I am a pretty passionate sports fan and will admit, I've got a long way to go before my athletic passions can be considered sanctified, so this may fall squarely in the category of hypocrisy, but I am growing increasingly weary of the tendency of sports fans to blame the refs for every loss. I am certainly not above complaining about bad calls. The best player in baseball (comments about Shohei Otani will be summarily deleted) is Aaron Judge, and for some reason, umpires call strikes on him repeatedly that are balls. This is not an opinion. The pitch tracking computers have demonstrated … [Read more...] about Enough with “The Game Was Rigged”
Which Way Will We Go? The SBC’s Problem with Women
We, in the SBC, have a problem with women. We are a complementarian convention and that will always anger many. I believe the Bible teaches that men and women are different and that men have certain leadership roles granted to them by the Creator. This offends egalitarians but I do not apologize for what I believe God's word teaches. I also believe that some are seeking to take us beyond what the Bible teaches. Some, though, are seeking to use scare tactics, using the loud voices of men like Rick Warren and a minuscule few female pastors among us, to get us to overreact and accept their … [Read more...] about Which Way Will We Go? The SBC’s Problem with Women
Yes, this could be considered ‘piling on’ the beleaguered SBC Executive Committee
Here are some questions from an admitted and certified cynic on matters concerning the SBC Executive Committee: When will any present or former EC member or staff member admit that the vote to open themselves up to the Madison Avenue law firm was a mistake? Is the EC still on the hook for legal expenses not only against their own actions but any that arise from litigation against that Madision Avenue law firm? Shouldn't the EC find a lawyer to be CEO, since (a) they didn't like their first candidate, a pastor; (b) they got skewered over the next guy and presumed front-runner who had … [Read more...] about Yes, this could be considered ‘piling on’ the beleaguered SBC Executive Committee
Varied and Vacuous Opinions and Observations*
*This is a rebranding of Dr. Terry's popular "Scatter Shooting" series. Wondering, while writing this, why there was a garbage truck (toy) in my bed this morning. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read—“Former Baby on Board.” I need one of those. Recently, I received an invitation to an informational luncheon on cremation. I thought, “Do they want me to schedule my cremation?” That invitation prompted me to think about cremation. My mother died while I was serving overseas as a missionary. When I returned for my mother’s funeral, my sisters told me they had her body cremated. … [Read more...] about Varied and Vacuous Opinions and Observations*
Christmas Memories from the Philippines
My wife and I served for many years as IMB missionaries in the Philippines. Christmas there begins in mid-October and continues through the Feast of the Three Kings in mid-January. We arrived in Davao City in the southern Philippines in 1976. Like all new missionaries, we had to learn the language (Cebuano) and the culture. Christmas brought with it a whole set of customs for us to learn. Of course, we had to learn a new climate (tropical), too. On our first Christmas in Davao, friends invited us for a picnic on the beach. We enjoyed the day, but the whole idea seemed strange. One of my … [Read more...] about Christmas Memories from the Philippines
Scatter Shooting, Part 10
Scatter shooting, while wondering if leisure suits will make a comeback. (asking for a friend) We need to pray for my friend, classmate, and former pastor Steve Gaines, the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. He’s been diagnosed with kidney cancer. The disease must be advanced because he will consult with doctors at the M D Anderson Clinic in Houston. My career as a football pundit was short-lived. After Alabama lost to Texas in week 2, I wrote them off. They’ve won every game since, including an amazing win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alabama won the game on a last-second … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 10
Senegal Bound – and Asking for Prayer
When this posts, if all goes well, and God blesses, I will be on the Omaha to Atlanta leg of my trip fourteenth trip to Senegal, West Africa. In January of 2015, I traveled there for the first time with Bart Barber and felt conflicting emotions. I wanted to leave and go home almost every moment I was there. I was filled with fear, stress, and anxiety in so many ways. I also sensed that God was drawing me to be involved in that ministry on a long-term basis. I've been there twice almost every year (there was that little COVID thing), ministering to an unengaged, unreached people group, working … [Read more...] about Senegal Bound – and Asking for Prayer
Reasons Complementarian Believers Can Support Women Teaching in Certain Mixed-Gender Church Contexts
There are plenty of reasons to not be on Twitter these days. But here's something you may have missed this weekend that is worth your time. Andrew Hébert posted an excellent essay arguing for supporting women teaching in some mixed-gender settings in the church. Two reasons I thought this was worth highlighting as a post for our readers: First, this is a pressing question for the SBC right now as a vocal group seems intent on limiting women's leadership roles severely. Second, my interest is in commending women to use their gifts freely and without fear within a biblical framework, which I … [Read more...] about Reasons Complementarian Believers Can Support Women Teaching in Certain Mixed-Gender Church Contexts
I Am Thankful for the Southern Baptist Convention
I have been attending a Southern Baptist Church since 9 months before I was born, and I've been a member of one since I was baptized in February of 1964, holding membership at churches in Iowa, Georgia, Taiwan, Florida, Texas, and now Nebraska. When my ministry in Sioux City ended I immediately began preaching at a Nebraska church that was loosely affiliated with the American Baptist Churches (we were guests at the convention last year, not messengers - it felt weird!), but was exploring affiliation with the SBC. The same day they voted to seek affiliation with the SBC, Jenni and I … [Read more...] about I Am Thankful for the Southern Baptist Convention
Which Is Your Favorite Devotional Book?
Some years ago, while serving with the IMB in the Philippines, the IMB’s Regional Leader, Bill Wakefield, came for a visit. Our mission administrator asked me to serve as his driver and translator. So, I drove him where he wanted to go, and I interpreted for him in Cebuano as necessary. As we drove along, I asked what I could do to keep my daily devotional time fresh. Bill advised me to read a different daily devotional book each year. He meant that I should read a book with a daily devotional thought and Scripture reading. That seemed like a good idea to me, and I began to do that. I’m glad … [Read more...] about Which Is Your Favorite Devotional Book?