes failed, litigation began. Eighteen years later, the court-ordered mandate was issued on March 13 to seat MBC messengers. The final two entities, The Baptist Home and … [Read more...]
Anything good takes five meetings
Catchy title. I thought so. I read the entire column by Andy Kessler in the Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2018. I know the column’s target audience was the business community. However, as I read, I realized this had application across multiple disciplines. In his days of young adult exuberance, Mr. Kessler was headed out the door of the office with papers and charts to make a pitch to a client. The boss stopped him at the door and asked, “What are doing with all that junk?” Taken back … [Read more...]
Days of indignation
Unless you have been on vacation in Antarctica, you have heard by now about an article in The Houston Chronicle about sexual abuse in some Baptist churches and some inappropriate responses by church leaders. The reporters were somewhat careful to maintain journalistic principles while filing the report. Consequently, they opened a wound and shined a light on something we’ve heard whispers about for years, even decades. My immediate reaction was nausea. Trust was violated by people in … [Read more...]
Marriage and repentance
There are so many profound short verses in God’s Word that have application for life. One of those short verses that can be overlooked is Colossians 2:6, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” The apostle Paul in the previous portion of the epistle gave thanks for the followers of Jesus in Colossae and prayed for their spiritual growth. In Colossians 2:4, he shares with this young church that he doesn’t want anyone to be led astray “by persuasive arguments,” … [Read more...]
The Playbook
For those of you who are team-sport enthusiasts, you know that one of the essential items in the repertoire of a team is the “playbook.” The team wins or loses on the basis of its playbook. It is much more than “x’s and o’s.” The playbook states the mission and the goals for the team. Then it is the playbook that articulates what to do or how to act in certain scenarios. When doing life, many wish, “If I only knew what to do.” The truth is, as followers of Christ, we do have a playbook … [Read more...]
A hero and reflection
On a cold, windy December day, Sharon and I stood at the graveside of one of our heroes: a godly man who took us under his wing at just the right time to help us transition from serving with one local church to a ministry of multiple churches. We grew to love Dr. Charles W. Sullivan and his precious wife, Delilah. He was a native Missourian. He was led to Christ and discipled in one of our Missouri Baptist churches. Educated at SBU, he pastored in Texas as well as in Missouri. He served … [Read more...]
What a box of bungie cords can tell us at Christmas time
Story telling is an important part of our communicating the miracle of Christmas. Recently I heard one of our state missionaries, Jim Misloski, tell a unique story using a bungie cord. I asked him where he got the story? He said his wife Paula came up with it. I asked Paula to tell her story. As the Christmas holiday season approached, their pastor asked if she would consider gathering and leading an adult Christmas program. She said, “Ha, I had participated in many “cantatas” over the … [Read more...]
Reflection and opportunities
Reflecting on the 2018 Annual Meeting in Springfield, I am overwhelmed at the goodness of the Lord. We had an amazing meeting. We were led with excellence by Dr. Ken Parker. We elected a new president, Dr. Jeremy Muniz, who will help us carry forward the vision of cooperatively making disciples (that means reaching lost people and coaching them in how to life by faith), multiplying churches (here and over there), and developing leaders (for today and tomorrow). Missouri Baptists are not … [Read more...]
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