“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:41-44). Elizabeth was a living testimony to a miracle. She and her husband … [Read more...]
The kingdom in a nutshell
I love eating a big handful of money. Er…pecans. I meant pecans. Seriously though, sometimes a gal just wants to snack on some of those delish pecans, right? And evidently also wants to cease having that extra $14.50. Not to get all squirrely about it or anything, but I had a craving for them the other day and the only bag I could find at the convenience store was tiny—and eight bucks. I bought them anyway. Even though I knew that was just nuts. I wonder if squirrels even know what … [Read more...]
The Playbook
For those of you who are team-sport enthusiasts, you know that one of the essential items in the repertoire of a team is the “playbook.” The team wins or loses on the basis of its playbook. It is much more than “x’s and o’s.” The playbook states the mission and the goals for the team. Then it is the playbook that articulates what to do or how to act in certain scenarios. When doing life, many wish, “If I only knew what to do.” The truth is, as followers of Christ, we do have a playbook … [Read more...]
School choice, politics, demographics, killing babies
Gov. Mike Parson declared the week of Jan. 20-26 School Choice Week in Missouri. Southern Baptists have traditionally favored school choice provided there are no federal strings attached. Southern Baptists hold to the true meaning of “separation of church and state:” the government is not to meddle in the affairs of the church and the church will not “drink from the government trough.” Two critical issues face the church as it thinks through the idea of school choice. First, we must ask: … [Read more...]
The radical cost of following Jesus
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Bonhoeffer’s definition of cheap grace is churches preaching a Christianity without the cost involved. Cheap grace is grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ. As a result, churches are crowded with a whole lot of confused people. We have set the bar too low. We do not expect growth, and we certainly don’t expect reproduction. An indication of growth in Christ-likeness is bearing fruit. The … [Read more...]
Chicago Statement on biblical inerrancy an evangelical milestone
Forty years ago, a group of evangelical leaders and scholars took a clear and unapologetic stand on a fundamental tenet of the faith. Last October marked the fortieth anniversary of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which was signed in 1978 by more than 200 evangelical leaders, including R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer, and Francis Schaeffer. The Chicago Statement was not only a landmark document in evangelical history, it played an important role in the work of the late Chuck … [Read more...]
Hope that bubbles
I would’ve appreciated the comment. Except…Alka-Seltzer. Every now and then, an extra-grace-filled person tells me I have a “bubbly personality.” Isn’t that sweet? It makes me think of happiness and fun and sparkling party punch in a splashy hot tub—and I take it as a compliment. Unless I overanalyze it. That’s what I did not too long ago. As a matter of fact, I overanalyzed a lot of the happy-fun right out of it. Because I would think of bubbles and my mind would take me straight … [Read more...]
MBF clarifies church loan terms, offers savings options
On February 5th of this year my wife, Kendra, will have been married to me for 25 years. I know what you are thinking, she deserves a medal or something. And I would agree. She has been forced to live in four different states (while often visiting the state of confusion) having had at least 13 different addresses in those years, has had to leave jobs and friends she loved along the way, and endured child birth two times. And those are the easy things. Yet at the end of the day Kendra … [Read more...]
A hero and reflection
On a cold, windy December day, Sharon and I stood at the graveside of one of our heroes: a godly man who took us under his wing at just the right time to help us transition from serving with one local church to a ministry of multiple churches. We grew to love Dr. Charles W. Sullivan and his precious wife, Delilah. He was a native Missourian. He was led to Christ and discipled in one of our Missouri Baptist churches. Educated at SBU, he pastored in Texas as well as in Missouri. He served … [Read more...]
Is Supreme Court poised to make history in cross case?
A Missouri city is an interested spectator in a legal battle over the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, the outcome for the city of Ozark will be decided 1,047 miles away in Bladensburg, Md., in a case involving a 93-year-old World War I monument featuring a cross. More importantly, the U.S. Supreme Court – set to hear the case Feb. 27 – may see it as an opportunity to demolish the so-called “endorsement test” used by “activist” judges in their … [Read more...]
The deity of the Holy Spirit
This is the second in a two-part series on the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. In the previous column, we examined the biblical evidence for the personhood of the Holy Spirit; that is, the Spirit is a He, not an it. Once the Spirit’s personality is established, His deity is a biblically faithful next step. For starters, the Spirit is active in creation (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:30), omniscient (1 Cor. 2:10-11), and omnipresent (Ps. 139:7) – qualities that establish Him as co-equal and … [Read more...]
Why does God allow suffering?
Once again, we’ve entered into the most festive season of the year. Christmas lights are carefully being hung, carols and Christmas songs are being sung, and throughout churches Christmas hand bells are being rung. To many, this is the happiest time of the year filled with laughter, anticipation, and endless delights. But for others, the Christmas season is difficult. Painful memories from childhood, anniversaries of devastation, or recent personal loss are all common reasons for Christmas … [Read more...]
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