I can always tell when we’re at the beginning of a new season. Not by a wanky knee or Granny’s weather beetle. Nothing like that. No, I can tell by the sudden need to refigure the frizz to hair-product ratio. Time to check out the atmos-hair-ic condition. Percent relative humidity times the circumference of your head, divided by the barometric pressure, times the wind velocity, then multiplied again by how important it is for you to look good for a meeting. Most days when I’m breaking in a … [Read more...]
Preparing in advance of Supreme Court ruling
Marriage is not in the U.S. Constitution and therefore, according to that document, it is left to the states to define marriage. If the U.S. Supreme Court affirms what some renegade federal judges have done by redefining marriage, it will have legislated from the bench and prevented the democratic process – by the people – from settling the issue. It will shake the very foundation of our Constitution, bring into question the credibility of the federal judiciary and change our country in a … [Read more...]
Is the SBC in a golden era of theological education?
KANSAS CITY (BP) – Since the Southern Baptist Convention’s founding in 1845, the SBC’s primary – and most unifying – effort has been collaborative missionary efforts. That was our raison d’ê·tre in 1845 and it remains so today. Yet, even during the SBC’s earliest years, theological education was an accompanying concern. Early SBC luminaries such as R.B.C. Howell, W.B. Johnson, Basil Manly Sr., Basil Manly Jr. and, most especially, James P. Boyce called for a common theological institution … [Read more...]
Should evangelizing be work or play?
A number of veteran IMB missionaries were given personality tests and then given four samples of print materials to evaluate. Since this was my project, I assumed that the stern accountant-types would choose terse text and bullet-point layouts with conceptual analysis. Not so. The missionaries regardless of their personality type all chose print media that had lots of photos and testimonials of personal struggles or victories. They chose play over work every time. There is a sociological … [Read more...]
Seven words that reveal Islam’s worldview
Sharing our faith with Muslims requires Christians to know at least something about the religion Muhammad established 14 centuries ago. Particularly enlightening are seven words that expose Islam’s view of the non-Muslim world and help us understand why Muhammad and his followers have consistently treated Christians with disdain. Kafir. A kafir is “one who covers or conceals the known truth; an unbeliever.” In other words, a kafir is any non-Muslim. Since kafirs reside outside the … [Read more...]
LGBT discrimination law lurking in General Assembly
President Obama recently ordered the opening of the White House’s first gender-neutral restroom in what is seen as a symbolic step by the president to extend rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the workplace. No surprise there – and get ready. More is on the way as emboldened – and often intolerant – LGBT advocates seek legal avenues to force acceptance of their lifestyle on American society. They go the legal route to get what they cannot get at the … [Read more...]
HIS Opportunity
Looking for a summer mission project? It is not too late to jump on board with the HIS project this summer in Fargo, ND, June 19-22. You could join the HIS ride! The Baptist Bikers and their friends are starting at Midwestern Seminary with a BBQ. If you are biking, you need to register at mobaptist.org. As they go north, they are stopping in several I-29 cities to pray, to witness and distribute Bibles. Remember, you don’t have to have a bike to make the ride. I am personally planning … [Read more...]
Where’s the Remote?
Oh, the things we do to keep from having to get up off the sofa. “Do you have the remote?” “No. You had it last.” “You sure you don’t have it? Get up.” I’m not sure why there are places in the deepest recesses of the couch where the remote becomes completely invisible. There must be an entrance into some kind of parallel TV universe in there. Incidentally, the first time I heard they were making a “universal remote,” I thought we finally had something that would help with the … [Read more...]
No small thing when a pastor dies
One of the most difficult changes to deal with in life is when death comes to someone near us. The death of a family member is the most profound. Certainly the death of a friend impacts our lives, particularly when that friend is our pastor. Pastors touch our lives in so many ways. We share many of life’s most important events with them. They were there when we were sick, praying for healing. They were there when we got married, leading us in our sacred vows before God. They were there … [Read more...]
Immensely Blessed
This week I came across a striking observation. As citizens of the United States, we are recipients of the amazing blessing of the Lord. Prior generational leaders, while not always copacetic with church leaders, were for the most part people of faith who understood the value of righteous behavior and the need to order one’s life according to biblical principles. Historically, our nation’s birth and prosperity demonstrated to the world the importance of freedom of conscience and personal … [Read more...]
Was Saint Peter the first pope?
This is the last in a four-part series on Roman Catholicism. After Simon Peter makes his famous declaration that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus tells the apostle, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:16, 18). Jesus further states, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already … [Read more...]
8 elements leading to community-wide revival
“Jesus Freak” is a label that suits me well. I was part of the Jesus Movement in the 1970s. Our Baptist church’s youth group conducted a weekly prayer meeting that attracted many lost kids and youth groups from several other churches. Keep in mind the setting: small town, rampant drugs and alcohol, over half of the freshman classes never graduated high school, unchurched families moved in with a new manufacturing plant, stagnant churches, perfunctory Bible teaching, and few if any teens … [Read more...]
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