“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). This month I celebrated another decade of life. With this milepost, I am another year closer to my homecoming. In February, The Baptist Home changed its name to Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries. This change forecast the addition of Hospice, a ministry designed to ensure those in the final season of this life arrive home safe. This month, Dr. David Sundeen, Executive Director of Missouri Baptist Hospice … [Read more...]
Merry-go-roundabout
What do we even call it? Traffic circle? Roundabout? Rotary? Road circle? Rotunda? Road-tunda? OK yeah, I made up that last one. The other day I got a little trapped in one of those whatchamacallits. While I say “one,” it was really more like a dozen. One traffic circle took me straight into another traffic circle, then smack-dab into another. Circles on circles on circles. When I finally made it out, I forgot where I was going. Plus I was dizzy. And slightly out of merry. Have you ever … [Read more...]
Reports, preaching, business and diapers
At our 2021 annual meeting in Branson, Missouri Baptists heard incredible reports, listened to wonderful Bible preaching, and participated in significant business. Our churches sent 1,194 messengers and 267 registered visitors, making our state convention’s meeting one of the largest in recent memory. Behind the scenes, your Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) staff worked hundreds of hours to provide hospitality, sound, streaming, registration and everything needed to help messengers have … [Read more...]
Journalism that stands on the Word of God
An erosion of trust in the American secular news media continues. A September poll by Gallup revealed Americans’ trust in the media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly has fallen to just 36 percent, making this year’s reading the second lowest since Gallup began polling the matter in 1972. Only seven percent of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” of trust in newspapers, television and radio news reporting. This is a dangerous development for a democratic republic like the … [Read more...]
Silent teaching
“ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) Telling is not teaching. A child hasn’t truly learned until actions they choose on their own show that they, themselves, have chosen the correct thing to do. Much of what a child learns is “picked up” by visual surroundings, voice tone, and facial expressions, as well as the examples set before them. A church our family attended at one time, gave each dad a … [Read more...]
Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries’ special sauce
While growing up, McDonald’s had a promotional campaign for its new Big Mac sandwich. If you could say “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” in under 2 seconds, McDonald’s would give you a free Big Mac. I ate well until the promo was cancelled. But what was this special sauce? It turns out that the ingredient that made the Big Mac stand out among the fast-food competition was a sauce similar to Thousand Island dressing. This condiment … [Read more...]
What if you’re working with a toxic leader?
As a bright-eyed 19-year-old college student, I immediately found a church to get involved in within my new college town. However, when I applied for a position at this church, I had no idea there was a history of high turnover that had become a regular part of this inner-city church. I also didn’t know the church had a reputation for being a spiritually abusive church, primarily through the leader’s manipulative control tactics. What made the situation more difficult was the pastor was … [Read more...]
Ronnie Floyd resigns: Letter to EC, SBC
Dear SBC Executive Committee Trustees and SBC Family, I was planning to release this letter on Monday, October 11; however, I delayed the publishing of this letter until today, due to the death of my mother-in-law on Sunday and then the funeral which took place on Wednesday afternoon in Bridgeport Texas, October 13. After serving as the senior pastor of the same church for over thirty-two years, I came here twenty-eight months ago in good faith because I believed in what we do … [Read more...]
Pull up a chair, help change a life
Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH) is engaged with tragic stories of families or children from hard places. There are children impacted by abuse or neglect, adults dealing with substance abuse issues or domestic abuse situations, struggling marriages and families on the verge of collapse. Often these children and families are found right in your community. Have you ever wondered what you can do to make a difference? Sometimes you see the people in your church who are hurting but … [Read more...]
What should you remember when you are the minority in a monumental decision?
You don’t lead very long until you experience an opportunity to be a minority voice in the context of a monumental decision. You study and work hard to find amenable solutions, but the majority chooses to follow a course with which you disagree. Many times, people in the minority simply walk away . . . angry. In the context of church life, I have witnessed through the years a multiplicity of inappropriate actions and attitudes. Sometimes people in the minority sour and express themselves … [Read more...]
Labelling Missouri parents as domestic terrorists?
On Oct. 4, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote a memorandum threatening to mobilize federal law enforcement because parents are expressing their opinions at taxpayer-funded school board meetings. (I apologize for knocking you off your feet.) This provocation crosses a line rarely – if ever – seen on American soil. Missouri parents, bet you never thought you would be on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list. Alas, this should not surprise us. The God-dishonoring, collectivists have been … [Read more...]
An open letter from John Yeats on the SBC Executive Committee’s Oct. 5th decision
Colleagues: I trust the Lord is demonstrating the depth of His grace toward you in such a fashion that you have a sense of His abiding presence. I shared with you last week about the SBC Executive Committee’s concerns. The 2021 SBC Annual Meeting messengers spoke clearly when they called for the establishment of a Sexual Abuse Task Force and a transparent, thorough, and independent investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving the Executive Committee and its staff over the … [Read more...]
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