Movies, markets and murder: What Christians should know about the genocide of the Uyghur people
In the 1930s, the Nazis implemented measures to stigmatize, detain and prosecute those who they considered to be enemies of Germany. In 1938, the Nazis implemented Kristallnacht – a nationwide attack against the Jewish people during which Jewish synagogues, businesses and homes were burned, and scores of Jewish people were taken to internment camps. For years, the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people progressed. Yet, what would...
FIRST-PERSON: To this vision, I give my life. Will you join me?
NASHVILLE (BP)—As Great Commission Baptists, we are compelled with the vision to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation. Our 51,000 congregations that comprise the Southern Baptist network of churches do our best work when we cooperate in presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations. While this compelling vision is always...
How are pastors really doing?
Recently, I watched a portly pony wade into the middle of the pond behind our house in Broken Arrow. With the top of her nose barely sticking out of the water, I became concerned that she was drowning, especially when she started blowing bubbles! I hopped over the fence and rushed to alert the owners! You can imagine how embarrassed I was when she waddled casually right out of the pond 20 minutes later. That is a picture of pastoring...
Showing appreciation to ministry wives
A simple “thank you” is one of the easiest and most practical ways we can love one another. It communicates this message: I see you, and I am grateful for you. August is Ministry Wives Appreciation Month for Oklahoma Baptists. It’s a time to be intentional about showing appreciation to the women who support their husbands and serve their church in the unique ways God has gifted them. During this pandemic and COVID-era, ministers have...
FIRST-PERSON: Big decisions
EL CAJON, Calif. (BP)—When we are faced with uncertain times, we can find ourselves stuck in a holding pattern because we can’t decide what to do. Margaret Thatcher said this about decision-making: “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.” For the follower of Christ, our decisions need to be birthed in seeking His will and purpose for our life. We need to think of all...
FIRST-PERSON: Five lessons I learned from a COVID-19 spike at our church
MOBILE, Ala. (BP)—In March, April and May, our church staff braced for a wave of COVID-19 cases to sweep through our church family. It never happened. In fact, for the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak, our church family of about 1,500 only experienced a handful of Coronavirus cases. As far as we know, none of those cases was spread at one of our events. In June, that all changed. Like most churches, we moved to an...
