This prayer has made the rounds and just about every blog has weighed in. Here's your chance. Is this a light and funny moment in which, as Pastor Nelms said, he obeyed the biblical injunction to "in everything give thanks?" Or was this a sacrilege against Christ? Did this Baptist (I'm not sure if he is Southern Baptist - no evidence that he is) pastor seem more intent on seeking God or on entertaining the crowds? Is it appropriate to give thanks for your "smoking hot wife?" And is saying, "In Jesus' name, boogety-boogety-boogety" an appropriate close? I love humor. I love a good … [Read more...] about Best Prayer Ever? Or an Embarrassment? You Make the Call!
Baptist Boy Imbibes Can of Busch Water
I may have forever lost my chance to get a NAMB appointment this past week and I might have to turn in my Baptist credentials or something. I drank every drop of the contents of the can you see on the right here and I enjoyed doing it (I also took this photo in a Lutheran church so who knows what is happening to me). I am writing a little tongue-in-cheek, although some may take me too seriously to be sure. This little can of water got me thinking this past week. I would like to share some of those thoughts with you. There is often a great deal of discussion about alcohol on this blog … [Read more...] about Baptist Boy Imbibes Can of Busch Water
Note to Self: I Forgive You
I read recently of a man who "threw in the towel," so to speak. He gave up the good fight and surrendered to -- no, accepted -- as he might put it, his inner gayness . . . the "real me." He fought the fight for decades, perhaps not as well as he would have wanted to when in the midst of battle, too little pushing through and too much giving in, but clearly with the hope of overcoming. I don't doubt that, as I know you can search and cry out, even as you hide and act out. He had raised his family, served his church, built his career and, -- perhaps being generous here -- had been married for … [Read more...] about Note to Self: I Forgive You
The Norway Murders, Christian Fundamentalism, and Media Bias
It is crass to use a tragedy to buttress a political point, but it is a common tendency among politicians and theologians alike. While the numerical decline in the SBC can hardly be classified as a tragedy compared to events in Norway, the way that everyone has used the statistics to make their point is an example of this tendency. "Numbers are down so we have to seek new ways to relate to the culture." "Numbers are down so we have to go back to the traditional ways." When something bad occurs, we often want to use it make our point. The greater the tragedy, the more tawdry the instinct to … [Read more...] about The Norway Murders, Christian Fundamentalism, and Media Bias
Monday’s Ministry Musing: Post-Preaching Depression
Have you ever been mightily used by God, get a spiritual high, and then the next day feel like a schmuck? Have you ever been running on a spiritual high for quite some time only to be blown away by an equally crushing period of depression and dryness? If so then you might be experiencing Post-Preaching Depression; or as Archibald Hart has termed it, “Post-adrenaline Depression”. Hart describes it this way: “…what I was experiencing was a profound shutdown of my adrenal system, following a period of high stress or demand. It was as i my adrenal system were saying, “That’s enough abuse for now; … [Read more...] about Monday’s Ministry Musing: Post-Preaching Depression
You Know You Are in a Cultural Meltdown When…
I read a post by Laura Ingraham that was a tease for a new book she is writing. She listed several signs we are in a cultural meltdown: When our kids know more about the Kardashians than the Constitution-- When Ke$ha's "Get Sleazy" tour becomes the favorite summer stop for the tween set-- When grown men share their girlfriends' concealer and eyeliner-- When parents name their children after appliances, fruits, numbers, and one of the five boroughs of New York-- When people nurture their virtual crops on Farmville while subsisting on Lucky Charms in their parents' basements-- I … [Read more...] about You Know You Are in a Cultural Meltdown When…
My Personal Conviction: I Will Not Negotiate Salary with my Churches
After the compensation study we have been discussing, I decided to edit and reprint an article I published here in December. Let me be clear, I am stating MY CONVICTIONS. While I believe they have a biblical basis, I am not trying to make them a universal demand for all. I got my first paycheck from a church in 1980, and have been in "full-time Christian ministry" for the last 30 years. I served as a youth pastor for five years in Tequesta, Florida, as a pastor for 4 years in Drakes Branch, Virginia, and am approaching my 20th year of ministry in Iowa - over 14 in Cedar Rapids and the last … [Read more...] about My Personal Conviction: I Will Not Negotiate Salary with my Churches
Nathan Finn’s “Baptist Identity” Series – A MUST READ!! (Don’t argue! Because I said so, that’s why!)
Dr. Nathan Finn, a prof at SEBTS, is doing a series of posts on Baptist Identity at his blog, "One Baptist Perspective." It is a must-read for all of us who call ourselves Baptists. I think he is on his fourth or fifth post in the series - his blog posts appear on our blogroll on the left of the main pain. Go back and read the whole series if you have missed it so far. Good stuff. … [Read more...] about Nathan Finn’s “Baptist Identity” Series – A MUST READ!! (Don’t argue! Because I said so, that’s why!)
Random Thoughts from the Black Hills
I'm on vacation and I'm not going to take the time to write much here. I've got a grandson to spoil and a limited time in which to do it. I remember being frustrated when my kids would come home from my parents house and we had to spend a day "detoxing" them and reminding them that rules have to be obeyed. It is much more fun on the other end - doing the spoiling and letting Faith and Josh worry about it later. 1) I had a thought, and don't really have the time to work it through. The Bible says that God loves us like a father. I think of how I look at my grandson and there is just an … [Read more...] about Random Thoughts from the Black Hills
Al Mohler, Homosexuality, and Job’s Friends
As you are certainly aware, there has been a good amount of discussion regarding Dr. Mohler’s comments at the SBC Annual Meeting. You can read the full transcript here. Or watch the video here. But most of the controversy stems from these words: But we as Evangelicals have a very sad history in dealing with this issue. We have told not the truth, but we’ve told about half the truth. We’ve told the biblical truth and that’s important, but we haven’t applied it in the biblical way. Not to put words in Dr. Mohler’s mouth but I think in part what he is saying is that we have been very … [Read more...] about Al Mohler, Homosexuality, and Job’s Friends