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International Prayer Emphasis Week

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We're in the midst of Internation Week of Prayer as promoted by the IMB and sister organizations.  Prayer, of course, is something we pursue year-round, yet it isn't a bad idea to set aside some time for a special emphasis on prayer for missions. The IMB compiled an 8-day prayer calendar, focusing on a specific people group or population type each day.  If you would like to see the week's calendar, check out this link.  At the bottom of the page you'll see the listing along with past days' topics.  Each item in the list links to a more in-depth look at the needs of each group. Today's … [Read more...] about International Prayer Emphasis Week

Jesus Loves Our Space Invaders

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I have a coffee mug (more a Mountain Dew mug since I’m not yet man enough to drink coffee) sitting on my desk.  It’s very special to me because of the artwork on it.  It has a heart, the letter I, something that looks like a dinosaur or maybe Vermont, I think some space invaders, a purple blob and an equals sign. I think it’s supposed to say “I love you daddy”.  But instead I think it says purple blob equals deformed dinosaur, I heart space invaders.  I’m confident the artwork on this will never be featured in the Louvre.  Let’s be honest the artwork is terrible.  You know my response … [Read more...] about Jesus Loves Our Space Invaders

If You Aren’t Happy in Your Ministry Position…Just Quit! (by Dr. David Manner)

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 Dr. David W. Manner is the Associate Executive Director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. He blogs at  http://kncsb.org/blogs/dmanner . You can follow him on Twitter:  @dwmanner.  No, don’t quit your ministry position...just quit doing or not doing those things that might be contributing to your discontent or the discontent of those to whom you are accountable to. If you aren't giving your best stuff to the place where God has you serving now and are saving it for where you are hoping He will call you next...why would He want to? When or if God chooses to call you … [Read more...] about If You Aren’t Happy in Your Ministry Position…Just Quit! (by Dr. David Manner)

Stuffed Baboon Reading Darwin

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Upon entering the office of the President of Southwestern Seminary, one finds to the immediate right a baboon hunted by Dr. Paige Patterson. Resting in the primate's hands is a copy of Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species." If you don't find this the least bit amusing, may I suggest that you get out more. After exiting the President's office, I walked down the hallway and noticed the portrait of one of my retired professors in the field of Biblical Backgrounds, who was open about his belief in evolution. I'm sure he must be pleased to know that Darwin's theories continue to enjoy … [Read more...] about Stuffed Baboon Reading Darwin

Is This What I Was Called For?

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Ever have those days when you think “am I really called for this?” Those days where everyone is a critic and no one is happy with anything you do, the messages seem to fall on deaf ears and people seem more concerned with the lighting and the volume of the music than with what the scripture is says. Have those moments? I am currently not serving in vocational ministry, and it leaves me heart broken some days. I know my calling, and I have shared it on here, so I'm not going to rehash all those things. There is bi-vocational work in my immediate future, and I feel blessed that God's calling on … [Read more...] about Is This What I Was Called For?

Christmas Preaching: What Do You Do?

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I'm in my Sunday School hour break - recuperating from the 8:30 service and readying for 11:00. I am between series right now (finished Proverbs and didn't want to start something new until after the holidays).  So, I preached a Christmas-themed sermon today. That means I will probably preach 4 Christmas sermons during this year - it's not easy to keep that many sermons fresh and free of sappy sentimentality. I have often said that the reason pastors move from church to church is that they run out of fresh ideas for Christmas. I was at my last church 14 Christmases, and this is my 8th … [Read more...] about Christmas Preaching: What Do You Do?

A Hill On Which To Live

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Earlier this week, it was my pleasure to visit the campus of Southwestern Seminary for the first time in many years. Not certain what to expect, I came away pleasantly surprised and profoundly impressed with the tremendous progress being made at my alma mater. Allow me to highlight just a few areas where God's Hand is clearly at work: New Student Housing: Chad, a student from Georgia who read Scripture in Chapel, was kind enough to take me to dinner and show me the new student housing that is still being constructed in phases. Suffice it to say that the new units are attractive and … [Read more...] about A Hill On Which To Live

3 Reasons I’m Not a Fan of the “I Went to Heaven” Books

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Within the last couple of years I have had an influx of requests from publishers to read and review a host of “I went to heaven” books.  The more popular varieties of these books have often led many within our congregation to ask whether or not I’ve read these books and what I thought. I’ll start out by saying that more than likely I have not read the books.  I’ve maybe skimmed a couple of them.  Before you criticize me, though, for dogging books that I haven’t read please hear me say that you don’t need to read the books to make these statements.  The very presence of the books is the … [Read more...] about 3 Reasons I’m Not a Fan of the “I Went to Heaven” Books