As an Iowa Baptist, I can tell you that there are two Southern Baptist ministries that really make a difference in our neck of the woods. No one here cares a lick about who is elected president of the SBC, or about the NAMB restructuring or the IMB search committee. If you offered a million dollars to anyone in my church to name the president of the SBC or NAMB, no one except the three staff pastors and our DOM would have a chance to collect. If anyone in my church knows who Tom Eliff is, I would be shocked. Iowa people, with the fewest of exceptions, simply don't care about what is going … [Read more...] about NAMB and Disaster Relief: If It Ain’t Broke, Let’s Fix It?
Tom Eliff: IMB Presidential Nominee
Tom Eliff is going to be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, and I'm not sure exactly what to think about that. I have no problem with Tom Eliff. I just don't know that much about him. Tom Eliff's father was the pastor of the church that sponsored the church my dad planted in Cedar Rapids in the 60s, so the Eliff name has been familiar to me all of my life. But in reality, I know very little about him. I know he was the president of the SBC and pastor of FBC Del City, Oklahoma. I've never heard anything negative about his life, character … [Read more...] about Tom Eliff: IMB Presidential Nominee
Who Do You Pay Attention To?
Pop quiz: Can you remember the name of the security guard at the place you worked at fifteen years ago? How about at where you work now? How about the name of the cleaning person? Strange questions, right? Well, not really. As Christians, especially if we are ministers of the gospel, we are supposedly interested in all people. Too often though, we are only interested in the “-ful” people—beautiful, successful, powerful… If we are honest, we don’t often fare any better than Samuel did when he went looking for Saul’s replacement (1 Samuel 16). The Lord still has to remind us that “man … [Read more...] about Who Do You Pay Attention To?
Someone Switched the Price Tags
(This was originally published last Friday at sbcIMPACT) My mom and I were shopping at K-Mart back in my much younger days. I was not easy to shop for - I was both very tall and unnaturally thin (trust me, it used to be true). Finding pants my size was not easy. That waist just doesn't come in that length very often. But that day we found a pair, and at a price that amazed us. We snapped them up and headed to the cashier. The younger whippersnappers who read this may not remember what price tags looked like in the 1970's. There were no computer printouts with bar codes. There was a … [Read more...] about Someone Switched the Price Tags
Editor’s Note: Looking for Help
I made a little bit of an email mistake, and so if you offered to write for Voices and I don't get back with you within about 24 hours, email me again. People my age and computers do not always get along well. I'm not ignoring you guys. pastordave@cableone.net … [Read more...] about Editor’s Note: Looking for Help
Helping a Friend: Brandon Smith is Looking for a Place to Serve
One of our contributors, Brandon Smith, is looking for a place to serve the Lord. Maybe someone here has a contact or knows of a place where this young man can minister. He has made several posts here, so you can read them and get a little bit of idea of his beliefs and passions. He also blogs at Modern March, if you want to get a little better idea of who he is. He is getting married and will be moving to East Texas, the Tyler area, sometime between now and June. He has five years of ministry experience as a youth pastor, an associate pastor and a church planter. He has also been … [Read more...] about Helping a Friend: Brandon Smith is Looking for a Place to Serve
Joel Osteen, King Ahab & Delusional Celebrations
I just received an email from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego inviting me to purchase tickets for “A Night of Hope” with Pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen: “A Night of Hope” with Joel and Victoria Osteen is an outreach of Joel Osteen Ministries and is an exciting time of praise and worship where attendees will hear an inspirational message from Joel and Victoria along with the electrifying music of Dove Award winning Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Steve Crawford, Da’dra Greathouse, and the Lakewood Band and Ensemble. Joel and Victoria Osteen are pastors for a new generation. Referred to … [Read more...] about Joel Osteen, King Ahab & Delusional Celebrations
The Relationship Between the Old Testament & the New Testament
I’m going to try and “cut to the chase” in this post. I want to talk about the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, but let us first begin with talking about the exciting topic of bricks. At the Billy Graham library there are individual bricks that folks walk on which have been brought together in such a way that they form a big cross (when looked at as a whole). In other words, the particular bricks have been joined together under the unifying theme of the cross. Now, when we look at the O.T., we see many individual verses. These verses are like the bricks at the Billy … [Read more...] about The Relationship Between the Old Testament & the New Testament
Working Things Out For Good
Yesterday Haylee, six, asked to make some sugar cookies. Being the doting grama that I am, I waddled out to the kitchen to find a recipe. Haylee pulled up a stool to the counter. Soon Kinsey, four, decided to "help" make cookies, too, and dragged a stool of her own to the counter. They were so close to me, I couldn't get the mixer out of the cupboard. After some adjustments, collecting untensils, and gathering ingredients, we set about making our confectionary delights. Haylee got to measure 2 and 3/4 cups flour into a bowl. Then I showed her how to level off a half-teaspoon of baking … [Read more...] about Working Things Out For Good
Alvin Reid’s NAMB Perspective
Alvin Reid is a blogger worth reading. Dr. Reid is Professor of Evangelism and Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a frequent conference speaker. He has written an article called "Some Thoughts on NAMB Changes & President Kevin Ezell." It is a well-written analysis of recent NAMB changes and the work of Kevin Ezell. I have expressed reservations about what is going on at NAMB, as well as some angst about the demeanor and style of Kevin Ezell. Some of the commenters here have been very critical of Ezell and NAMB and some of the actions taken. Others, of … [Read more...] about Alvin Reid’s NAMB Perspective