Perhaps I should apologize for the Toto lyrics in the title. If you’re anything like me, all you have to do is read those words and then the song is playing in your mind for the next several hours. Perhaps some words from Habakkuk will help: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. ~ Habakkuk 2:14 Those words have become one of my favorite verses of the Bible—it is the end game, it is what we as Christians are (should be) pining for… When Jesus returns, his kingdom will be established forever. We shall see a glorified … [Read more...] about I Bless the Rains Down in Africa
Maybe Our Worship Needs to be More “Organic”
Francis Chan in a video session of Crazy Love brings up an idea that I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while—what would happen if we took the Gospel to a group of people, devoid of our cultural traditions about church, and they had nothing to build a church by except the Bible in their hands? Would their church look much like our churches in America do today? Probably not. A couple of weeks back, Dave Miller wrote about the idea of our culture dictating our worship “styles” and asked whether or not we were harming the God-intended cross-cultural unity of the church by demanding … [Read more...] about Maybe Our Worship Needs to be More “Organic”
Merry Christmas To All!
Galatians 4:1-7 (ESV) 1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principlesof the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, … [Read more...] about Merry Christmas To All!
A Holiday Reminder
‘Tis the season… for depression and struggles, at least that’s what it seems like. I have found here in recent weeks an upswing in counseling and people struggling with sin. This seems odd given what we take this time of year to celebrate—the joy of the coming of our great Savior-King. Through the birth, life, perfect sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus we have hope. By the grace of God through faith in Christ we have perfect salvation. We who are born into this world in a state of sin, guilty and cursed, with no righteousness of our own, are given as a free gift the righteousness of … [Read more...] about A Holiday Reminder
Halloween—Should We or Shouldn’t We?
Okay…it’s that time of year again. Pumpkins and skeletons are lining people’s houses. Charlie Brown is receiving rocks while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin. And debates rage—should the kid’s go trick-‘r-treating or do we take them down to the Fall Festival or Harvest Party or just stay at home? I’ll admit—I’ve had my times of being a bit of a brat when it comes to this subject. My last year at seminary, my roommate and I bought Halloween decorations and hung them on the door of our on-campus apartment. I wanted to include the smiling witch’s head but my roommate thought that was … [Read more...] about Halloween—Should We or Shouldn’t We?
Godliness and P90X
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ~ Paul, 1 Timothy 4:7-8 I’m always looking for ways to help stay in shape and fight the dreaded curse of pounds gained after a Baptist potluck. For the last ten weeks, I’ve been doing P90X, having borrowed it from my nephew who borrowed it from my brother. Granted I have not been diligent in sticking with the recommended diet, I can still honestly say, … [Read more...] about Godliness and P90X
You Might Be a Tongues-Speaker, If…
Back in August, Mike Leake (one of our contributors here) wrote a three-part series on his own blog about the pros and cons of spiritual gift testing (I link here to the third part, as it has its own links to the first two). One thing he mentioned that hit me with one of those “well, duh, why didn’t you ever think of it that way” moments, was the fact that when Paul wrote his letters to the churches of Corinth and Rome (the two letters where we find the most significant spiritual gifts listings), he wrote to two different churches in two different situations. That sounds straightforward … [Read more...] about You Might Be a Tongues-Speaker, If…
Trust and the Trustees of MBTS
The presidential search team at the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary plan on presenting Dr. Jason Allen as their nominee to be the next president of the institution. The process has raised the ire of some bloggers, one in particular who has now at least twice posted a list of trustee addresses (which are publically available) while encouraging others to write and express their displeasure. One of the main issues is the desire of the search team and trustees to keep details of meetings and other aspects of the search process in confidence. Part of the rally cry has been, “If you … [Read more...] about Trust and the Trustees of MBTS
The Words We Speak, the Moment We First See God
Back on February 12, I started a 27-sermon series teaching through the book of Hebrews, the most extensive expository set I’ve done at my present church. Twenty-five of these sermons are down, we have 2 to go…and I gotta say, I love Hebrews and I think it well worth the time for my church to spend the better part of the year absorbing the book, and its main theme: Jesus is greater than everything! For an upcoming young adult fellowship this Friday night, I spent some time today preparing a lesson to go along with Francis Chan’s DVD series (based on his book), Crazy Love. In the first … [Read more...] about The Words We Speak, the Moment We First See God
7 Reasons Why I Am Enthusiastically Using the Gospel Project
It’s about Jesus and the Bible. I think that’s enough said on that one. It’s theologically deep. Southern Baptists are a broad group. You won’t have any curriculum produced by anyone that represents the broad spectrum of theology. This is why the BF&M2000 is a “wide tent” in many areas. To present every side is overkill, to present a general gloss is shallow. This stretches us to ponder... It draws from a variety of sources throughout the church and church history. There’s a Simpson’s episode where the Simpsons end up in heaven…a heaven that is divided into different parts … [Read more...] about 7 Reasons Why I Am Enthusiastically Using the Gospel Project