“I prayed about it.” These common words can be both comforting and annoying. My wife and I have been in a transition time in recent months and have prayed for wisdom on every decision, every option. Sometimes, I feel like Abraham on his journey “to a land I will show you.” God isn’t giving us anything but day-by-day, step-by-step guidance. We should not make decisions without praying, seeking the guidance of God’s word, and being led by the Spirit. Praying about things is important in our walk with Christ. Still, there is a problem when we act as if saying “I prayed about it” or “After … [Read more...] about “I Prayed about It”
What’s Wrong with Us? Facing Our Problems
Few would argue that the American Evangelical church (or our convention) is in a golden period of health and vibrancy. There are healthy churches, of course, but overall, things are not good. The church is badly divided. Christ prayed that we would be one. Of course, we should not unite with false teachers, but church of Jesus Christ, those faithful to the gospel, is fractured contrary to Christ’s prayer. My dad traveled to well over 100 churches in a couple of years when he was doing Bible conferences and said that he could count on one hand those that were not badly divided. When we … [Read more...] about What’s Wrong with Us? Facing Our Problems
On the Annual Celebration of Christmas and Easter (Phillip Powers)
The Insatiable Desire of Christians for Scandal
There was quite a brouhaha on Christian Twitter over the holidays focusing on the scandal-mongering of Christian magazines. Christianity Today released its Top-20 news stories of the year , based on readership (online clicks, I think) and as you might imagine, the vast majority of these focused on scandals within the church - a good number of them on Southern Baptists and our troubles with sexual abuse. My article on giving standing ovations to men like Matt Chandler, which appeared here and then was carried there, made the list at #9 (yeah, it was a tough year for me so I'm bragging a … [Read more...] about The Insatiable Desire of Christians for Scandal
Pastor Jay’s Lists of Stuff You Should Know for #SBC23 in New Orleans
Once I knew the #SBC23 Annual Meeting was coming to New Orleans I immediately thought of assembling a list of things to taste, touch, smell, hear and see while messengers visit this most unique of American cities. The following "list of lists" is certainly not exhaustive but I believe it's a good start. I will likely tweak, add to, or otherwise update these groupings from time to time. I will also be Tweeting out individual portions of these lists from now until convention time. Also, be sure to take a look at the website NOBTS has put together as a resource for visitors. It is fantastic. … [Read more...] about Pastor Jay’s Lists of Stuff You Should Know for #SBC23 in New Orleans
Is Your Church a Friendly Church?
Some years ago, I served as the interim pastor of a county-seat First Baptist Church in Kentucky. One week I received a note from a woman who had visited our church. She told me that I was the only one who greeted her when she visited. Her note prompted two reactions in me. I was relieved that at least I had greeted her, but I felt dismayed that no one else had done so. In reaction, I shared this with the congregation both in a service and in the church newsletter. I encouraged them to greet all our church guests. Well, how well does your church do in welcoming guests? I discussed this with … [Read more...] about Is Your Church a Friendly Church?
Merry Christmas
The Winter Solstice Edition and why Miller and I are grouches and I’m a pagan
Today is the Winter Solstice, egad, 'the shortest day of the year' sayeth the pessimist. "Thank God! Days get longer from here on," sayeth the optimist. So, into the valley of death rides the intrepid old-school blogger tackling the hard issues with as little daylight as possible. I freely declare that I am a pagan, using the original sense etymologically of the word. I live in the country, a rustic. Proof positive is that I can see no neighbors from my house, not one, and none can see me. Hah! Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, of course, regularly invade my space and mess up my yard. … [Read more...] about The Winter Solstice Edition and why Miller and I are grouches and I’m a pagan
Non-Debatable Realities of Christmas
Here are the non-debatable, inarguable realities of Christmas. You may not agree. This is America. You have the right to be wrong! George C. Scott was Scrooge and other versions are vying for second place in "which is the best 'Christmas Carol'" discussions. He is the gold standard. Die Hard was an entertaining action movie set at a Christmas party. It is NOT a Christmas movie and only heretics, Gnostics, and liberals say it is. The Christmas classic "A Christmas Story" should have ended with the narrator, the adult Ralphie, appearing with an eye patch, after shooting his eye out … [Read more...] about Non-Debatable Realities of Christmas
He Understood Christmas
With all the foofaraw and hullaballoo of the Christmas season, do you ever wonder if people really understand what it’s all about? They celebrate frenetically but have little clue about the reality of Christmas. This is nothing new. Most people were oblivious to the birth of the Savior when it happened. The residents of Bethlehem, even those where Mary and Joseph sought refuge, could have had a front-row seat to the birth of the Messiah but were clueless. The intelligentsia of Israel was ignorant and blind. They didn’t even walk six miles to find out if the one they’d awaited for centuries was … [Read more...] about He Understood Christmas