Some years ago when I arrived at a new pastorate, I was handed a health care “bill” by the financial secretary. She didn’t know what it was and left it to me to figure out. Seems my predecessor made some kind of arrangement with one of the lay members to enroll the member in a […]
The Rich and the Poor in James
James 2:5-7. “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? Yet you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into court? Don’t they blaspheme the […]
Pastoral Reflections on the ICE Raids in Mississippi (Adam Wyatt)
This past Wednesday, United States immigration authorities arrested 680 undocumented workers in Mississippi in what Mike Hurst—the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi—said was the “largest single state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.” As reports came in, it was apparent that this was something important. I live in Mississippi. I […]
Prayers for IMB August 12, 2019
Here are a couple of prayer requests from Uganda for you all to pray over today. Please pray Choice Church is effective in reaching the two areas of Kampala where they are working to spread the gospel. Pray for wisdom for pastor Alex and Sam. Pray we all at Choice Church mature in Christ. Please […]
The pastor and givers and why the SEC is the leading football conference
No suspense about why the SEC is the leading college football conference: money. The lowest paid head coach in the conference still makes more than $2 million annually. Some SEC assistant coaches make that much. My team, Georgia, will have no less than four assistant coaches making over one million dollars for the year if […]
Questions from the Voices Distinguished Chair of SBC Realism
By the grace of God and the tolerance of Dave Miller, I occupy the lofty heights of the SBC Voices Distinguished Chair of SBC Realism. Alas the chair is not endowed but I’m receptive to any offers. Here are a few questions for the SBC hoi polloi: Revitalization Church revitalization has been a buzzword and […]
Pastor, be neither bullied nor shamed in your preaching
There is nothing profound about this. You have a church and a pulpit. Use it to God’s glory. Sometimes events occur that demand your attention from the pulpit. The congregation looks to their pastor and church for a word from God in the midst of such events. I’m reading how every pulpit in the nation […]
Excellence in All Things
Last month my dear wife and I went on a cruise to Alaska with Dr. David Jeremiah. He preached great sermons, and the music was wonderful. The natural beauty of Alaska prompted us to praise the Creator and admire His handiwork. During one of his sermons, David Jeremiah said something that gave me pause: “At […]
Some thoughts about social media
I am currently on a social media hiatus. You could call it a detox. I realize that may sound strange since I am writing this article. I know blogging is a form of social media. But it’s really just Facebook and Twitter that I am breaking from for a while. Let me explain. I have […]
Prayers for IMB August 7, 2019
Wednesday is the day I typically post a set of prayer requests from our IMB team in Japan. Here are three of them, and for the rest of the week’s requests go to Beautiful Feet 10:15 Pray for Japanese Christians looking for community in Osaka. Pray that they would find healthy church homes where they can […]
A Resolution from Two Years Ago that Speaks to Our Present Reality
It’s not the time of year we would normally talk about resolutions. But I don’t think I ever posted this two years ago when our state convention passed it. Unanimously, by the way. This was months after the 2017 SBC when we ultimately passed a resolution condemning the Alt-right. Between the SBC’s actions in Phoenix […]
SBC Voices is BIASED: Some FAQ (FMC?) about SBC Voices
I do not deal with comments nearly as much as I used to, for several reasons – some noble and others not so much. In the “not so much” category, I find myself tiring of answering the same questions and responding to the same criticisms over and over again. So, I am putting together a […]