I'm typing this while watching Golden State vs. Portland in game 2, so please forgive me if an errant yessss!!!! finds its way into this post. It's been two months since I started this ministry with a Twitter feed. Since that time, I've been able to correspond with some awesome missionaries. One of those awesome missionaries (cue Jack Nicholson "Is there any other kind?") sent me some specific prayer requests this week. I'm withholding the country and the name to be extra cautious about security. Please pray for 2 sets of their neighbors. Both sets of their neighbors are … [Read more...] about Prayers for IMB May 17, 2019
Prayers for IMB May 15, 2019
One of our missionaries has put together a prayer guide for Ramadan. This 30 day prayer guide details how we can pray for Muslim during one of their most holy periods. I'll share today's prayer guide, and if you'd like the entire document, email me at JonesTonyL@yahoo.com. For more IMB prayer requests go to Prayers for IMB Missiological Terminology: Animism Animism is the belief that personal spiritual beings and impersonal spiritual forces have power over human affairs and, consequently, that human beings must discover what beings and forces are influencing them in order to determine … [Read more...] about Prayers for IMB May 15, 2019
Did you Know the Church in Iran is Exploding?
Did you know the church in Iran is exploding? I know, it came as a shock to me too, but it shouldn't ever come as a shock. The church has always grown when pressured. Desiring God posted an article about the church in Iran here. If you don't have time to read the article, allow me a quick summary. The church in Iran is exploding for several reasons. the number one reason is the failure of the Islamic state to deliver on its promises. When the Mullahs took over in 1979, one year before I was born, they promised opportunity and economic stability. Neither have come to pass. The next … [Read more...] about Did you Know the Church in Iran is Exploding?
Prayers for IMB Feature
The leadership here at Voices has asked if I would regularly post two or three prayer requests from our IMB missionaries. Prayers for IMB is not sponsored by the International Mission Board. The explanation of this ministry can be found in this post. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'll include two or three paragraphs of prayer requests from our missionaries, and will link back to Prayers for IMB where I list daily prayer requests that are not on the Twitter feed @PrayerforImb of the Facebook group with the same name. Nyungwe of Mozambique--After heavy rains in both Malawi and … [Read more...] about Prayers for IMB Feature
Stories From The Mission Field
With our church's recent emphasis on praying for our missionaries, we've been contacted by some IMB personnel about sharing their stories here. We received one such story this morning, and the following is my summary of their story. I'm keeping all names and countries private, even when the missionaries are in an open country. Security is a top priority. We were working with a mother and her daughter one afternoon, and a conversation showed us the typical mindset of the natives in our country. They were happy to talk about Jesus, but the mother said she would never go back to church. … [Read more...] about Stories From The Mission Field
Praying for IMB Missionaries: Lessons and Requests
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about praying for our International Missionaries. In the weeks since, I've learned more about our missionaries and their work, and have some more prayer requests to pass on to the voices community. First, I want to thank those of you who read my original post and responded with encouragement, and contact information for missionaries and their families. The IMB publishes a daily prayer bulletin, but it does not cover all requests. I've been able to connect directly with some of our missionaries and list their requests for prayer on the Twitter feed … [Read more...] about Praying for IMB Missionaries: Lessons and Requests
Praying for International Missionaries
We hosted a “Revive This Nation” student preach at our church three weeks ago. Pastor Omotayo is a PHd student working to get his Phd in Christian counseling. I would encourage every church to host a “Revive This Nation” preacher in March of 2020. It’s a great opportunity to encourage student preachers. The seminary matches up student preachers to smaller churches who cannot afford the expense of hosting a revival preacher. The seminary pays the travel expenses, and the host church is responsible for the lodging and food. That’s just a plug for the program. The reason for this post is … [Read more...] about Praying for International Missionaries
Another Aspect to the Sexual abuse Crisis
I've avoided giving my two cents about the Houston Chronicle article and its ensuing effects on our convention because I had nothing new to add to the conversation. Our leaders, and entities, the bylaws working group notwithstanding, have responded well. I have something to add to the conversation, something not being discussed. I'd like to begin with this question: are we setting our young ministers up for failure by giving them youth ministry positions? When I served in my first full-time position, the church went through three youth ministers in my four years. I was on staff … [Read more...] about Another Aspect to the Sexual abuse Crisis
The Rooney Rule and the SBC
In 2002, after the firing of head coaches Tony Dungy and Dennis Green, the NFL diversity committee crafted the Rooney rule. The rule requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for all head coaching and senior personnel positions. Has the rule worked? Today, there are only one Hispanic and two African American head coaches. There's a growing chorus of pundits who understand the problems with the Rooney Rule. The major obstacle to minority head coaching hires is a lack of offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinators--positions leading to head coaching … [Read more...] about The Rooney Rule and the SBC
Miscellaneous Tidbits from this Week
I'm trying to write at least one post per week. I know it's not required, but it's a habit I want to cultivate, and I'm appreciative of the group here at voices for allowing me to post some of my miscellaneous ramblings. I started writing this post earlier this week and was finding myself bereft of material. It was a slow week, but as good 'ol JR would say when a wrestler would interrupt the match of his pay-per-view opponent, "business has picked up." James McDonald has taken an indefinite leave of absence. You can find more particulars here. This is the third pastor, in recent … [Read more...] about Miscellaneous Tidbits from this Week