Mark Terry

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

Scatter shooting, while wondering if it will ever rain in Texas. I still need “hot” jokes. It is supposed to be 107 in Fort Worth today and over 100 for the next ten days. Speaking of rain, I took my Texas grandchildren on vacation in northern Michigan. It rained one day, and I had to explain what that water was. Pray for Jerry Rankin. The former president of the International Mission Board had a stroke recently. After several days in the hospital in Fort Worth, he has gone to stay with his son in Waco. Get well soon, Jerry. Both the Barna Report and the Christian Post have … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 8

Scatter shooting while trying to find a cool place in Texas. It’s so hot in Texas that people are telling hot jokes to cope. (The high today in Fort Worth will be 106.) Here’s one—It’s so hot; my dream home is any house in Alaska. If you’ve got a good “hot” joke, please send it. We are struggling to cope here in Texas. Here’s a great piece from A. W. Tozer: GLORIOUS CONTRADICTIONS God has revealed so many glorious contradictions in the lives and conduct of genuine Christian believers that it is small wonder that we are such an amazement to this world. The Christian is dead and yet he … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 7

Scatter shooting while thinking that Bart Barber is out, standing in his field. Color me pleased that Bart Barber won the SBC presidency for a second time. He has served us well and deserved a second term. Beyond that, he has proven one need not be a mega-church pastor to handle the demands of the office. That opinion was often voiced in the past. Color me perplexed that Mike Stone chose to run in 2023. Surely, next year would have been better for him. He was bucking SBC tradition—to give a president a second term—and a popular candidate, also. I was not surprised that the SBC … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting – Part 6

Pastor Mike Law of Arlington, Virginia, has stated his intention to submit an amendment to the SBC constitution and by-laws at this year’s annual meeting. This amendment would require the SBC to disfellowship (expel) any church that employs a woman as its pastor. Of course, his announcement has prompted lots of discussion. So, let us join the debate here at SBC Voices. Navigators determine their position on the globe by calculating their latitude and longitude. For purposes of this discussion, let’s make Bible verses our latitude and previous SBC motions our longitude. Note: I am not saying … [Read more...] about Thinking about Women Pastors

SCATTER SHOOTING, PART FOUR BY MARK TERRY Scatter shooting while wondering where W. A. Criswell bought his white suits. Summertime has arrived in Texas. It’s 94 degrees today. I was sad to learn of Charles Stanley’s passing. He was an excellent preacher. He was able to show the practical application of doctrine better than anyone else. During our first four years in the Philippines, FBC Atlanta sent me a package of his sermon cassettes (!) every month. They were like a stream in the desert for me. I read on the internet (so it must be true) that gray hair can be reversed. No … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part Four

Scatter shooting while wondering who will get Dave Miller’s lime green suit when he passes on to his reward. At my age, happy hour is an afternoon nap. When I was a boy, learning to play baseball, my coach said repeatedly, “Mark, keep your eye on the ball.” Of course, that’s the key to hitting a baseball, but it’s also key for Southern Baptists. For us, the ball is missions. Missions is what motivated Baptists in the USA to form their first convention, the Triennial Convention, in 1814. The first thing the SBC did when it organized in 1845 was to establish the Foreign Mission Board and … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part Three