Mark Terry

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?

A Tweet I read the other day got me to thinking about preaching. On X (formerly Twitter) a preacher posted that as a young preacher, he was advised to study one hour for each minute he preached. In the thread that followed, most disagreed with that advice, as do I. A disclaimer here—I am not a preaching professor. I majored in missions in my PhD studies, and I’ve taught mainly missions and evangelism. However, I have taught preaching several times, and I’ve been preaching for fifty years. So, here are some random thoughts and opinions about preaching. How long should you study in … [Read more...] about Pondering Preaching

Scatter shooting while wondering why Alabama’s mascot is an elephant, but the team is called The Crimson Tide. Perhaps C. B. Scott can enlighten us. We should strive to be good stewards in both life and death. Every adult should have a will. Your state Baptist foundation or the Southern Baptist Foundation can advise you and point you to a Christian attorney. Beyond that, you can designate that a percentage of your life insurance or retirement account be given to a church, Christian organization, or institution. For example, my wife and I have designated that 10 percent of our Guidestone … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 9

Last week, I felt sad when I learned that Willie McLaurin had resigned his position with the Executive Committee of the SBC. The Search Committee seeking a new president discovered he had falsified his resume, falsely claiming to have graduated from three institutions. This saddened me for two reasons. First, I hoped Willie McLaurin would be elected to the president’s post. I thought he did a good job as interim president. Second, he is a really nice guy. Several years ago we conversed about promoting missions in local churches, and I enjoyed our conversation a lot. Several have asked how he … [Read more...] about The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth