Chris Turner

“Every man lives with the specter that he is letting someone down,” a pastor once told our men’s group.

The 17 years since have proven the declaration’s truth.

A specter is “a visible ghost or phantom, or a haunting, frightening mental image of something that is a source of dread or fear.” Dread comes from all quarters. Men aren’t good enough husbands, fathers, employees or providers for their families.

Sometimes, that sense of inadequacy is reinforced from the pulpit. I sat behind a dad and his son during church on Father’s Day several years ago. The sermon focused on how fathers “need to pick it up,” supported by statistics about absentee dads. “Dad,” the son whispered, “how come Mom got roses on Mother’s Day, and you get a lecture?” [Read more…]

Hardwick

What a great couple of years.

It has been a joy and honor to serve Tennessee Baptists these two years as president of our Tennessee Baptist Convention and as chair of the Acts 2:17 vision team.

The Lord gave me a front-row seat to what he is doing in and through our family of churches. I can confidently say God is at work, and I am excited about our future together!

I love our TBC vision “to be a collaborative network of spiritually healthy churches reaching Tennessee and beyond for Christ.” I’ve seen this in action over these last few years. [Read more…]

Randy Davis

Morris H. Chapman’s faith received sight when he recently arrived in the eternal presence of the Lord he loved and served — a legacy that still echoes in our convention halls.

I recently attended his funeral at Triune Baptist Church here in Middle Tennessee. Chapman was a longtime pastor and served as president/CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee for 18 years.

He was considered a man of “vision, diplomacy, commitment to evangelism and world missions as well as his stalwart support of the Cooperative Program,” as was stated in a Baptist Press article announcing his death. [Read more…]

Editor’s note: This column is Part 3 of a three-part series. The first two installments are “Prayer for the Lost Begins with the Spirit” and “Believers Should Answer Call to Intercede for the Lost.” 

Nancy Duggin

Do you have a sense of urgency concerning those who are without Christ? Where does such urgency come from? We need only to examine the Gospels and Paul’s teachings to understand that any urgency we experience is driven by the belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ and the need for others to hear the gospel and accept Him as their Savior.

Each of us will live for all eternity. The question is: where will we spend it? This question should fuel our urgency to present the gospel through prayer, personal witness, and commitment to missions. [Read more…]

Chris Turner

America is fraught with tension, and many days it feels as if the philosophical differences stretch the fabric of democracy to irreparable shredding. That’s no epiphany. Ideological conflict predates the Revolutionary War and is woven throughout our history. Democracy encourages diverse and divergent perspectives.

But lately our culture and country feel as if we’re on one of those runaway trains in an old Western movie careening across the Arizona desert with no brakes and heading toward the Grand Canyon, where the bridge is out.

There is division on virtually every topic. A poll conducted last month by the Siena College Research Institute indicated widespread pessimism about political division and the nation’s ability to address key challenges. The results underscore a deepening sense of “national despair,” with polarization serving as a barrier to progress. [Read more…]

Hardwick

Southern Baptists found themselves in a rapidly changing world 100 years ago. The 1920s roared with supposed progress that left many questioning long-trusted truth. Rising modernism challenged Scriptural beliefs, morality, creation and threatened the foundations of our missional efforts.

Amid the uncertainty, Southern Baptists, and specifically Tennessee Baptists, chose to stand firm on God’s Word and in shared commitment to His mission.

The defining year was 1925, and it still defines us a century later. Southern Baptists adopted the Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) and launched the Cooperative Program (CP) that year in Memphis. [Read more…]

Randy Davis

Are you ready to serve if you get the call?

Frank Reich was. And he delivered.

Reich was the backup quarterback for the 1993 Buffalo Bills. The Bills were a perennial NFL powerhouse in the 1990s and were a favorite to return to the Super Bowl. However, those possibilities greatly diminished when All-Pro quarterback Jim Kelly went down with a knee injury heading into the playoffs. All eyes turned to Reich, who was the next man up and called upon to lead the team against the Houston Oilers and their superstar quarterback, Warren Moon.

The game’s opening quarter indicated it would be close, with Houston taking a 7-3 lead, but in the second quarter, the Oilers exploded for 21 points and took a 28-3 halftime lead. They added another touchdown to begin the second half, extending the lead to 35-3. Bills fans streamed from their seats and left the stadium.

[Read more…]

Nancy Duggin

Editor’s Note: This column is Part 2 of a three-part series on prayer. Part 1. “Believers Should Answer Call to Intercede for Lost,” appeared in the Sept. 10, 2025, issue and can be found here. 

Statistically, millions of our Tennessee friends, family and neighbors have no relationships with Jesus Christ. There is no shortage of opportunity to intercede on their behalf, but where to begin? Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to increase our passion for the spiritually lost and guide us in how we should pray and engage them in purposeful ways.

In Ephesians 1:17-19, Paul prayed the following for believers, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [Read more…]

Randy Davis

Summit, the gathering of Tennessee Baptists, is just five weeks away!

I love this time of gathering with friends from across the state, and I’d love to see you there. Here are five reasons why you should come.

Tennessee Homecoming. Unbelievably, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Sunday night Tennessee Homecoming, which was added to Summit activities in 2016. It has proven to be a wonderful time of worship and fellowship to kick off our time together. [Read more…]