Dave Miller

I saw this link and went to Benjamin Watson's Facebook site. He is a tight end for the New Orleans Saints. I have to admit I'd not heard of him prior to this, but I think it's about the best statement I've seen on the Ferguson tragedy.   At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts: I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes. I'M … [Read more...] about From a FOOTBALL Player? Benjamin Watson on Ferguson

Confession time – many of you have followed the events in Ferguson, Missouri, a lot more carefully than I have. I have followed the story but not delved into every eyewitness report or followed the debates closely. I did, however, follow the news coverage Monday and watched the St. Louis County DA’s press conference. I have a few opinions and observations that I’d like to proffer for your consideration. It is with great trepidation that I wade into this quagmire. Racial issues can be explosive, even on a Baptist blog. But here’s my take. 1) Justice was done in St. Louis County. I saw … [Read more...] about Observations on the Ferguson Tragedy

There has been a plethora of posts and articles opining on the life, ministry and travails of Mark Driscoll. As a part of that discussion, the issue of restoration comes to the forefront. When a minister falls, in whatever way he falls, can he be restored to ministry? Can an adulterous pastor, who repents and is spiritual renewed, eventually become a leader in a church? What about someone who is divorced? Someone who got mired in financial malfeasance? Can a biblically qualified elder (or deacon) who strays from the path and disqualifies himself ever get re-qualified? Or is disqualification … [Read more...] about Can a Fallen Leader Be Restored?

My church has a benevolence fund, and it is my great joy as pastor to be the one who delivers checks to those in need. We've been able to give and give generously to those in the church family who lose a job or have some other family hardship. That is a pastor's joy. It is not quite so much fun when one of the Siouxland "regulars" calls the church asking for a handout. There is a group of people who evidently spend their days calling or dropping by churches to ask for money. I'll be honest, I hate it passionately when one of those folks calls or shows up. I'm not claiming that is the most … [Read more...] about “Can Your Church Help Me with My Rent?”

One of the downsides of spending the last 24 years preaching at only 2 churches (14.5 in Cedar Rapids, now closing in on 9.5 in Sioux City) is that preaching over the holidays gets to be a little difficult. My people have heard pretty much every sermon I've got in my arsenal, some of them twice! So, the Christmas season is coming and I'm looking for some fresh ideas and new perspectives on seasonal sermons. Here's some of my observations and thoughts about Christmas preaching: 1) Many of you in the younger whippersnapper crowd eschew preaching Christmas messages (or others based on … [Read more...] about Can Someone Help Me Prime My Christmas Pump?

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has evidently ruled in favor of the housing allowance that we in ministry have come to depend on. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal has this article. I also understand that Guidestone is going to put out some info on this pretty soon. However, all is not good news here. The appeals court did not rule in favor of the housing allowance, but simply ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the suit. Since none of them had been denied the housing allowance, they could not show harm. The 7th Circuit, however, found that the plantiffs lacked the … [Read more...] about Whew! The Housing Allowance Survives! (For Now)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 She was not happy with me, not at all. I was teaching Proverbs 22:6, which says essentially the same thing in every modern English translation, some variation of the ESV translation above. I made an observation about the nature of proverbs. They are statements about the general course of life, but are not meant to be ironclad promises or absolute guarantees. That bothered her. Still single, she anticipated getting married and having children, but if she did not have a guarantee that her … [Read more...] about Train Up a Child: What Does Proverbs 22:6 Actually Mean?

I shared last weekend about Iowa's decision to go to a 50-50 split in Cooperative Program giving. I know that some of you had state Baptist conventions this week. So, tell me what happened at your state convention this year. Encouraging trends. Challenges. Controversial issues. Officers and elections. What's happening in your neck of the Baptist woods? … [Read more...] about Tell Me about Your State Convention

Today, at our annual meeting in Des Moines, the Baptist Convention of Iowa voted to adopt a budget that includes a true 50-50 split of Cooperative Program funds. Starting in the new budget, 50% of our CP money will go to the Executive Committee to fund the IMB, NAMB, the seminaries, the EC, the ERLC and whatever else we do as a denomination. I am pleased to be an Iowa Baptist today. Currently, our division is 80-20, and of course, Iowa keeps the 80%. At the encouragement of our new Executive Director, Tim Lubinus, we decided not to move incrementally over a matter of years, but to dive … [Read more...] about Iowa Baptists Enter a 50-50 Cooperative Program Split

I didn't get much done last night, other than watch the election returns. Yesterday, before I left the office, I wrote out a worksheet of the 14 races which polls said were in dispute in the battle for control of the Senate. I tracked them, watched the numbers and finally called it a night around midnight. Here are some of my observations today. 1) It was a Red Tsunami. For most of the night, Juan Williams tried to argue against calling this a "wave" - I don't know why. By the end of the night, he was admitting the obvious. As best I can tell, there was only 1 of those 14 races in which … [Read more...] about Election Reflections