Have you ever noticed that little notification box on your computer? It pops up occasionally in the upper or lower right-hand corner, or maybe it is under a tab on the top bar. Your phone has them as well, but they are not always noticed. You may not even have to click them, but (at the least opportune time) your screen will go black or blue, turn itself off, and then turn itself back on. What you experienced is called an “update.” You may ignore it (until your compliance team or grandkids … [Read more...]
The simplicity of evangelism
Recently, I took Tara on a “date” to a hardware store. Doesn’t that sound romantic? Although it may not be how most define a date, we enjoy walking around Lowe’s or Menards and simply browsing the aisles, even when we don’t really need anything. On this occasion, we found something small to purchase, and as we checked out, a young employee noticed Tara’s sweatshirt and said, “I really like your shirt!” He was referring to a Scripture on her shirt, so he proceeded to share his testimony, … [Read more...]
MODR remains active; an Easter season prayer for protection
Missouri Disaster Relief (MODR) remains active this month. Not only are volunteer MODR teams still responding to the March 14th tornadoes, but they’ve been active in recent months responding to fires in California and last fall’s hurricane on the East Coast. They have worked, literally, from coast to coast. Then, early this month, tornadoes hit the state again. On April 4, MODR sent the following update about tornado response via email: “As many of you know, we’ve experienced significant … [Read more...]
Taking it personally: Missouri Baptist pastors are invested in churches’ commitment to CP
By Matt Easter EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in a series of features on Missouri Baptist ministries supported for a century through the Cooperative Program giving of MBC-affiliated churches. Matt Easter serves as director of Christian studies and associate professor of biblical studies at Missouri Baptist University. The Cooperative Program (CP) is the Southern Baptist Convention’s unified plan of giving through which cooperating SBC churches give a percentage of their undesignated … [Read more...]
First Person: ‘Blessed by CP’
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Andy Chambers serves as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Missouri Baptist University (MBU), as well as professor of Bible. He has taught more than 4,200 students during his time at MBU. ST. LOUIS – I’ve been blessed by Cooperative Program (CP) ministries my entire life. Raised in a Missouri Baptist church, I learned at an early age that Baptists can accomplish more when we cooperate than when we work alone. I learned to give joyfully each year … [Read more...]
Making sense of a difficult journey
If you or a loved one have ever needed the services of long-term care, you are familiar with the often mind-numbing process of finding the right answer to meet your needs. There are multiple levels of care and a confusing array of payment possibilities, most of which leave one dealing with serious sticker shock. In this brief column, we will attempt to provide succinct answers to this confusing process and offer the ministry of Baptist Homes as a faithful partner for your journey. Let’s … [Read more...]
Redeeming the time, feather by feather
I remember when I was a young night owl, poking merciless fun at any and all of the early birds in my life. What did they even get out of early-birding? Worms? I’ll take the extra sleep, thanks. Then I became an adult, and guess what happened. Nope, not that. Because, still not an early bird. But in a strange irony, not a night owl either. Present-day me would like a flock in the middle. Isn’t there a medium rare bird? Wait no, that sounds like a terrible idea. But instead of an early bird … [Read more...]
What’s the Mission?
When I served as a pastor, there was always an intense focus on numbers. It seems like we tracked almost everything! We tracked attendance at our worship services, Sunday school, children’s ministry, youth ministry, mission trips, camp registration, and we certainly tracked our tithes and offerings. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have Excel spreadsheets tracking any and every trackable number! And, for clarity, I don’t think it’s necessarily negative to track progress, or the lack thereof; it … [Read more...]
Christian baptism can be costly, rewarding
Too often, we take for granted the biblical practice of believer’s baptism. Of course, we see it as something to celebrate, but we’re sometimes in need of a reminder about how important it really is, and why. Several years ago, a friend asked me about baptism – and not merely out of intellectual curiosity. He came from a Catholic background, and, though he had placed his faith in Christ, he was hesitant to accept believer’s baptism. To do so would come with costs. Likewise, I’ve known of … [Read more...]
What no one tells you when you’re building a culture of prayer
How long does it take to create a culture of prayer in a church? No matter how much your church needs a culture of prayer, it won’t happen after a single sermon on prayer, or an announcement of your vision or one dynamic prayer meeting. Have you ever visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota? The enormous memorial to four presidents – Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt and Lincoln – whose realistic likenesses are all carved into a mountain side, took about eight years longer to complete … [Read more...]
Hold marriage in honor
Following Christ is somewhat like remodeling a home. As we mature in our relationship with our Master we move from a bassinet to a crib to a twin bed and eventually a double or queen size bed. We move from a high chair to a full size chair at the table. And the swing set in the backyard is replaced with a deck and propane grill. But if we switch our furniture and maybe even change a few walls or replace windows, but neglect the foundation, we will soon find our home in a shambles. The … [Read more...]
Preparing for death: A confident life (part 5)
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” This simple question people ask us at places like restaurants and stores seems simple and non-confrontational. However, we should consider asking this question more often because someday, it will be the last time we can ask. Described in Luke 16:26 is this reality, “[...] a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” Our whole series in The Pathway on the … [Read more...]