Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
Oldham
In one of David’s moments of despair, he penned a verse of Scripture that expresses what many of us have felt — overwhelmed and alone.
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalm 142:4)
The Psalm paints a bleak picture of God’s anointed — overwhelmed and alone, on the run, pursued by those who sought his harm, finding shelter in a cold, dark, dank cave. [Read more…]
Wilkey
I umpired several baseball games last week, and I could not help but laugh at the irony.
The average age of the players was probably 16 or 17. The average age of the two umpires was between 65 and 70.
Some would suggest that the old geezers hang up their masks and chest protectors. Good suggestion, but it is easier said than done.
There is a shortage of younger men and women who are willing to officiate sports (not just baseball) at every level. I had planned to hang it up this year, but my supervisor asked me to stay on because of the need. There have been games that have been moved to another day because of lack of umpires or some games have had only one umpire. [Read more…]
I sense a greater desperation as we approach this year’s National Day of Prayer on May 4 than I did in years past. Many parts of Tennessee are broken, struggling, mourning, debating and discouraged.
We have been through so much as a people. Our culture is sliding into the abyss of ambiguity. Our world has been rocked by mass shootings, culture wars, violence and a looming sense of mental and emotional illness, especially among the next generation.
James, the brother of Jesus, tells us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” If you want to pray rightly, a great place and pattern to consider is the most common prayer of believers. We discover an amazing pattern with eight movements. [Read more…]
Churches today realize they need to be reaching young adults in their community. A vision of winning and sending young adults out as disciplemakers is paramount for the church.
In order to execute fruitful discipleship, churches must be willing to develop flexible strategies that consider the lifestyle of a college student. Assumptions are often made about college students that can hinder effective discipleship. Below are two assumptions about college students that guarantee fruitless discipleship efforts.
Students know and live the basics of the faith. Thousands of people varying in age, gender, ethnicity, religion and upbringing exist on a single college campus. If a church desires to engage in fruitful discipleship, it cannot afford to assume that any student understands the gospel or knows how to live the Christian life. [Read more…]
Every moment of every day we are surrounded by change.
We live in a time when nothing stays the same for very long (except maybe a Baptist church tradition). We marvel at all the technological advancements of our day. However, the technology that is new today will be outdated by the time you read this article. It seems as if the world changes before our eyes each day.
No one could argue that values and morals in America have changed. The outlook and worldview of many people, even in the pews of our churches, have changed over recent years. That which was once considered right is now promoted in our world as being wrong, while that which was always considered wrong is now promoted as being what is right. [Read more…]
The Nashville community is still reeling from the tragic shooting that occurred March 27 at The Covenant School in Nashville.
A 28-year-old woman and former student entered the school, opened fire and killed six people, including three 9-year-olds, before she was fatally wounded by the police. We may never know this side of heaven why she murdered unsuspecting, innocent victims, especially children.
As the “pappy” of two grandsons, ages 8 and 10, and a 3-year-old granddaughter, this tragedy hit me hard. I can’t fathom, and I hope I will never be forced to face, the heartache and despair of the families of the children and the three adults.
I am grateful for the Nashville police who quickly arrived at the scene and took swift and decisive action. Thankfully, we will never know how many more people would have died without their rapid response. [Read more…]
Let’s be honest. Over the past few years there has been a lot of turbulence in the Southern Baptist Convention and a lot of that has been directed at the SBC Executive Committee, the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force (SATF) and the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF).
But let’s not overlook the opportunity to express appreciation when appreciation is due.
I believe every Southern Baptist can agree that even a single instance of abuse in any church is one too many. A church should be the most obvious place people can take refuge from the brokenness of this world; where people can hear of God’s love and be ministered to by God’s people. A place where broken lives are mended. [Read more…]
Easter comes early at our neighborhood discount store. They’ve been at this Easter thing since February 15th. Since the day after Valentine’s, the Easter goods have dominated the center aisles of the store. And believe me, I know the timing. Like most guys, I’m usually there to pick out a couple of last-minute Valentine things.
As I rummage through the cards on the aisle that, by this point, looks as apocalyptic as a teenager’s bedroom, I notice through the door of the back room that it’s stuffed with Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, plastic bouquets, egg coloring kits, and pastel candies.
All the specialty Peeps are there too. Peeps were once just your basic yellow carbohydrate balls, but now there are blue raspberry Peeps, cotton candy Peeps, fruit punch Peeps, party cake Peeps, sour watermelon Peeps, coconut Peeps, chocolate caramel Peeps, and even “surprise Peeps” … and that’s just for starters.
As I peek through the little submarine-like window in the back of the pharmacy, I see the Easter inventory staring back at me on carts, packed like sardines. They’re just waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they can take over the store. It’s so un-Easter like! [Read more…]
Rust
Churches exist at every point on the health spectrum, from imminent death to thriving growth. Many churches are dying because they haven’t done anything kingdom focused in years. Others are providing intentional discipleship but seem to want all the benefits to remain in house.
Still other churches are basking in the fruit of years of intentional discipleship and ministry, but recoil at the idea that God may desire to send some of that fruit out … permanently. If churches and pastors labor for their name and fame, their ministry reach will be short. Why? Because everything is kept or killed based on their personal ROI — return on investment. [Read more…]
I fear that many churches plan for weeks (or months) for Easter weekend, but then pray for only minutes over the weekend’s events.
To counter this tendency, I encourage you to use this list to pray individually and corporately with intentionality throughout this week. [Read more…]
