Adam Blosser and I were able to attend the Young Pastors Summit today at the SBC of Virginia office near Richmond, Virginia. I’ve attended this meeting every year since 2014. The fellowship and networking is always refreshing. SBC of Virginia leadership does a good job of a putting together a quality program too. I know […]
No, Heaven Does Not Have a Wall Around It
I’ve seen it posted many times on Facebook, the meme shared that reads, sometimes in varying forms: Heaven has a wall, gates, and a strict immigration policy; hell has open borders. Think about that. It’s a simple way to try to defend a certain political view on border security. The problem is, it’s both untrue […]
Would SWBTS kindly inform Southern Baptists of the seriousness of your financial “challenges”?
I believe all we have heard was that there are “challenges.” What is being said ranges between comments like, “It’s not a big deal” to impending catastrophe. Is it not time for Southern Baptists to be better informed and that directly from the seminary? Talk to us, publicly, brethren and sistren. We’re on the same […]
Discipleship is Easy and Hard (What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 3)
In this series, I’m considering some things that I’ve learned while pastoring over the last 15 years. You can check out the first lesson and a series introduction here: Part 1: Not everybody will like you, and that’s okay. Part 2: Pray for people and let them know that you’re praying for them. In this […]
Whoa, who saw that coming?
Whoa, who saw that one coming? Nick Saban’s teams do not catch a beatdown very often. The Alabama fans didn’t see it coming. They moaned and wailed every time Clemson scored, and sounded like they were on the Titanic. (People dying from hypothermia is not funny, but the sounds emanating from my television were akin […]
The Complicated Calling of a Pastor
Today my husband Chad and I drove across the wide open spaces of our part of Texas, sometimes chatting amiably, sometimes watching the scenery go by in silence. He spent time listening to speculation about his beloved Dallas Cowboys on sports radio while I dozed in the passenger seat. And at one point we spent […]
Thanks, but I’ll pass on sharing wedding officiant duties with your BFF
A friend of mine said he was going to be away at a wedding recently. I presumed that he, a generation younger than me, was either a groomsman or was just attending. Nope. He was officiating. Seems some friends were going to be wed and asked him to do it. He scrounged around and had […]
So, are you SEC haters happy now?
It so unspiritual to be all that enthused about a silly game, anyway. And, anyone seen C. B.?
What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 2 (on prayer)
In this series, I’m considering some things that I’ve learned while pastoring over the last 15 years. You can check out the first lesson and a series introduction here: Part 1: Not everybody will like you, and that’s okay. In this post, we’ll consider Lesson #2: One of the most important things you can do […]
Let’s Adopt the Baptist Faith & Message This Year
Let’s have a define-the-relationship talk. Let’s make 2019 the year that we make it official. Let’s bring the whole Southern Baptist family together in agreement around The Baptist Faith & Message. We’ve waited long enough. The BF&M has existed in its current revision for nineteen years this coming summer. It is not going away. It […]
What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 1
It’s a new year, yet again—2019. These things seem to keep moving faster and faster. As the calendar turns, I close in on a ministry milestone: Fifteen years being a pastor (with nearly nine of those in my current church). On the one hand, there’s still plenty of youth reflected in that number; still plenty […]
Advice from Old Preachers
An interchange I had with William Thornton a few weeks ago caused me to think about advice given to me by old preachers. I was ordained to the gospel ministry at the FBC of Bentonville, Arkansas, in 1971. Several older pastors gave me advice and counsel, both that day and in the following weeks. I […]