Dave Miller

Making announcements at church is a big, fat pain in the...uh...well...neck! In my nearly 3 1/2 decades of service to churches, I have been involved in about 3,345,972 discussions of how to handle announcements and ministry promotions during our worship services. We've talked about eliminating them completely, and just ask people to read the bulletin, look at the web, or whatever other electronic or printed means of dissemination are available. But the problem is that people don't often do that, don't know what is going on, don't show up, then complain that we didn't make the … [Read more...] about An SBC Voices Forum: Making Announcements without Messing Up Worship

Here is your "Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor" devotional thought for the day! Israel had no shortage of great warriors, who accomplished great deeds in battle; with David, perhaps, the greatest of these. He defeated Goliath and many other foes during the years he led Israel. When he ascended to the throne, he made them musical directors in the house of the Lord. They knew him and his work. And, in Psalm 44:6-7, they said these words, words which I’m sure reflected David’s beliefs and practices. “For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory. But You give us victory over our … [Read more...] about Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor: October Weigh-in Time!

First thing in the morning, I'm headed to Omaha, to fly to Minneapolis, to fly to JFK to fly El Al airlines to Tel Aviv, Israel. I will be returning on October 11. I have been excited beyond words about this trip. About thirty pastors are joining Frank Page, Fred Luter and a few others to tour the Holy Land.* I have no idea how much internet access I will have, or how much time I will have to write posts. I plan to post as much as I can at my Facebook site to keep friends and family apprised about our travels. But I'm not sure if I will have time or interest in writing posts for … [Read more...] about Off to Israel!

There have been times throughout history and throughout America’s history when God has given visited us with great revivals. Usually, these are kindled in a small place in a small way, then just seem to ignite until God’s presence is manifest among his people and his power is displayed. In these great revivals, the church is restored and souls are awakened to their need for Jesus Christ and the salvation he brings. The lost are saved and saved are reignited in their passion for Jesus Christ and a nation is redirected; its march toward spiritual decay arrested, or at least stalled for a … [Read more...] about Revive Us Again

Back in my day... I know, all you young whippersnappers cringe when us old fogeys start talking about how it used to be, about the good old days when we walked five miles to school barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways. And I know that we often see with the fuzzy eyes of nostalgia. In fact, I'm convinced that there are many ways in which the church of today is healthier and better than the church of my youth. A true curmudgeon would never admit such a thing, of course, so I've not arrived at that place yet. Having said that, I'd like to point out a modern trend that I find slightly … [Read more...] about Whatever Happened to Bible Study?

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

Next time you are in a group of preachers, listen to the conversation. Within 5 minutes, the topic of discussion is likely to be how busy each one is. We wear our busyness like a badge of honor; justifying our existence, our ministry and our paychecks by the activity we perform. When I was a youth pastor (back before fire and the wheel), I would spend a lot of time just hanging out with the teens in the group. We played cards together. I went running with some of them. We went to movies together. I thought that if I was going to be their youth pastor, I had to be part of their lives. I … [Read more...] about Just a Thought about Busyness – That’s All I Have Time For….

One of the oddities of life in the internet age is that I have some very close friends whom I have never met in real life. Mike Leake is among those men. We exchange emails often. Mike has a sense of humor very close to mine. If you saw our exchanges, you might think we need some sort of arbitration to work out of our differences. I send him insulting emails and tweets and he responds in kind. I mean, folks, the guy cheers for the Kansas City Royals and he makes (I'm not joking here) the worst predictions on NFL games that you will find. I would be tempted to read his predictions and bet … [Read more...] about Is Christian Humor an Oxymoron?

No, Mike Leake is not publishing today and this is not a spoof. Joel Rainey, whose posts appear on SBC Voices regularly, is appearing in primetime tomorrow night on Al Jazeera America's television network. Here is the press release information I received. Dr. Joel Rainey, Director of Missions for Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, will be appearing on “The Stream,” a national news program on the Al Jazeera America Network, at 7:30 PM (Eastern) this Wednesday. This edition of the show will occur on the 12th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and will feature Dr. Rainey alongside religious … [Read more...] about Joel Rainey to Appear on Al-Jazeera America Network Wednesday Night

For those of you participating in the Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor Challenge, it is time for our first weigh-in and progress report. You can post your weigh-in numbers here if you are brave, or you can send them to my Voices email (yes, it's real - davemillerisajerk@hotmail.com ).  I am off on a long walk/hike with my lovely wife, so let us know what's happening, guys! By the way, if you've had a bad month and failed - we still want you to be a part of this challenge. Do better next month! God bless you. … [Read more...] about Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor Challenge: It’s Weigh-In Time