SBC Voices

I got challenged to pour a bucket of ice water on my head today, to help raise awareness (and funds, I guess) for ALS research. I've never really known anyone who had ALS, other than public figures, but I am aware of the disease - any lifelong Yankee fan knows about Lou Gehrig and the disease named after him. It is a terrible disease. I get appeals all the time from the heart fund, the cancer society, Jerry Lewis, Wounded Warriors, Susan G. Komen, the March of Dimes, and the Children's Miracle Network. They are all, I'm sure, worthy charities. There are hundreds of charities making hundreds … [Read more...] about Ice Buckets, Charity and Choices

You are in a desert wasteland. You haven’t eaten food in days. The last time  you had a drink of water was two days ago. You are parched and your stomach is screaming at you. You don’t know when your next meal or drink will be coming. In the distance you see Monty Hall and boy does he have a sweet deal for you. With the sun beating down on you and sapping what remaining strength you have, you crawl to him. He tells you about the beautiful prize that could be yours. It’s a lifetime supply of the most amazing food that you’ll ever eat. Any restaurant will serve you any food that you want … [Read more...] about Would You Make This Deal?

What Fathers and Mothers Need to Know About Ferguson Psalm 78:5-7 By William Dwight McKissic, Sr. On Saturday, August 9, about 2:15 p.m., a shooting took place in Ferguson, Missouri, that will forever be etched on the collective psyches of all Americans. Ferguson, Missouri, was not on the radar screen of most Americans until the news begin to circulate over the past several days, that yet another young African American male had been shot and killed by a police officer. Complete facts and details surrounding the young man’s death are still largely unknown. But what is known has triggered … [Read more...] about What Fathers and Mothers Need to Know about Ferguson (William Dwight McKissic, Sr.)

I was invited to a back to school celebration this week.  The keynote speaker, Dr Draper (not that Dr. Draper) shared with us that we need to be positive when we talk about schools. . . other schools.  He made the comment that most people in the US think that their schools are good, but every other school in the US is bad.  They say that the schools in general in this country are failing, but their school is doing better. Wow, he could have been talking about the church.  We say how broken the American church is, but our church is different.  Ours is ok and doing the right things, but in … [Read more...] about Maybe We Should be More Positive

JP Williams is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Archie, MO. He blogs at Believing Out Loud. In the wake of Robin Williams' death, this is a "letter" JP wrote to his best friend who committed suicide 20 years ago. Dear Alex, It has been about twenty years since we cut class. Man, was that ever a fun time. Running free. Hearts racing, hoping we didn’t get caught. Sure the Highway patrol was on the lookout for two truants. Guitar shopping. Blasting punk rock on that old Emerson boom box. Checking out the Concert Express catalog. Taco (sort-of) Bueno. We must have been a … [Read more...] about The Tears of a Clown (by JP Williams)

But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men…I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them." (Acts 5:34-35, 38b, ESV) Not every aspect of Gamaliel's counsel is applicable in the concept of a just blog-war. I have provided his quote in order simply to … [Read more...] about Just Blog-War Theory: We Believe in the Holy Spirit

William Thornton is the SBC Plodder The second of two parts on the perpetually discussed topic of pastor/staff search committees. You can't trust the committee and they can't trust you Let's see. A pastor/staff or prospective pastor/staff is a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, called into a lifetime of vocational Christian service, willing to follow Him wherever He calls. And a church search committee is presumably a group of highly dedicated Christians who are active in their local congregation giving generously of their time and money to worship and serve Christ. Right? You … [Read more...] about An Irreverent look at our pastor search process: part 2 (by William Thornton)

Heb. 6:19, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil..." (NKJV) Col. 1:27, "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (NKJV) 1 Cor. 6:19, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (NKJV)To hear that someone we thought of as a brother in the Lord---a pastor, a teacher of sound doctrine and a contender for the faith---has now … [Read more...] about Does Your Anchor Hold within the Veil (by Ken Hamrick)

There is blogging, and then there is war-blogging. Can the latter ever be appropriate? Is there a context and a manner in which war-blogging can be done Christianly, or have we met here with a contradiction in terms? A definition might be in order: I'll define war-blogging as blogging which transpires with the zealous aim to force specific parties or points of view to yield. Permit me to highlight what I think are some significant words in that definition: zealousIt is not war-blogging if you are not blogging with zeal. If it matters little to you and you are prepared to step away from … [Read more...] about Toward a Just Blog War Theory