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How do you stop a revolving door?

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When I approached the revolving door with my luggage, I thought to myself, “This might not be pretty.” The door was spinning at an abnormal rate. And this wasn’t a single-person revolving door. It appeared that each section could host one and 3/4 of a person. How you dealt with 3/4 of a person in a revolving door was not a problem I preferred to solve at the moment. I did calculate that getting in the revolving system was an easier proposition than getting out. That is, getting out with … [Read more...]

The 20/80 rule lives on

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During my February trek to Nashville for the SBC Executive Committee meeting, I’m always blessed by the reports from the entity leaders of the SBC. It is thrilling to hear about the advance of the gospel in North America and among the unreached in neglected places of the world. Baptist Press reported an interesting stat. The president of the Executive Committee, Dr. Frank Page, said in his address that “less than 2,000 churches in our convention give 50 percent of all Cooperative Program … [Read more...]

Just two words

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Sharon and I have the unique honor of being part of a 5-year-old church plant that is a rooted in the cowboy church culture. I was fascinated to learn from a conference led by pastor Justin Taylor of the Bar-nun Cowboy Church in Tatum, Texas, that in the cowboy church world there are two words that mean everything. Those two words explain the cowboy church theological underpinnings for their unique missiological strategy. Those two words encapsulate the church’s mission statement and its … [Read more...]

Must we choose between preferences?

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No kidding. I was reading my half-folded Wall Street Journal. I got to the fold and, subconsciously, I realized my index finger was attempting to scroll the rest of the article up the page. I suppose I am caught in a time warp, preferring to smell ink and read hard copy and at the same time live in an age of digital communications. I can hear the purist for print and/or digital attempting to say, “Choose between the two.” I say not so fast. There is room for both. No need to create a … [Read more...]

Reflections on putting your house in order

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Every trip I make with Sharon to Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Hospital, I am reminded how important it is for people to “put their house in order.” This trip in particular seemed to have some really sick people held in the grip of some form of cancer. While we are very grateful for Sharon’s good report, we are reminded how terminal we all are. I hear of too many people with some kind of medical anomaly and it breaks my heart, as I know it does yours. The bodies our Lord created for His … [Read more...]

Standing for the sanctity of life in the SBC

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Just a few days ago, I met with a media leader from the Kansas City area to discuss our goals for the organizations we lead. Part of our time together included a tour of the unique building that Missouri Baptists own as part of its missionary strategy. The building is just four blocks from the Missouri State Capitol, which makes it convenient for fulfilling one of the primary roles of a state convention, namely public policy engagement that protects the religious liberties of individuals … [Read more...]

What you may have missed in the Christmas story

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My longtime friend from Louisiana, Joe McKeever, crafted a column titled, “10 Things About the Christmas Story You May Have Missed.” I was fascinated at these 10 items, so much so that I began to explore on my own some less obvious things surrounding the first coming of our Lord Jesus. In his panoramic view of that very first Christmas scene, some of the things McKeever observed are: Joseph had no speaking lines Mary was a deep thinker After the angels appeared to the … [Read more...]

Over the top for the top of the world, elsewhere

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The promotional materials for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions are out in circulation. This time of year, our Missouri churches often use the materials for promoting a week of prayer for our 3,800 international SBC missionaries, or some churches host a missions event that promotes all levels of missions – international, domestic, state and associational missions. One of the stories in the packet especially caught my interest because of Missouri Baptists’ … [Read more...]

Pray across Missouri, a call for leadership

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As I write this column, Sharon and I, along with state missionary Spencer Hutson, are wrapping up the 2017 Pray Across Missouri tour. Our goal is to hold a prayer meeting on the Courthouse grounds in each of the 115 county jurisdictions in our beautiful state of Missouri. On Friday, Nov. 3, we pause the tour with the 110th prayer meeting in Carroll County. We will complete the final five in the spring of 2018. We are grateful for every person who participated, and above all we are … [Read more...]

Praying in the name of Jesus on the courthouse lawn

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The Pray Across Missouri initiative has been a delightful experience for Sharon and me. I appreciate state missionary Spencer Hutson’s hard work to do the front work of scheduling these events in 114 counties plus the City of St. Louis. We are also very grateful for the local coordinators who contacted churches, county officials, and in many cases law enforcement to join us for a few moments for prayer on the courthouse lawn. We’ve learned several things: Let me be the first to say, … [Read more...]

MBC Annual Meeting and 100th tax anniversary

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The MBC Annual Meeting is right around the corner. Allow me to alert you to seven highlights: Corporate prayer. There is nothing quite so special as God’s people calling out to the Lord for our neighbors, and for a nation that is in desperate need of the Lord. All we have to do is watch the news to learn how decadent our culture has become. This creates an amazing opportunity for believers to share their faith through spiritual conversations in multiple venues. Adoption of new … [Read more...]

Seven action items to affirm your minister

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Each year and especially the second Sunday of October, a time is set aside to acknowledge the important and valuable work of ministers of the gospel who serve as leaders of local churches. It is a time to simply express gratitude for the people God has called to our churches to help us grow in faith, help us fulfill our purpose in life and help us through the struggles of life. Of all the things a church can do to express gratitude, one thing that is on top of the list is RESPECT. Granted, … [Read more...]