Together we stand
A few weeks ago, we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Everyone is aware he was a leader for civil rights, not just for people of color, but he championed the rights and privileges of all God’s people, no matter their race, creed or color. In all that people say about this drum major for justice, I think a lot of people have forgotten that Dr. King was first and foremost a Baptist Pastor and a minister of the Gospel...
5 reasons why pastors leave the ministry
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article was previously published on www.biblicalleadership.com. When I was 7 years old, I caught our cat with its arm in my brother’s fishbowl. The cat was poking, prodding and antagonizing the goldfish. It didn’t get the fish, but I know how it felt. I’m connected to many pastors who live the “fishbowl” life. I’ve heard their “horror” stories of being prodded, poked at and antagonized. Sometimes, I’m in...
‘Mr. Oklahoma Baptist History’ passes away at 101
Jesse Marvin (J.M.) Gaskin, founding member of the Oklahoma Baptist Historical Society—an auxiliary of the Oklahoma Baptist Historical Commission—and Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) historical secretary for 45 years (1953-1998), passed away at the age of 101 Jan. 8 following a brief illness. Born on Aug. 30, 1917, near Spiro, the native of Bokoshe was raised a Methodist, but during a Southern Baptist revival, felt the...
Text talk: Listening to a sermon
Much time and energy is invested in helping preachers preach better sermons. This is well-placed since the Bible exhorts pastors to make progress in their preaching (1 Tim. 4:15). However, while there is an emphasis on preaching sermons, less is said about listening to sermons. We know how valuable physical hearing is, especially the older we get. Vital information can be missed, and we suffer accordingly when we don’t hear the things...
Class helps women to be ‘Forgiven & Set Free’ from past abortions
God heals! Seeing women walk in freedom—nothing illustrates this more than the joy on the faces of women who complete a “Forgiven and Set Free” class. “Forgiven and Set Free” is a 12-week Bible study to help those suffering from past abortions. A lady in her mid-70s who participated in a class at one of the Hope Pregnancy Centers had suffered with the pain of past abortions most of her life. Her health was failing, and she passed away...
Nine bad reasons to not attend church this weekend
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article first appeared on Dec. 13 on www.chucklawess.com I’ve been a pastor long enough to hear a lot of reasons for not attending church—some that just don’t make much sense. Here are some of those reasons I trust you will not use this weekend: 1. “I’m just not ‘feeling’ it this weekend.” Frankly, I have no idea what this excuse means. What I do know is that it assumes making life choices on the basis of...
