Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. (NIV) The work of a pastor/elder/overseer is a noble task. Always has been. Is now. Always will be. Better paying and more prestigious clergy and church related tasks may abound. We have coaches, consultants, marketing experts, catalysts, specialists, and strategists. […]
There Is No Camel (Bill McKinnon)
Since Donald Trump announced his intention to run for president in June of 2015, a lot of people have wondered at Trump’s popularity among evangelical Christians. A man with Trump’s well documented moral failings seems an unlikely choice for a community that railed unrelentingly against Bill Clinton for his moral failures. But evangelical support has, […]
Still Thin-skinned after All These Years
Credit for this post goes to a friend who, weathering some storms in ministry, recently asked me, “What does it take to grow a thick skin?” I’m basically setting forth my reply in writing, with some added material that comes from having had several days to reflect upon what I said. The way I weather […]
No one is better than Southern Baptists at slogans, titles, and labels
Southern Seminary is now “Trusted for Truth“. Leaving Southeastern and others to be trusted for, what, something less than truth? Well, Al has that alliteration going for him. Southeastern is the original Great Commission Seminary, probably the better branding. I do hope seminaries stay as “seminaries,” seed beds for ministers, pastors, and religious leaders. Or, […]
BOOKS: What is a Girl Worth? & How Much is a Little Girl Worth?
Note: Scott was on the pre-release reading and review group for Rachael Denhollander’s books. However, they just released this week to the public, and they are well worth us bumping his review back to the top. Both were available, at last check, from Lifeway as well as other booksellers. I have just finished two […]
Late Summer Musings
Here are some things I’ve mused about this summer. Chris Babbler is an announcer on KRLD radio in Dallas. Every time I hear him I think he should have become a preacher. Mid-America Baptist Seminary in Memphis (alma mater of William Thornton) has named Dr. Lee Brand, an African-American, to serve as academic dean. Certainly, […]
Politics is such fun: The Great Democratic Debate, Count ’em…10.
Who’s to say that we can’t have some fun every now and again? Politics is a spectator sport and this is the political Cirque du la Comedie. _________________ Biden: Ol’ bloody side-eye himself. Can he run the long race without stumbling? Well, not so far. He’s going to overshadow Gerald Ford’s reputation for bumbling and […]
What’s in a Name?
About twenty years ago, Dr. Ed Stetzer and I worked on a church plant on the east side of Louisville, Kentucky. As the planning progressed, Ed asked me what we should name the church. I suggested Eastside Baptist Tabernacle. He rejected that immediately, and I believe he settled on River Oaks Community Church. The church […]
Loneliness, Despair, Fear: So You Wanted to Be a Pastor?
Next summer will mark the 40th anniversary of my first paid ministry job and I consider it an honor to have been called to the service of the Savior, to have drawn my income from ministry for nearly four decades. I wouldn’t do anything else. The privilege of proclaiming God’s word to people, of telling […]
Oops, I did it again…
My buddies here sometimes ridicule me for my technological prowess…or lack thereof. I just did it again. I was scheduling a post by Mark Terry for Friday and I hit publish by accident. If you get our notifications, you got one, then the post disappeared. It will reappear ON SCHEDULE Friday morning. I did the […]
I Hate Alcohol
Permit me to state some facts before I begin my rant. I am a lifelong teetotaler. My only experiences with alcohol have been medicinal or accidental. I have never purposely taken a drink. I was raised that way and I have no desire to live any other way. I am not a prohibitionist. I believe […]
In both the SEC and the SBC the rich get richer…
…and the poorer schools get no top level recruits; the smaller churches lose solid members. And ain’t we got fun, so the song goes. Well, no we ain’t got much fun if our team has little chance to win against one of the SEC rich powerhouses and, worse, it’s no fun at all for the […]