I need a day-over. I mean a do-over. A day-do-over. Yes, that’s it. Last week I had a day that fell smack-dab into the dreaded category of “one of those.” You’ve had them, right? Like when you wake up late, and after already having a rough start, your coffeemaker leaks everywhere, then dies. It’s like a little coffee murder scene. You end up with no coffeemaker. And death coffee. Then you can’t find your keys. And then when you get to work, your candy bar gets stuck in the machine. Then … [Read more...]
Be a somebody
If you aren’t a somebody, you’re a nobody. Our Western culture spews out this mindset on so many levels. In public schools, students too often are bullied by their peers into thinking they are hopeless and irrelevant. Book and movie plots expose how some employees are demeaned by words of condemnation and rejection in the workplace. Some parents wound their children with words like, “You’ll never make it in the world,” or, “You won’t amount to much.” Some marriage partners choose to … [Read more...]
Spirit of solitude essential in the age of the iPhone
Little more than a dozen years ago, my wife and I walked into an AT&T store in Fort Worth, Texas, to replace our old cell phones. We’d resisted the appeal of the iPhone thus far, and we didn’t plan to change our attitudes that day. But the sales staff at that AT&T store must have been well-trained or particularly gifted. Within an hour of entering the store, we walked out with two brand new iPhones. The glamour of the sleek new phones, however, wore off quickly. That evening, as … [Read more...]
Do something to protect, show value of human life
As we enter a new year, it is fitting to begin with a focus and emphasis on the sanctity of life. President Ronald Reagan on January 13, 1984, issued a proclamation designating January 22 of that year as the first National Sanctity of Life Day. This was the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade where the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal. Regrettably not every president since Reagan has issued an annual proclamation, but that should not detract us. Life, regardless of what a … [Read more...]
Redefining success
What is success? As a, parent, pastor, professor, and current president of Baptist Homes, I have sought after success for my children, church members, students, and team members. But what is success? As I write this, the 2022-23 Deer Season in Missouri is coming to a close. Opening day was September 15. By one measure – filling a tag – my opening day was a failure, as my time in the field yielded no meat for the table. By the measures that count – relationships, discipleship, and … [Read more...]
Why do humans instinctively pray?
One of the most disconcerting moments in a football game recently occurred when Damar Hamlin suddenly collapsed. For the next ten minutes, he received life-saving CPR before being rushed to the hospital. Though the scene was astonishing enough, a secondary event simultaneously occurred on the football field that Christians should note—an entire football team (and likely majority of viewership) knelt to pray. Even the next morning a football analyst prayed on live television as he and his … [Read more...]
Consider the value of regenerate membership
Baptists are an independent lot. If a question is asked in a Baptist context of four people, don’t be surprised with a dozen opinions. Critical thinking, which does not imply meanness, manipulative or contrarian thoughts or actions, is part of the landscape of historic Baptist life. Being a participant in a local Baptist congregation is how many Christ followers learned to think more deeply about the word of God and how it applies to the will and ways of God at work in and through a group … [Read more...]
Nation’s biblical illiteracy at root a matter of the heart
Bible knowledge among Americans, in recent years, has plummeted. And, unless God’s people immerse themselves day and night in God’s Word – reading it, praying it, sharing it, obeying it – America will face a devastating spiritual famine. The dire warning in Amos 8:11 should capture our attention: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD God, ‘when I will send ... a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.” Already, only 6 percent of American adults hold to a Christian worldview, … [Read more...]
Giving or receiving?
And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ – Acts 20:35 (NKJV) In today’s world, it seems that most of the focus on raising children centers around what we can do for them. The truth is, children learn much more by what they do for others and by participating in events rather than simply being onlookers. As Christmas approaches, let us incorporate children in as many activities as possible. There is actually more self … [Read more...]
‘Best of times, worst of times’
“It was the best of times…it was the worst of times.” You have probably heard these words before, but before you expend too much brain power trying to come up with the source, let me go ahead and tell you that author Charles Dickens wrote them. You may know him from his work, A Christmas Carol. However, this quote is actually from another of his writings, A Tale of Two Cities. While at first, it may seem odd I am not using a quote from A Christmas Carol, the more one considers those … [Read more...]
Wake up to your choices
Have we reached the limit for the number of coffee creamer flavors one culture is allowed to have? Because I feel like we must be just about there. I start to wonder if the market – or the dairy case – can hold even one more. And then the holidays hit. That’s when they drag in another couple of dairy cases. Have you seen some of these flavors? There’s one for just about any cookie you can name. Sugar cookie, snickerdoodle, gingerbread—no cookie left behind. Then they add to those every … [Read more...]
The gift of hope, healing and restoration
When I was a child growing up in southern Missouri, my brothers and I always anticipated the arrival of the Sears Christmas Book. It was a catalog filled with pictures of toys, games and all sorts of good stuff. We would look through it over and over, marveling at all the items. After having to make some really tough decisions, we would prepare our Christmas wish lists. We were limited to how many items we could put on that list and we soon learned to list our wishes in order of priority. … [Read more...]
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