Dave Miller

 I didn't have anything to post from my (disappointing - hint,hint) team of contributors, and I simply have not had time to write anything myself. So, I'm pulling out a sermon from a couple of weeks ago (part 1 of 2). I'm in a series on the Beatitudes. Do I even need to prove this assertion? This is a seriously messed up world. It is a world in which lies often seem to overwhelm the truth. The news is filled with stories that take our breath away, recounting acts of depravity that defy imagination. How can people do some of the things that they do? How can they walk into a movie theater or an … [Read more...] about On Earth As It Is in Heaven: Hungering and Thirsting for God’s Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)

I've heard it all my life. "We need to restore America to its former greatness." "We need to take our nation back to what it once was." "We need to get back to being the Christian nation we used to be." I believed it and preached it. But I have come to believe that this is not something we should say. There are Christian brothers and sisters who hear something very different than we do when we talk about "going back" and out of honor to them, we ought to reexamine our thinking and our words.  Before I make you mad.... ...I'd like to make these things absolutely clear! 1) I love this … [Read more...] about We Need to Stop Talking about “Restoring America”

No, I'm not talking here about your content - this is not about whether you are topical or verse-by-verse expositional. This is much more simple. What is going on around you when you stand in the pulpit on Sunday morning (and night, for us old-schoolers)? Do you have a manuscript? Crib notes? An outline? Do you have a monitor? An iPad? Printed notes? Do you project your notes onto a screen with Powerpoint or Proclaim or some other presentation software? Does your church project its notes by WiFi so the congregation can follow along on tablets and smartphones? Do you include … [Read more...] about An SBC Voices Forum: How Do You Preach?

I've cheered for him for nearly a decade, even when a lot of Yankee fans didn't. I heard the petty taunts - "A-Fraud" and such silliness - and I just kept cheering. I heard the sniping about how much he was being paid, but I didn't care - he was worth it and anyway, was he supposed to turn the money down? He's done some weird things, for sure, through the years - knocking a ball out of the pitcher's glove, yelling at the fielder to induce a dropped fly ball, just acting a little nutty. He said things that made you scratch your head and he always seemed to be trying just a little too hard to … [Read more...] about Reflections of a (Former) Fan of Alex Rodriguez

Baptists have a somewhat uneasy relationship to numbers these days. When we were growing and expanding annually, we pointed to our numbers as proof of God's blessing. Our recent realization that our statistical decline is not a mere blip on the screen has been taken as a portent of evil in our midst. Dr. Frank Page's response to the latest report was, "God forgive us and God help us." There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Houston this year. This is not a specifically Southern Baptist problem, of course. In a recent article, "Why Millenials Are Leaving the Church", Rachel Held … [Read more...] about Exodus and Numbers: What We Can Infer from Our Statistical Decline

You've never heard of the Four S Club? I'll bet you have. They are the Secret Society of Superior Saints - the folks who have a hidden or secret knowledge that none of the rest of us poor schlubs know that makes them better than we are. Oh, they know that all who have faith in Christ are saints, redeemed, heaven-bound - they are not gospel-denying heretics after all. They just know something that makes them a little more saintly, a little more redeemed. They have a wisdom that the rest of us just don't have. Maybe it is some insight into the inner workings of the spiritual realm - they … [Read more...] about Dealing with Members of the “Four S Club”

My daughter Bethany, her friend Katie and I played a little game last night and I thought it might be fun for the readers of SBC Voices to play along. The game was simple. I read a tweet from Joel Osteen, from Mark Driscoll, or from Tim Keller. They had to identify the author from the tweet. I've created a quiz for you here. I added in the good Rev. Dr. Ed Stetzer for you Baptist bloggers. There are 5 tweets from each of these four men. A few of them (especially Osteen's) are no-brainers. The rest might be tougher than you think. Your job, if you choose to accept it, is to identify the … [Read more...] about Keller, Stetzer, Driscoll and Osteen: You Make the Call (Revised – with answers)

Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28 It is my belief that one of the most significant battles in the church today (perhaps second only to the Calvinism wars), is the divergence in attitude, outlook and approach to ministry between us old fogeys and you young whippersnappers. The older, more traditional, more established folks tend to view the youngsters as half-cocked, wild-eyed radicals and the youngsters tend to view us as hidebound, tradition-mired, stick-in-the-muds. Perhaps it has always been this way. It has been a long time (32 years) since … [Read more...] about Respect the Ancient Markers, Whippersnapper!

So far, 28 men (plus my little baby boy Josh) have signed up for the Fitness Challenge. So, the first question here is: what is your plan? What is your strategy for the "Battle of the Bulge?" I'm headed out for a walk with my wife. My biggest needs are reduced diet and consistent (reasonable exercise). As a former marathon runner, I tend to go at it too hard, get incredibly sore and then can't exercise consistently. I am also trying one more radical thing, for the month of August. I'm carnivorous - I love steak, ribs, etc! But for one month I'm going vegetarian. It's sweet corn and … [Read more...] about Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor Challenge: What’s Your Plan?

I am only about a week late on this, but seeing that I have an earned doctorate in procrastination, that is pretty good. This is our SBC Voices "Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor" challenge, and it is officially underway (underweigh?). The following men have indicated they want to be in. If you'd like to join us, please feel free - you can get in at any time, though the longer you wait (weight? - sorry, I'll stop now) the more of a head start the rest of us will have. The goal, simply, is to lose weight between now and the end of the year. The challenge is designed to provide support, encouragement, … [Read more...] about It’s ON! The SBC Voices “Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor” Challenge (Updated)