This post first appeared on my blog ThrowAwayEverything but I thought you might enjoy it also. -AR Yesterday the British paper The Daily Mail published a story about a California doctor who announced he has a LASIK-like laser eye machine that can be used to permanently turn brown eyes blue. There are many people in heaven who are praising God that such technology did not exist in Amy Carmichael's day. Amy grew up in Northern Ireland in the late 1860s and '70s. She was a beautiful girl with dark hair and brown eyes. All her young life all she really wanted though were blue eyes. Her … [Read more...] about Don’t Tell Amy Carmichael
How Many Bags, Mr. Missionary?
Travel, as any missionary will tell you, is a key part of life. My sister says that travel is what makes my life complicated. To hear her tell it, it takes a 45 minute drive to the airport, two flights with a layover, 30 minutes in a taxi, a bus ride, and short jaunt by donkey just to get to my house. My response is that there are no donkeys involved and that once you arrive at our house life is pretty normal, assuming you consider gutting your own chickens to be normal. Of course, I could point out she is being egocentric and we could say that in fact it takes all those things just to get … [Read more...] about How Many Bags, Mr. Missionary?
State Convention Meeting Forum
I'm leaving tomorrow to head to the Baptist Convention of Iowa Annual Meeting. Our meetings are almost always completely free of tension and drama of any kind. How about yours? If you attended your state convention meeting this year, tell us about it. This is pretty much an open forum for state convention related discussions. … [Read more...] about State Convention Meeting Forum
Latest Research Backs up Bible about Booze (by David Worley)
(David Worley, "Volfan007" is a frequent commenter here and sent me this today. I know this is a hot-button topic and David never shades his views on things! But this is new information about a new study, so here it is. I'm guessing this should be a lively discussion. It is absolutely important that we not ridicule David for his silly position - I'm talking about the support of the Tennessee Volunteers, of course.) I don't know if yall have heard the latest study about alcohol, or not; but it's not very conducive to the moderationists position. Only the tee-totallers will rejoice in this … [Read more...] about Latest Research Backs up Bible about Booze (by David Worley)
Trevin Wax’s Insights on the SBC Name Change
Is anyone tired of the discussion of the name change for the SBC? I am often amused by comments in which people express weariness of the discussions of certain topics. But I watch the statistics on this blog. In spite of what people say, there is a nearly unquenchable thirst for discussion of certain topics - Calvinism, alchohol, the GCR, whatever. What we sometimes run out of is fresh insights and we end up rehashing the same arguments over and over. Statistics would demonstrate that Southern Baptists care a lot about the issue of the name change. But I think we've been rehashing a … [Read more...] about Trevin Wax’s Insights on the SBC Name Change
It’s About Lives Changed, Not Churches Built!
When I left Cedar Rapids in 2005, after more than 14 years of ministry at my church there, it was a huge shock. I thought that I would one day retire as the pastor of that church and I used to tell people that my goal in ministry was to leave one solid church behind that would be my spiritual legacy. God showed me that this was not his will and I didn't understand it. We were settled in Cedar Rapids, happy in Cedar Rapids. Why did God move us? As time went on, I began to realize some reasons that God might have moved us across the state of Iowa to Southern Hills Baptist Church. The … [Read more...] about It’s About Lives Changed, Not Churches Built!
Where the 10 Commandments Belong
As I was driving to the office this morning, I heard a snip-it from Adrian Rogers. He said that God gave the Ten Commandments to families, and he talked about the commandment to fathers to teach it to your children. It really resonated with me, I agree. It seems like we want God to touch our nation. God isn't going to touch the nation, He is going to touch people, and we have the responsibility from there. The 10 Commandments don't belong in the Courthouse, they belong in your house. They don't belong in the classroom, they belong in the bedroom. The commands of God, his statues and … [Read more...] about Where the 10 Commandments Belong
We Do Missions Right!
Here's an article I was honored to have published in the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions section of "The Alabama Baptist" this past week. Alabama is not the largest state convention, nor are we the richest state convention. However, we lead all states in both total Cooperative Program giving and per capita Cooperative Program giving. In contrast to the growing popularity of many other missions giving paradigms, the Cooperative Program is a tried and true avenue for supporting the Great Commission. May we continue to do missions right! In 1988, when Kentucky Fried Chicken said, … [Read more...] about We Do Missions Right!
“Who Told You You Were Naked?”
One of the most discouraging aspects of battling a deeply-internalized sexual issue or other commanding presence of repetitive sin is that, even after you face it, fight it, and deprive it, something in that deep-internal goes right back to work to revive it. You choke it, pound it, bury it, surrender it and then, before you know it, you're back under it. You toss it out the window on your journey to freedom and about the time you peek in the rear-view mirror, it's splatting on the windshield. I've heard of . . . and would like to shake the hand of -- some people who faced-down the … [Read more...] about “Who Told You You Were Naked?”
Let’s talk crazy for a moment
I'm sitting here, perusing the Baptist Press article regarding NAMB President Kevin Ezell's goal of seeing 55,901 Southern Baptist congregations by the end of 2020. Especially telling is the closing paragraph of that article, which gives us this information: Ezell said within the Southern Baptist Convention in 1900 in America, there was one SBC church for every 3,900 people. Today, there is one SBC church for every 6,700. In Mississippi, there is one SBC congregation for every 1,400 people. In Canada, there is one congregation for every 124,000; in New Jersey, one congregation for every … [Read more...] about Let’s talk crazy for a moment