Much of the SBC world is still reeling this morning from the news that Executive Committee President Frank Page resigned yesterday due to moral failure. I won't rehash the details here, but you can read Dave Miller's post from yesterday here. It includes a link to the Baptist Press story. I love the great hymn Come Thou Fount. The whole song is great, but I have some favorite lines. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above Those are the words in my mind and on my heart today. If Frank Page can … [Read more...] about Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Devotional Posts
How Toys ‘R Us Made My Kid Hate Toy Stores, and How He Learned to Love Them Again
This past week, I went with my family on a little vacation. We drove to the North Georgia mountains and then on to North Carolina. We were in search of mountain trails, beautiful vistas, and majestic waterfalls. Our first stop was in Helen, Georgia for the afternoon and evening before we picked out our two oldest sons on a youth trip in the mountains. Helen is a German-style touristy town with a lot of neat shops and attractions. As we were walking down the street, we saw a toy store and mentioned to our 12 year old son that we should go in. "I don't want to go in a toy store. That's … [Read more...] about How Toys ‘R Us Made My Kid Hate Toy Stores, and How He Learned to Love Them Again
A Greek guide for the book of Luke and a FREEBIE too!
How's your Greek? I've got a book review as well as a freebie that might peak your interest. Christmas will be here before you know it, and taking the effort to work through the Greek text of the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke might help kickstart a habit that will bless you and your ministry for years to come. And if you need a recommendation to get you started, look no further than the volume on Luke in the Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (EGGNT) series. In the interest of full disclosure, I asked Broadman and Holman to bring Christmas to me early this year by … [Read more...] about A Greek guide for the book of Luke and a FREEBIE too!
To The Fields! by Julian Wells
Editor's Note: Julian is a layman who has taught Sunday School in various Southern Baptist churches for the past 20 years. The article originally appeared at his personal site, Ridgetop Reflections, as a part of a series of posts. “When he saw the crowds. he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:36-38 NIV) My wife recently purchased a stalk of cotton, … [Read more...] about To The Fields! by Julian Wells
Jesus, the Sojourning Savior
Luke 9:57-58 "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” My phone rang yesterday and I saw an unfamiliar, out of state number. I answered and a foreign voice was on the other end. "May I speak to Alan Cross?" The accent seemed Middle Eastern? African? I could not place it. A bit nervously, I answered, "This is he." He told me his name was Charles and someone gave him my phone number and knew I was an Evangelical that worked with … [Read more...] about Jesus, the Sojourning Savior
O Little Town of Bethlehem (a Christmas meditation)
O little town of Bethlehem How still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight The song O Little Town of Bethlehem speaks to the great thing that came out of seeming insignificance. This is the very thing that happened with the birth of Jesus. When God sent his Son into the world to be our Savior-King, he chose insignificance. Yes, for Jesus to be a descendant of David, he had to be born to one of David’s relatives. We get this in both … [Read more...] about O Little Town of Bethlehem (a Christmas meditation)
Holy and Blameless
It can happen to us all. We come to faith in Jesus and experience the joys of salvation, ready and eager to do what we can to serve others and share about the love we have experienced. And then we hear the voices, the crippling accusations. God could never use a person who has done the things you have. If they only knew what really went on in your mind, they would never accept you. You will never truly be good enough for God. And so those first tastes of joy begin to turn sour in our mouths. We pull back from serving. We keep quiet about the gospel. We neglect the relationships that … [Read more...] about Holy and Blameless
The Christian and the Arts
The Christian should be the person who is alive, whose imagination absolutely boils, which moves…because God made us to be creative. ~ Francis Schaeffer, He Is There and He Is Not Silent I love writing stories. Ever since I was a little kid I would make up characters and play out a portion of their lives through pencil on paper. Even if I wasn’t writing stories, I would take my Legos and build different universes with different people and creatures and act out their stories within the jungle of the carpet. Still today I’ll write stories in my free time—a hobby, a way to de-stress, and a way … [Read more...] about The Christian and the Arts
The Nearsighted King
Reigning between Ahaz his father and Manasseh his son, Hezekiah was a good king of Judah who sought God and worked to turn the hearts of the people back to the One True God after years of chasing idols. Yet later in his life, Hezekiah blundered in pride and the result was a nearsightedness that failed to have care for the future generations so long as things went well in his time. Isaiah 39 records how, after the king’s near death and recovery, an envoy from Babylon came bearing gifts. Babylon was a growing empire that would in time take down Assyria and for their season become the most … [Read more...] about The Nearsighted King
The Cross and the Empty Grave (a meditation for Good Friday and Easter)
…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. ~ Paul, Philippians 3:10 At the heart of Christianity is a cross and an empty grave. Everything else centers around these two experiences of Jesus. The cross was the aim of Jesus’ time on earth. In the beginning God created us in his image, but it didn’t take long for us to rebel against the One whose image we bear and strike our own path. Deceived by Satan, yet culpable for our own actions, we chose to reject God’s goodness for that of the enemy. We drew our battle lines and … [Read more...] about The Cross and the Empty Grave (a meditation for Good Friday and Easter)