SBC Voices

Someone Switched the Price Tags

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(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

Helping a Friend: Brandon Smith is Looking for a Place to Serve

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

NAMB Changes: Are We Courting Disaster for SBC Disaster Relief?

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I just read the article from Baptist Press regarding the new changes at NAMB.  I am cautiously optimistic about the impact that this will have.  We have transitioned through a "regionalized" restructuring here in the Dakota Baptist Convention and it has been a positive overall.  It was certainly cause for apprehension as we started the process a few years ago, but we found over time that it helped our state staff be more accessible and more able to respond at a personal level over the older model of a centralized office.  So hear me when I say that I think the regional aspect of the new … [Read more...] about NAMB Changes: Are We Courting Disaster for SBC Disaster Relief?

Why Call it Brokenness?

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By Thom Hunter – www.thomhunter.com "I cannot stress this enough to you, but I'll still say it: I'll never be Christian. I think your Bible is nothing more than a piece of literature. I don't believe in your God, and never will. But I will criticize you when you use your God to "fix" homosexuality, as if it were something to be fixed." -- An anonymous young friend I have broken only two bones in my lifetime. A wrist and a rib. The result of each was an increase in pain, a decrease in mobility and a denied sense of helplessness during a time of adjustment and healing. I still have the … [Read more...] about Why Call it Brokenness?

Christians and the Environment

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As I sit in the middle of near-zero temperatures with over a foot of snow on the ground, a particular topic comes to mind that produces strong opinions in religion, politics, nightly news, etc…how should Christians think in regards to environmentalism, global warming, earth’s resources and so forth?  In other words: what should our role be in relation to the environment?  Sometimes it seems if you mention the words “environmentalism” or worse “global warming” it tends to conjure up pictures of left-wing zealots with political agendas who hug trees and try to scare little children with stories … [Read more...] about Christians and the Environment