Mark Terry

I teach the Legacy Builders Bible Fellowship Group (think old folks Sunday school class) at our church. Because we never sing a hymn in the worship service, we sing a hymn each week in class. Recently, we sang “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and that opened floodgates of church memories for me. My earliest memory of church is standing beside my mother at the First Baptist Church of Fairfield, Texas. My father was the pastor, and the year would have been 1954. That memory prompted me to remember other things of the SBC past. Old timers reading this will nod and smile (I hope), and younger … [Read more...] about “Days Gone By” – SBC Memories

At the SBC Annual Meeting, the messengers elected Clint Pressley as the new president. I’m embarrassed to say that I had never heard of him. In fact, six candidates vied for the office, and I only knew two—David Allen and Michael Keahbone. I don’t know if that says more about me (my ignorance) or about the candidates. Last week, I wrote Bart Barber to thank him for serving as our SBC president. He did a good job in a difficult period, and he demonstrated that the pastor of a mid-sized church can serve as president. The common wisdom before was that only a candidate with a big church or … [Read more...] about Varied and Vacuous Observations, Part 4

One purpose of SBC Voices is to provide a forum for our readers to share their opinions. That’s what I’m requesting in this post. For some years I’ve pondered the question: How should we honor our parents as adults? We veterans of Sunday School learned the Ten Commandments, and the fifth states, 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Ex 20:12, ESV) When we teach this, we emphasize that minor children should obey their parents. Put another way, children honor their parents by obeying them. That is the way the … [Read more...] about Honor Your Father and Mother (for Adults)

In Part Two, I included an item about Southwestern Seminary, but I failed to include an important development at the seminary. Dr. Mark McClellan leads the Spanish language program at Southwestern, and it has grown tremendously. This is good for the seminary and great for the SBC. The number of Spanish-speaking folks in the USA is increasing rapidly, so this is important. Mark told me that he and his colleagues are developing a Portuguese program, also, and that will have a big impact overseas. My good friend, Dr. Matt Queen, has resigned as Professor of Evangelism at Southwestern to become … [Read more...] about Varied and Vacuous Observations and Opinions, Part Three

Christa Brown (attorney, abuse victim, advocate for abuse victims, and critic of the SBC Executive Committee) has written two opinion pieces for Baptist News Global about the SBC sex abuse crisis. She wrote in both that the Executive Committee’s efforts, as well as the SBC’s, have been totally futile, a waste of time and money. Now, I’ll grant that the EC’s efforts in regard to addressing the crisis have been ineffectual, at least so far. It always seems like one step forward, two steps back. Still, I disagree with Christa Brown that the whole effort has been a waste. We have seen good come … [Read more...] about Varied and Vacuous Opinions and Observations (Part 2)

Henry Blackaby died on February 10th, following a long illness. I felt sad that he had passed, but his death prompted me to reflect on his influence on me and my family. Of course, Henry Blackaby became famous in the SBC through his devotional workbook, Experiencing God. My wife taught this at the church we pastored many times. I encouraged all our members to take the course. I taught it once at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. Blackaby’s famous phrase, “watch to see where God is working and join Him,” caught my attention and affected my thinking. Beyond his Experiencing God course, God … [Read more...] about A Personal Tribute to Henry Blackaby

*This is a rebranding of Dr. Terry's popular "Scatter Shooting" series. Wondering, while writing this, why there was a garbage truck (toy) in my bed this morning. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read—“Former Baby on Board.” I need one of those. Recently, I received an invitation to an informational luncheon on cremation. I thought, “Do they want me to schedule my cremation?” That invitation prompted me to think about cremation. My mother died while I was serving overseas as a missionary. When I returned for my mother’s funeral, my sisters told me they had her body cremated. … [Read more...] about Varied and Vacuous Opinions and Observations*

My wife and I served for many years as IMB missionaries in the Philippines. Christmas there begins in mid-October and continues through the Feast of the Three Kings in mid-January. We arrived in Davao City in the southern Philippines in 1976. Like all new missionaries, we had to learn the language (Cebuano) and the culture. Christmas brought with it a whole set of customs for us to learn. Of course, we had to learn a new climate (tropical), too. On our first Christmas in Davao, friends invited us for a picnic on the beach. We enjoyed the day, but the whole idea seemed strange. One of my … [Read more...] about Christmas Memories from the Philippines

Scatter shooting, while wondering if leisure suits will make a comeback. (asking for a friend) We need to pray for my friend, classmate, and former pastor Steve Gaines, the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. He’s been diagnosed with kidney cancer. The disease must be advanced because he will consult with doctors at the M D Anderson Clinic in Houston. My career as a football pundit was short-lived. After Alabama lost to Texas in week 2, I wrote them off. They’ve won every game since, including an amazing win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alabama won the game on a last-second … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 10

Some years ago, while serving with the IMB in the Philippines, the IMB’s Regional Leader, Bill Wakefield, came for a visit. Our mission administrator asked me to serve as his driver and translator. So, I drove him where he wanted to go, and I interpreted for him in Cebuano as necessary. As we drove along, I asked what I could do to keep my daily devotional time fresh. Bill advised me to read a different daily devotional book each year.  He meant that I should read a book with a daily devotional thought and Scripture reading. That seemed like a good idea to me, and I began to do that. I’m glad … [Read more...] about Which Is Your Favorite Devotional Book?