A Story It was a not-uncommon snowy day in Cedar Rapids a decade ago. Several inches had piled up on the streets and the snow plows had not yet cleared First Avenue. I am a legend in my own mind at snow-driving, loving to slip-slide my way through snowy streets. I drove a small, rear-wheel-drive truck, which is about as bad as it gets in the snow. But I'd learned to handle it and I seldom let snow slow me down. I got frustrated when I got behind a real slow-poke. I mean, this lady was going no more than 10 to 15 MPH. The right lane had been informally plowed by the cars driving down the … [Read more...] about Can We Profit By Discussing Calvinism on Blogs?
Choosing Sides
Editor: This was originally published at sbcIMPACT on June 30, 2009. David gave me permission to republish it here. It is amazing to me how currently this 3-year-old post is! It is human nature to choose sides. All of us do it all of the time. We choose: between good guys and bad guys; between those with white hats and those with black hats; between red-blooded Americans and everybody else; between Republicans and Democrats; between the Moral Majority and the Immoral Minority; between Baptists and those of other denominations; between Conservatives and Liberals; or—if you please—between … [Read more...] about Choosing Sides
The Prayers I Could Have Prayed
When I was a child, I learned to pray from watching my Dad. Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this day, thank you for this food. In Jesus’ name, Amen. That was the standard blessing he offered at supper, nightly, sometimes mumbling it into his beard after a long, exhausting day. He meant every word of it, no matter how routinely identical the words were. As I matured into adolescent immaturity, I began to notice how he prayed at other times. Our Father, in the name of Jesus we come to you humbly… He prayed sitting in church, standing in Bible studies, hunched over on the edge of my … [Read more...] about The Prayers I Could Have Prayed
Count Me a Little Annoyed: Paul Ryan Should be the Presidential Candidate!
Sorry, I drove all night to get home from Cedarville, so maybe I'm a little grumpy. But I just wish Ryan had run for president! He has the kind of budgetary sense the US needs. If you want to talk politics, here it is. Just be nice. Remember, I'm grumpy. … [Read more...] about Count Me a Little Annoyed: Paul Ryan Should be the Presidential Candidate!
Nathan Finn Calls Attention to the Pseudo-History of Barton or, Is This the Consequence of the Marriage for which Dr. Land Called? (by Todd Littleton)
Editor: This post originally appeared at Todd Littleton's blog, "Edge of the Inside." I am predicting a lively debate! Play nice boys and girls, as I am on my way to Cedarville to deposit my daughter for her sophomore year. I recall a conversation on politics last year. We stood in the hallway while others carried boxes of food to folks in need. She was lecturing me on American History. All she knew she learned at a series of events at a gun range. I don’t even recall the book in her hand except that she constantly referenced my need to read it. She came for a box of food but would save her … [Read more...] about Nathan Finn Calls Attention to the Pseudo-History of Barton or, Is This the Consequence of the Marriage for which Dr. Land Called? (by Todd Littleton)
Mustache Coaches and Pastoral Identity
100 stinking push ups. That’s what one of my coaches in High School made me do because I called him Kareem Abdul (insert his last name). Apparently, I should have called him Kareem Abdul COACH (insert his last name). He clearly derived his identity as “coach”, even down to his early 90’s coach mustache. So, a mouthy freshman teasing him about his less-than-stellar hook shots must have insulted his identity a little too much. So he figured making the scrawny kid do a hundred girly looking push-ups ought to teach me to respect not only his ‘stache and his hook shots but also his identity … [Read more...] about Mustache Coaches and Pastoral Identity
The Gamaliel Solution: A Way Forward in the Calvinism Wars?
In the story recorded in Acts 5, the Sanhedrin was furious and bloodthirsty. In defiance of the Council's command the Apostles continued to proclaim Christ and that set them off. Called before this intimidating body, Peter was anything but timid. He called them to account for the death of Jesus, proclaimed the resurrection and announced his intentions to obey God rather than to cower before them. This insolence infuriated them and they were determined to squash that annoying sect. Enter Gamaliel. He was one of the more influential teachers and leaders in Jewish history, even being quoted in … [Read more...] about The Gamaliel Solution: A Way Forward in the Calvinism Wars?
Can We Please Stop the Fighting? (by Alan Cross)
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. - 1 Corinthians 1:10 Can Baptists talk about anything except for Calvinism/Non-Calvinism these days? Why is this happening? I have never seen the Baptist Blogosphere this bad. I mean it. And, I've been around from the beginning back in 2005. This is the worst that it has ever been. All sides are warring and everything becomes a fight and we are willing to destroy other people to prove a … [Read more...] about Can We Please Stop the Fighting? (by Alan Cross)
Loving our Enemies: A Matthew 5:44 Challenge
We spend a lot of time on blogs arguing over issues that exist within the gray areas of theology - doctrines that folks who love God and love his Word have disagreed about for centuries. But there are some issues that are absolute and clear in the Bible, but are often simply ignored. Too many disregard the clear teachings while we obsessively dipute the gray areas. I'm asking you to consider one of the clear teachings of the Bible today - a common and consistent theme in the words of Jesus and the writings of the Apostles. Let's look back to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the … [Read more...] about Loving our Enemies: A Matthew 5:44 Challenge
Re-defining Success, by Jeff Christopherson
Jeff Christopherson is NAMB’s regional vice president for Canada and the Northeast. This excerpt is from his book Kingdom Matrix: Designing a Church for the Kingdom of God (Russell Media, 2012). Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to North American missions. We are grateful that Jeff shared this with us! This story, my story, changed my view of success. Allan and Helen Christopherson, married June 4, 1960, in Prince Albert. With only an eighth-grade education, Allan supported his young family cleaning beer storage tanks at Molson’s brewery. His salary package included only one … [Read more...] about Re-defining Success, by Jeff Christopherson