Dave Miller

Okay, I'm gonna ruffle some feathers with this one. All I can ask is that you read my article in full before you weigh in, or more particularly before you pick up stones to stone me. I'm going to make a harsh point, then I will give a "Rest of the Story" that may soften the blow. Here's my thesis: If family is always going to come first, then you should pick another line of work. If you insist on always putting FAMILY FIRST you cannot be an effective servant of God! Pastoral ministry is NOT for you.  Hear me out. The Bible Says... Permit me to start with the obvious - a biblical … [Read more...] about When Ministry Hits the Fan: Should Family Always Come First?

(I'm sure that's one thing we ALL agree on!) It's time to make your choices. You can follow this link to the SBC Voices group. The password is: sbcvoices You can only join once. Can you do me a favor? If you join and use some kind of moniker that hides your identity, can you shoot me an email at my SBC Voices email (davemillerisajerk@hotmail.com) to let me know who you are. Sometimes we have no idea who the leaders are! I am planning to win handily this year, but you are welcome to try for second place. Of course, I am also planning to win the HGTV Dream House next week and … [Read more...] about SBC Voices 2015 NCAA Bracket Challenge – “Bring Down the Kentucky Wildcats!!!!!”

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I would begin a series of posts on the ministry. Here's my first entry. It's really two posts - a little financial advice at the beginning and then the use of a bank metaphor for pastor credibility.  Before I make my point... Okay, young preachers, listen to me! I'm going to give you two pieces of advice that you need to hear. They really have nothing to do with this piece, except in the most tangential way, but I'm going to say them anyway. 1) Debt will ruin your ministry. Student loans. Overbuying houses and cars. "Easy payments." And those credit … [Read more...] about When the Ministry Hits the Fan: The Pastor’s Security Bank – Building Authority and Credibility

I've been thinking about the kind of writing I want to do, the kind of blogposts I want to publish, and a firm thought has been forming in my mind. I'd say it is a calling, a sense of direction from God, but all you thorny cessationists out there would just get all hostile, right? I'm sure no one has noticed, but my blogging around here has been growing more rare and spare in recent months. That has been for a variety of reasons - time, motivation, inspiration, passion, procrastination, lack of discipline. It seems that much of my writing has been issue-oriented. For one reason or another, … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Perspectives – The Blogging I Want to Do

While spokespersons in the State Department and the Obama administration assert that ISIS recruits join the jihad for lack of economic opportunities, the obvious appears glaringly different.  We are literally seeing hundreds of middle-class young adults from the West travel great distances for the glory of fighting and dying in the dessert as soldiers of Islam. Disallowing this tribal connection with the revival of medieval Islam leaves the impression the deniers are living in some alternative universe and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is some interdimensional being. When will the deniers snap … [Read more...] about Snap Out of it! ISIS is Islamic Reality (By Ron F. Hale)

Social media has been atwitter with discussions and even arguments about the true color of this dress. Scientific discussions have been offered as to why some people see a blue and black dress and others see a white and tan dress. I think there might be a few other explanations that have been ignored heretofore. My curiosity was piqued by a tweet I read by Dustin Lair. He said, I figured out the dress thing. Bruce Willis was dead the whole time. Now that made sense. It is a spoiler if you haven't watched the movie, but it's been out since 1999, so that is your problem. I began to … [Read more...] about The Mystery of the Dress: Possible Solutions

(This is a revision of a previous post - actually one I've written twice - in 2013 and 2011 - every time you guys in the South get blasted by blizzards, I guess).  I have to admit that my flesh has risen up strongly as I've watched my southern brethren (and sistern) bemoan the terrible weather they are suffering across the south. Here in SUX (yes, that is actually the designation of our local airport in Sioux City - you can look it up!) we've had some bitterly cold temps (it was a balmy 8 below this morning) but we've not had too much snow this year. And the fact is that six to eight … [Read more...] about Living in SUX: You Prepare for What You Expect

On the day we celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King in 2014, one of our contributors (Todd Benkert) wrote an article celebrating the fact that Dr. King's birthday was "Not Just a Black Holiday" and that all of America should celebrate the work that this man did in bringing racial justice to our land.  It did not take long for the discussion to be diverted to whether Dr. King was orthodox in his biblical beliefs or whether he was a liberal who denied the biblical gospel. This year, Jared Moore posted "A Brief Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement & Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr" … [Read more...] about There Is a Time and a Place…

NOTE: Please see the addendum at the bottom about our plan for the "Help CB and Karen Scott" Fund.  Rumors began to circulate yesterday that CB Scott had been reinstated at Brewton-Parker College. I have verified that the Interim President, Dr. Charlie Bass, has reinstated Dr. Scott to his position as Vice President of Alumni, Advancement, and Church Relations. Let me say two personal words here. First, I couldn't be happier for my friend, CB. He was an inspiration to me during this time. He acted with courage and integrity and stood strong when others around him did not. I was … [Read more...] about CB Scott Has Been Reinstated at Brewton-Parker *Update/Disposition of Funds Plan

We may have had this discussion before, I don't remember. But Marie Holmes, a mother of 4 children (one of which has cerebral palsy) has won the lottery. Her share is $188 million dollars. You can read the full story here, and there is interesting video. I don't play the lottery and am not a supporter of the it. Marie seems like a solid, grounded woman. I hope she follows through on her plans to set up college funds for her children and make other wise choices. Frankly, many people who win the lottery make foolish choices and cause themselves more pain than the money could ever … [Read more...] about Woman Wins $188 Million in the Lottery: Plans to Tithe – What Do You (and Your Church) Do?