Easter Weekend will never be the same for me again. Last Good Friday was like any other. I went to work all day. I drove home. My wife and I headed to our church to sing and pray and remember Jesus' death for us together as a body. We pulled a dinner audible afterwards and decided we could go out to eat (I think we had leftovers on the weekly dinner menu scheduled). We ended up at a delicious Japanese steakhouse that looks like a leftover set from a 70's Kung Fu movie. The two of us got in with little waiting and ate some delicious food and went home... ...Easter Sunday we missed Easter … [Read more...] about Between a Friday and a Sunday…
Jedi Council: Advice for Church Funding Requests
After recently taking my 9 year-old cousin to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D for his birthday, I've decided to pretend that our SBC Voices comment club is our own version of the Jedi Council and to do a few posts asking for wise, sage, and Yoda-like counsel. To quote Yoda himself, "Up to you it is if happen such wise counsel will." : Let me begin with a disclaimer: I fully admit that I am asking these questions because of direct and personal benefit I hope to receive from the answers provided. As discussed in a previous post , our family is preparing to move to Queens, New York to … [Read more...] about Jedi Council: Advice for Church Funding Requests
Surprising Global Opportunities
In a town across the waters live members of one of the world’s largest unreached people groups. In the past 20 years, their population in this city has grown from about 8,000 to around 60,000. While their home country’s political situation is tumultuous, in this new city there is stability and religious/political freedom, including the freedom for missionaries to preach the Gospel to them. Like many other people groups in large cities, they have clustered in several major neighborhoods and have assimilated in a variety of professions, from doctors to taxi drivers. This people group is the … [Read more...] about Surprising Global Opportunities
The Aroma of Christ
The other night we got home late after eating dinner at the home of one of my coworkers. It was well past our dog Caleb’s 6 o’clock dinner time and I was certain that he would be starving as we got home at about 10:30. He did his customary run of freedom around the couch before making his way to the kitchen where his food dish is. I scooped his nightly allotment (he’s on a diet right now) and expected to hear the sounds of doggie gratitude as he bulldozed his flat little face into the bottom of the curved bowl. However, this night, he stared briefly at the food and didn’t touch it. He … [Read more...] about The Aroma of Christ
A solution to weekly worship woes…
Should you preach ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives? Should you listen to preaching ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives? Should you worship in song ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives? Should you give financially ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives? Should you pray ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives? Should you encourage your fellow believers ignorantly, … [Read more...] about A solution to weekly worship woes…
The Pastor’s Family and Church Involvement…
One of the scariest things for me as a young person in ministry is the issues related to a pastor (or staff member, etc.) and his family's involvement in the life of the local church. I've known quite a few different situations and I often wonder what the best approach is for a pastor and his family. Some I would outright reject and but even the ones I consider often raise difficult questions in my mind. Probably some of these relate to parenting philosophy in general, but I'm thinking about the pastor's family specifically. One of the biggest tensions perhaps is finding that balance … [Read more...] about The Pastor’s Family and Church Involvement…
Readers and Do-ers…
Hey everyone. It's been a crazy couple weeks in the SBC blogosphere between the convention and other "discussions". I personally am taking a brief hiatus from the blogosphere for the month of July (and maybe August). The hardest part won't be skipping writing and commenting, but keeping myself from reading everything going on out there in the up-to-the-minute nature of blogging. I add that just to let some of you know that I haven't died or joined a cult or anything. Anyways, I thought I'd leave you guys with something to talk about. Summer. Great time for reading. Great time for … [Read more...] about Readers and Do-ers…
Assignment for Orlando…
I wish I could go to the SBC. Alas, Orlando is a 3-week wagon journey from where I live and fording the rivers is tough this time of year. It would be fun to meet many of you who interact on this blog and authors of other blogs I check out through the awesome meta-feed going on in the directory page here. (I have to give Tony Kummer a lot of props for putting this whole thing together.) I even kind of like watching Robert's Rules of Order in action. But since I can't be there, I have a little assignment for those of you who will be. Meet a fellow blogger face-to-face. I would … [Read more...] about Assignment for Orlando…
Dr. Morris Chapman weighs in on GCR Report
Over at Baptist Press, soon-to-retire SBC Executive Committee President and C.E.O. Dr. Morris Chapman has posted a lengthy almost 9,000 word response to the final report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. I highly encourage people to read it as it provides the perspective of someone who knows the ins-and-outs of SBC convention life and politics, serving in this particular role since 1992. It does seem unfortunate that with the GCR discussion dominating the heading into the convention, the SBC will miss a chance, perhaps, to give thanks and celebrate the outgoing Executive … [Read more...] about Dr. Morris Chapman weighs in on GCR Report
When Preaching “Jumps the Shark”…
"Jumping the shark" is a phrased often used in the television industry to refer to the moment it's realized that a once-good program has begun a downward descent into mediocrity and eventually obscurity. It refers to a classic set of episodes from the program "Happy Days" where the character Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli (you may know him as "The Fonz") attempts to water ski over a section of ocean containing a shark. Since then, the phrase "jumping the shark" has become a popular reference to a desperate stunt or attempt to save something that is rapidly headed south. I don't view preaching … [Read more...] about When Preaching “Jumps the Shark”…