Strengthen: Sheep and shepherds, part 2
Rarely does a week go by without a conversation taking place in my world related to either a pastor expressing frustration regarding the congregation he serves or a church member expressing disappointment in their pastor. The common denominator in these conversations appears to be the unmet and maybe the unrealistic expectations on both sides of the equation. These conversations have caused me to think more directly about what...
Bible Q&A: Should Christians hate their parents (Luke 14:26)?
Southern Baptists hold a high view of Scripture, believing that inspiration involves even the words of the text, the words and their interpretation matter. In the vast majority of New Testament passages, the meaning and application is reasonably clear. Notice that I said, “vast majority.” The truth is, there are some texts that present a major challenge for understanding what the Jesus, Paul or Peter meant. When these texts involve...
First person: Sports and our family
HAWESVILLE, Ky. (BP)—“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, ESV). Emily and I live among good outdoorsy people who love sports. Our town of 800 is crowned with a 340-acre park full of ballfields, hiking trails, a lake and campsites. If I want to spend time with young parents in our church, I know I can find them cheering at the ballfield. Training that’s worth everything You’ve seen...
First person: 6 suggestions for preaching about the Sanctity of Human Life
If you plan to preach about the sanctity of human life, this January, then it is very likely you will be preaching to someone who has had an abortion. Are you prepared to preach to someone, or maybe even discuss the Sanctity of Human Life with someone who has had an abortion? In the summer of 2015 the pro-life group, The Center for Medical Progress, released a series of undercover videos in which abortion provider Planned Parenthood...
Powerful prayer: Living and praying in the power
According to Scripture, believers can do nothing without the fullness and power of God’s Spirit. (Acts 1:8; John 15:5; Eph. 5:18) Without God’s fullness, prayers are weak, ministries are ineffective, and evangelism un-empowered. Yet sadly, many believers confess they have an inadequate grasp of daily fullness and power. In fact, some saints are even a bit fearful to seek spiritual fullness. They are wary of the excesses fostered by...
Gospel in our home
In the day to day, our desire is to make the Gospel known in our home. Our children are two, four and seven years old. They keep us busy 24/7! We realize we only have a short amount of time to disciple them before they fly from our nest. From birth to high school graduation, we have 936 weeks with our children under our roof. Thus, engaging our children with the Gospel message must take place beyond Sundays and Wednesdays. This...
