Pray for wisdom.
Pray for strength.
Pray for forgiveness.
Pray for others.
Pray for those in authority. [Read more…]
Pray for wisdom.
Pray for strength.
Pray for forgiveness.
Pray for others.
Pray for those in authority. [Read more…]
Forgiveness ranks near the top of the things we are most grateful to receive and near the bottom of things that we are most willing to give. Idioms like bury the hatchet and let them off the hook remind us that showing compassion is tough primarily because it seems equal to diminishing the pain others cause us. Yet, for Christians, unforgiveness is not just unbiblical, but also irrational due to the sheer magnitude of God’s grace in our lives.
When Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive those who sin against us, he expounded his question with what he thought was a gracious suggestion. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? (Mat. 18:21)” Though the number seems arbitrary to us, Jewish rabbis taught that believers were only required to forgive the same offense three times. By suggesting amnesty as many as seven times, Peter was more than doubling what common sense seemed to require. [Read more…]
Julietta Jameson tells the story of a man by the name of Cliff Young. Cliff participated in the 1983 Australian Ultramarathon which consisted of 544 miles from Sydney to Melbourne. What was odd is that Cliff had never run a marathon before.
Additionally, he was a 61-year-old farmer who showed up to the race in a loose white shirt, overalls, rubber galoshes over his boots, and a baseball cap. The officials all laughed thinking it was a joke, but it was no joke. When Cliff registered and refused to leave the starting line, someone came along with a laugh and put a number on his overalls. When the gun sounded, Cliff, along with all of the professional runners in attendance, started running. [Read more…]
The BCM is a ministry of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board churches. It is a home away from home for so many students that go away for school. It is a great way for smaller churches, far away churches or even churches that don’t have a lot of college students to multiply their impact to reach students.
Baptists have long pooled their resources to have a greater impact for the kingdom than any one church can have on its own. However, there are several of our churches near college and university campuses that have the staff and resources to operate their own activities and outreach to the campus. Here are a few suggestions on how BCMs and campus churches can work together.
BCMs and churches are a blend of one common mission in two different places. We share the common goals of reaching lost students and discipling saved students. We both want to train students to serve and lead. [Read more…]
Over the past few weeks, the sight of school buses on the streets is a signal to all of us that a new school year is underway. First day of school pictures adorn Facebook and Instagram and the rumble of a marching bands will soon fill the air under Friday night lights. I always marvel this time of year by pausing long enough to observe how much my children have grown and by speculating how God might use them as their young lives unfold. In every community, children are a gift from the Lord. We should pray for them as they undertake both the challenges and opportunities of education.
As our young people take another step toward adulthood, though, we should not falsely assume that important life lessons are always handed down from those who are older. Remarkably, while explaining the kingdom of God, Jesus taught that adults should become more like children, not vice-versa. In what may be His most counterintuitive statement, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me (Matthew 18:3-5).” In other words, our children can teach us an important lesson about walking with God. [Read more…]
Shocked. Devastated. Disappointed. Despondent. Disillusioned. Heartbroken.
Pick one. It would be impossible to adequately describe the emotional disorientation that came — and lingers — with the news of Willie McLaurin’s unimaginable and incomprehensible fall from grace due to fraudulent claims on his resume regarding his educational achievements. McLaurin was within grasp of becoming president of the Southern Baptists Convention’s Executive Committee, a position for which he’s shown aptitude for 20 months.
But like a whisper, the opportunity vanished.
And like a tsunami whose destructive surge will recede slowly, it is way too soon and too impossible to calculate the colossal amount of damage his actions have caused a beleaguered denomination already staggering from various issues and in-fighting. McLaurin, as interim Executive Committee (EC) president, brought calm to a battered organization in the wake of former president Ronnie Floyd’s resignation and to the EC’s handling of sexual abuse claims related to SBC churches. [Read more…]
It’s that time of year again when public and private schools start a new year. From preschools up through college level, students will be finding new challenges and opportunities. Thoughts that run through the minds of all parents and family include: Will my child or loved one be in a safe environment? Will the teachers and administration create an environment where all students are respected and learning takes place? How can I encourage my church to become involved in meeting these needs?
The most important thing we can do is to pray. Can you imagine the impact this could have on our schools if members would be committed to pray? Pray as individuals and as a congregation. Prayer not only changes things, it changes those who pray. [Read more…]
Since 1835, Tennessee Baptists have had a newspaper. We had a newspaper even before we had a convention. That’s how important some of the early Baptists in Tennessee felt about having a source for news.
My hope and desire is that we still have people 188 years later who see the need for a resource such as the Baptist and Reflector. Sunday, Aug. 20, is Baptist and Reflector Day on the calendar of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Many churches across the state have ordered free copies of this issue to distribute and to let their members know about the paper.
As I enter my 36th year as a staff member and 26th year as editor, I am more convinced than ever that Tennessee Baptists need a publication to keep them informed. Sadly, many state papers have gone by the wayside. [Read more…]
No one ever won anything who gave up before completing a competition.
That’s why you see runners push through the pain and exhaustion to cross the finish line. Or why swimmers stretch with every inch of stretch they have those last few feet to touch the wall. Or why football players lift four fingers into the air at the beginning of the final quarter.
A well-contested college football game whose score is close going into the fourth quarter brings me a great amount of enjoyment. I love those sideline camera shots of sweaty players in grass-stained uniforms and faces awash with exhaustion thrusting four fingers in the air with a sense of defiance and determination. It’s the final quarter and everything about them screams, “We’re in it to win it and we plan to finish strong.” There is no quit in them, and that’s when things are about to get good.
Tennessee Baptists, I believe things are about to get good.
In just a few months, we will hit the fourth quarter of a decade-long emphasis that messengers enthusiastically affirmed at the 2014 Tennessee Baptist Convention in Brentwood. [Read more…]
Editor’s note: Plans are for “Dooley Noted” to become a regular column on the website at baptistandreflector.org. Columns also will be published in the print issue as space is available.
Do you trust me? That was the question I heard from one of my sons as he, through a sly grin, begged me to sit down. Because he was unaware that I saw him slip the Whoopi Cushion beneath me, his efforts to persuade his dad were even more entertaining to me than what was about to happen would be to him.
Perhaps you’ve heard a similar insistence from someone you love. Whether it’s lighter moments or more serious matters, we frequently reassure the people that we love in both word and deed that we are trustworthy. The counsel parents offer their children, for example, is rooted in trust.
• When the right decision is painful, a father reminds his son — trust me.
• When the high road is costly, a mother might plead — trust me.
• When future outcomes seem uncertain, parents reassure with the words — trust us.
Ultimately, who we choose to trust will determine both the course and quality of our lives. These instances, though, reveal an important lesson about trustworthiness. Who we trust depends largely upon a person’s character and their perceived motive. [Read more…]
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