Back when I was a kid, the new school year started right after Labor Day. We just needed a pencil, an eraser, paper, scissors, glue and crayons. Ah, crayons. I loved using new crayons. For many years, I had my heart set on getting the big box of 64 crayons with the sharpener. After all, all my friends had them; but my folks could not afford to get two of them (one for me and one for my sister), so we were happy with a lesser number of crayons to help make our masterpieces. Now when … [Read more...]
Letting it ‘ink in’
What do you do when you have a pen that won’t write? You sling it a few times in that stabbing motion, right? Hoping gravity will somehow jar the ink loose? Seriously, has that ever worked for anybody? After that, of course, you scribble. Then you scribble bigger and faster. You scribble hard and long. Then you scribble harder and longer. You scribble until you’ve scribbled a hole right through the paper. Then you stab the paper a few more times. That’s when you throw the pen. You then … [Read more...]
‘Where is Dad?’
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4 Although many years have passed since our children were young, in my mind I can still see and hear them run into the house excitedly yelling, “Where’s Dad?” At times they were excited to share something with him that they could count on him liking. At other times, they would come into the house with head down and in a low tone of voice say, “Where’s … [Read more...]
MBCH summer camp changes lives
Last month in this space, James Morrow, Vice President of the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home Foundation encouraged you to pray and provide funds to send an MBCH kid to our summer camp. We have just returned to our “normal” lives from this annual camp and I have the privilege of sharing how lives were changed because of your donations and prayers. The kids we serve have experienced deep levels of trauma throughout their lives. This has greatly affected how they perceive and respond to … [Read more...]
Our children can benefit from reading God’s Word
Earlier this year, in a bold attempt to use the “mammon of unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9) for godly ends, Pastor Monte Shinkle invited the children of Concord Baptist Church, Jefferson City, to explore the truth of Scripture. Any child who could read the whole Bible in 2019, he announced, would receive a grand total of $100. Unbeknownst to me and my wife at the time, my daughter Emma heard the offer and took the bait. As a result, since January, she has read four chapters of Scripture … [Read more...]
Baptism stories, cooperation
I wish you could hear all the stories I hear about Missouri Baptist churches baptizing new believers. Just last week I heard of 18 baptisms in one Sunday, five more in another church, and 60 baptisms per year for the last three years in another church. You might think these stories come from mega suburban churches in our state, but I am hearing reports like this from inner-city churches and rural congregations. SBC President J.D. Greear has encouraged all SBC churches to hold a Baptism … [Read more...]
Morality does not equal godliness
I’ll never forget the moment when a dear church attender struggled to grasp that morality alone does not bring glory to God. She couldn’t seem to fathom that good works don’t grant some measure of godliness. In her defense, evangelical churches have often missed the heart of the Gospel by teaching that morality equals godliness and a right standing before God. In an attempt to simplify the Gospel and make it easier to understand, holiness has been reduced to little more than moralism and … [Read more...]
What we’re missing about mass-shootings: Young men are in crisis
The state of our national discourse is, to put it mildly, discouraging and unhelpful, and the reaction to the recent shootings only amplified how bad it is. Once again, everyone took their place along partisan battle lines to pound the same old drums, but it’s past time we admit that there’s something deeper going on in America than too many guns, or too few guns, or violent video games, or the President’s rhetoric, or even the evil of white supremacy. That’s not to say there are no good … [Read more...]
The everlasting impact of facial hair, other minutia
Last week, my wife and children agreed that if I were ever to stop shaving, disaster would ensue. Whether I aim for a goatee, mutton chops or a brawny beard, the genetics for success are simply missing. So I’m settled with the fact that, from eternity, God has ordained that I grow no facial hair, but only recently did I realize the weight of my predicament. The writer E.B. White once remarked that a simple bout of hay fever could turn the course of history. The same could be said, … [Read more...]
Estate planning, digital assets
Estate planning is an important step in being a good steward of that which the Lord has blessed you. An estate plan normally involves creating wills and trusts, naming beneficiaries for financial accounts, giving permission for financial and health concerns should you become incapacitated, and making plans to distribute estate assets to family and ministry after death. There is an additional estate planning asset to consider when making plans. Perhaps you have never thought about your … [Read more...]
Five cultural keys
Church leaders either inherently know or learn that if the Lord assigns you to an existing group of people, you must focus on transforming the culture of the people toward the passionate heart of God. This doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a huge investment of love. And past victories do not guarantee success in the future. Great leaders – godly leaders – quickly find the confines of their prayer closets to discover the precise cultural change the Lord wants to impress on a people. … [Read more...]
All that glitters … never goes away
Has it happened to you? You get that one greeting card with glitter on it—that one card—and next thing you know, your entire living room is a sparkle-palooza. Granted, I’m the kind of person who enjoys a good sparkle. Shiny makes me happy. But when I got one of those sparkly cards the other day, there was a sudden, panicked realization that there was more glitter in my living room than was ever on that card. I tried to brush it off, but it refused to be brushed. I vacuumed it. Then … [Read more...]
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