Archives for 2013

A couple of weeks ago, I was shocked (and a little perturbed) at a Facebook post a friend of mine published. He does not believe that God speaks to the human heart except through the Word. He was being critical of those (like me) of a more Blackabean bent who believe that God does speak and lead with details by the Holy Spirit to the human heart and mind. That's fine. I think he is wrong - don't see how you can get to his position from the Bible. He does not think our position is biblical either. What disturbed me was not that he disagreed, but the way he framed the disagreement. Our view … [Read more...] about “He Does Not Follow with Us” – Even Errant Brethren ARE Brethren

I’m not the Benny Hinn type, but I do pray for healing quite often. And I do it rather simply: “Lord, heal _______ according to your will.” It might sound as if I’m praying that because I simply do not know the Lord’s will in a situation. From my finite perspective I have no idea if the Lord has purposed to heal a person. While that is true, that is not all that I am communicating whenever I pray that the Lord heal someone according to His will. It’s actually a prayer that is jam-packed with theology and hope. All believers will ultimately be healed I know that whenever I pray for … [Read more...] about How I Pray For Healing

Joel Rainey is the Director of Missions at Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, an adjunct professor at Capital Bible Seminary and blogs at Themelios (Twitter - @joelrainey). This post was originally published at his site.   On Monday night, my wife and I watched the heartbreaking interview with Rick and Kay Warren in which, for the first time, they shared with the public their experiences surrounding the April suicide of their 27 year old son Matthew.  Due to the circumstances surrounding Matthew's death, the interview spanned a number of issues: including  parenting, gun control, and the … [Read more...] about Mental Illness and the Church: Where do We Go From Here? (by Joel Rainey)

Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift, where this was originally posted. Since the 1990's I have had a real interest in working with and ministering to the poor as an expression of worship to God and love for people. Verses like James 1:27 (Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world), Isaiah 1:17 (Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow), Isaiah 58, Matthew 25:31-46, and Luke 4:18-19 (The Spirit of the Lord is on me, … [Read more...] about A List of Resources on Holistic Development and Working With the Poor Around the World (by Alan Cross)

William Thornton is the SBC Plodder. You're a Southern Baptist pastor, that's as high up as you are ever going to get, and you are paid less than the average $60k salary for SBC senior pastors. You look at your future with a clear eye and understand that upward pastoral mobility is limited and substantial salary inreases will probably not be coming. You recognize that the salary difference between a senior SBC pastor with ten years experience and 30+ years is not much, on average. So, understanding that you need to provide for your own retirement, educate your own kids, and have a house … [Read more...] about Pastor, Put Down the Multi-level Sales Scheme and Step Away from It! (By William Thornton)

Dr. David W. Manner is the Associate Executive Director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. He blogs at  http://kncsb.org/blogs/dmanner . You can follow him on Twitter:  @dwmanner.  The 26th United States President, Theodore Roosevelt coined the term “bully pulpit.” His observation was that his position of influence as president gave him a unique platform from which to persuade, exhort, instruct and inspire. Roosevelt famously used the word bully as an adjective meaning “great, superb, excellent or wonderful.” Pastors have been given a similar position of influence … [Read more...] about Pulpit Bully (by Dr. David Manner)

Joel Rainey, a frequent guest at this site, has shared a need that we would like to make public. If God lays this on your heart as a burden, contact Joel at joelrainey@wecare.org. Please join us in praying about this situation.  “Father of the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families….”  -Psalm 68:5-6 NIV For more than a decade, my wife and I have maintained a prayerful awareness of the global orphan crisis.  We've had several opportunities to contribute to the solution by helping families bring their children home, orphan awareness and … [Read more...] about God Sets the Lonely in Families – A Real-life, Right Now Need (by Joel Rainey)

For this is the will of God, sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; –1 Thessalonians 4:3 This verse is usually met with a follow up question, “What exactly is sexual immorality?” That, of course, is the sanctified way of asking, “Is it still okay if my girlfriend and I _________? Because of this question I’ve found it helpful to use the Scriptures to define sexual immorality. Here is how I typically define sexual immorality: Anything that is intentionally sexually arousing outside the context of marriage. Anything… I’ve never found giving someone a list of prescribed … [Read more...] about What is Sexual Immorality?

Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift. Christians who use Facebook to complain about people instead of confronting according to Matthew 18:15-35 are in error. Passive-aggresiveness is their forte. I see it all the time. Veiled complaints and accusations against people. General complaints about the church and being hurt and people treating you wrong and sinning against you. Yet, you do not speak directly to the people who hurt you. You just lash out at everyone and throw a blanket of blame, victimhood, and condemnation among everyone who scrolls down their newsfeed. We might pray for you or we … [Read more...] about Stop Using Facebook To Send A Message to People That You Won’t Confront Directly and Privately! (by Alan Cross)