I happen to know that Dave is back home in Iowa at this very moment as I am composing this post because I saw it on Facebook. I for one am glad to see him back in the states and ready (I hope) to resume his regular place as editor in chief of our crazy corner of the blogosphere. It is a relief to be close to being relieved of duty once again. I frankly don't know how Dave manages to do all that he does for this blog on a daily and weekly basis. I imagine that I will wander around in the background once again trying to remain inconspicuous and occasionally cleaning out the spam comments … [Read more...] about I’m Relieved
Being a Pastor’s Pastor
I gained a new-found respect for one of my mentors last week. Ronnie Rogers, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church (Norman, OK), came into the blogosphere limelight this past week in a way I know he didn’t expect. Recently he wrote a book detailing his journey away from Calvinism. Our friends at sbctoday posted a chapter from his book as well as an interview he gave. But I don’t want to talk in this post about his book or Calvinism at all… Instead, seeing the interview made me remember a sad truth—it had been way to long since I had spoken with Ronnie to encourage him as my mentor. You … [Read more...] about Being a Pastor’s Pastor
The Deputy Ain’t Perfect
I know that this goes without saying, but I am not perfect. In trying to keep up with three posts a day as Dave prefers, I published a post earlier that some have questioned. It was from one of our contributors who usually writes thoughtful posts about issues that I think are important to address. I didn't read the post fully before scheduling it. After it went live, I received some feedback regarding the nature of the post and whether this blog was the place for it to be given a voice. We work hard not to censor our contributors here, but the writer wishes to withdraw the post rather … [Read more...] about The Deputy Ain’t Perfect
Grace for the Little Things
It was an easy task. At least it should have been. Yet, if you ask my wife why our garbage disposal leaks she can quickly point the finger to the time that I took the whole thing apart, breaking the seals, and everything to “fix it”. No need for a professional or an expert. I’m a husband AND I’ve stayed at a Holiday Inn. Even though I have no idea how a garbage disposal works I’m pretty certain that its not a big deal and I’ll figure it out as I go along. After all how hard can it really be to get my garbage disposal to stop sounding like a pterodactyl giving birth? Had it been … [Read more...] about Grace for the Little Things
A Very “Moving” Devotional
Exodus 13:21-22 says: And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people (ESV). The lesson here is an obvious one. The Lord will not leave his own. Those He deals with favorably He defends. He liberates, redeems, and He surrounds. They will not wander aimlessly (see next chapter's opening verses). If you are a believer, you are hemmed in by God's mercy. You are … [Read more...] about A Very “Moving” Devotional
Needed: Conviction Above Procedure
Todd Littleton blogs at The Edge of the Inside. He wrote a four part series reflecting on the 2012 SBC Annual Meeting through the lens of offering his first ever motion on the floor of the SBC and its demise as Ruled Out of Order. While the nexus of his thoughts turn on a singular incident, Todd finds it illustrative for what ails us. Rather than post these in series form, Todd offers them as stand alone posts. His first post on the subject ran here at Voices and Part 2 here. Maybe what he offers is a Minority Report or as his chosen website title indicates, a perspective from the Edge. I … [Read more...] about Needed: Conviction Above Procedure
Innoculated Christianity
A few years ago, I preached a sermon with this title. Lately, I have been thinking more about this. I have been reading a lot of blogs discussing what is wrong with the modern church and what we can do to fix it, and I think one of the problems that is the most troubling is the phenomena of inoculated Christians. Let me explain what I mean by the term so we have something to work with. The type of inoculation I am speaking of is a reference to the process of "immunizing" against a more serious threat. The dictionary definition is something like this: to introduce immunologically active … [Read more...] about Innoculated Christianity
Outdone by the World
By now, most of us are familiar with the overall situation that has occurred at Penn State University. To sum up, a sexual predator was found out, covered up, and enabled across quite a few years. This was done in an effort to protect the overall reputation of the institution and of specific individuals related to the school. Money, power, and entertainment were also a factor. Now that has all unraveled and legacies have been tarnished, one criminal is headed to prison, additional trials await, and the school and community are a wreck. Added to all of this has come the next blow: the NCAA, … [Read more...] about Outdone by the World
How Much Does Culture Sour the Mix?
One of my new ventures is in the area of church planting. Here in Iowa, we have a lot of rural communities that are low population density, but have a lot of corn or soybeans or a combination of both. The question then arises, how do we plant a church where there are more cows than people and little land that isn't used for farming? Doesn't seem real practical to buy land and build a building. Once I started thinking about it, who's idea is the "buy and land and build a building" model anyway? Now don't hear what I am not saying (cause that never happens). There is a TON of value in … [Read more...] about How Much Does Culture Sour the Mix?
A Funny Thing Happened…
I’m free! Well, almost. I just finished up six weeks of walking around with an incapacitated right hand due to a tiny little stress fracture in my wrist. I’m working on getting my range of motion and strength back, but if feels so good… In a culture dependent on typing, and a job dependent on writing—when you’re one hand down, and the dominant hand at that, it’s really no fun. I had broken this same wrist 20 years ago, when I was 12. But then I had mom and dad around to help button shirts, do dishes, walk the dog, etc. And I really didn’t have to worry about typing and all this writing. … [Read more...] about A Funny Thing Happened…