Let’s fire everyone at an SBC entity who is opposed to Resolution 9 of 2019. That’s not really a serious proposition, but it is the logical conclusion of a recent string of tweets by SBC presidential hopeful Tom Ascol. At the 2021 convention, Tom’s brother Bill presented a resolution on abortion (found here), which includes […]
Faithful
Faithful—it’s a word that means loyal and reliable, dedicated, steadfast. Faithful is what God is. Faithful is often not how I feel. I think there is a reason Hebrews 6:19 calls Jesus the anchor of the soul. We’re like a ship on the sea. Sometimes the weather is calm, and it seems like smooth sailing. […]
The Gospel, Simply
I was five when I trusted Jesus. Some might say that was too young. Maybe? I don’t know. I would hesitate and think long about it if my child was that young. Looking back, I don’t doubt it was a true faith, though maturity came much later. I was in college when I learned to […]
Not Bound
“The word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9 CSB). Say that with me: The word of God is not bound. If you’ve never noticed, we Americans like to think about freedom. A lot. It seems one of the deepest cultural fears is the idea that something will happen and we won’t be free. […]
Hard Work and Harvest
My wife loves to garden. When we bought our house four years ago, one of her “must-haves” was a yard big enough for a garden. Then, our first spring together in our home, I went out to a patch of grass with our tiller, tore up the ground, and built a box around the churned […]
His Name Is Derek
I was a junior in college, a brand-new student to the University of Oklahoma as a transfer from a school in my home state. I had grown up in a Christian home and given my life to Jesus at the age of five, with as much understanding as a five-year-old can have. Looking back, I […]
The Ghost and the Soul Friend
Ghosting, we’ve all experienced it at one time or another. It’s bad enough when it happens with a supposed friend or love interest. It’s even worse when it happens in church. Ghosting is when two people seem to have a relationship on some level deeper than mere acquaintance, and one person seems to vanish. There […]
Why?
Why? It’s a simple question, just three letters and a question mark. It’s something that my son has started to ask more frequently (he’s two, by the way). Why? In a way, it’s a question that cuts to the heart of almost everything. We tend to be curious. We want to know the reasons behind […]
Rekindle the Gift
You’ve felt it, haven’t you? I know I have. One day, your heart is burning, your soul is on fire—you’re alive for God. Jesus is your great passion, and you have faith that you can be like those in Acts who were turning the world upside-down. It’s a great mountain-top high. It’s a wonderful belief […]
You Will Die
You will die. Cheerful thought, is it not? But it is the reality we face—we have an expiration date. There will come a moment where we will take a final breath, our passage through this life will have run its course, and we will find ourselves standing before Jesus. (Oh, yes, we always have the […]
Scriptures and Prayers for Uncertain Times
A reminder of God’s greatness: Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.” Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. ~ Psalm 96:10-11 Father, you are the great, awesome, and mighty […]
I had the flu, and compared to this coronavirus it’s… (or: a plea for wisdom and a defense of social distancing)
A few weeks ago, I had the flu. For sixteen years, I have faithfully received flu shots and every year they worked until this year. By best recollection, I hadn’t had the flu in at least 20 years. It was miserable. I hated it. I had forgotten how much worse it is than a cold. […]