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DAD PONDERS QUESTION, ‘IS CHRISTMAS DONE?’

January 15, 2016

By Todd Brady
Vice President For University Ministries, Union University, Jackson

Todd Brady

Todd Brady

Although 2015 Christmas celebrations are getting smaller and smaller in our rear view mirrors, a recent question by my toddler several weeks ago continues to linger in my head. On the first Friday in December, we gathered with friends for one of the holiday’s first Christmas parties. We enjoyed the tasty food and the great conversation. A unique twist on our Christmas ornament gift exchange had us all cracking up. It was a lot of fun.

As our family began gathering our things and heading out the door to go back home, 3-year-old Miller grabbed my pants leg and asked “Is Christmas done?” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

December 24, 2015

By Roc Collins
President, Tennessee Baptist Convention

151224christmas1Christmas is here!! In just a few days we will celebrate Christmas. It is one of my favorite times. Surely the songwriter had it right when he penned, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” What makes it so wonderful? Some will say it is the gifts and decorations, the shopping and parties, the food and fun, among other things that make Christmas enjoyable. Yes, Christmas can be enjoyable because of these things but they are not what makes Christmas wonderful. Christmas is wonderful because of Christ! You know you can’t spell Christmas without Christ so you surely can’t celebrate and understand Christmas without knowing Christ. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas

5 NEW CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS FOR YOUR FAMILY

December 23, 2015

By Carolyn Tomlin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

family, Christmas, dinner, tradition, culture, eating, dining, dinner, celebration, grandfatherShops overflow with holiday gifts. Carols ring out from every street corner. Bell ringers collect monetary contributions for needy families. For Christians, this season reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas — to focus on the birth of the Christ Child born in a manager over 2,000 years ago. If you’re like many families at Christmas, you continue the same traditions handed down by parents and grandparents. Could your clan honor their history while starting a few new customs? Perhaps these suggestions will work for you.

•    Collect small Christmas tree ornaments from other countries. As family members travel outside the U.S., ask them to purchase a locally made ornament to hang on the tree. Inexpensive and requiring minimum luggage space, they will be symbolic of your vacation or mission trip. During a holiday get-together, share something about the country you visited and the people you met.

•    Video creating a favorite family recipe. My mother was known for her chicken and dressing. She knew the exact amount of sage, black pepper, onions, and stock to make it delicious. The problem: she never wrote it down. Like many great cooks of this generation, she cooked by taste. Today, with Smartphones and other technology, we can make a short video and e-mail it to others. The auditory and visual presentation will provide the knowledge of keeping those favorite holiday recipes around.

•    Adopt a family project each year. Correspond by phone or e-mail with family members and make a checklist of available service projects in your area. Ask each person to vote on their choice. The project with the highest number of votes will be the winner. Suggestions could include “Adopting a Family” for Christmas, scheduling a “Make-a-Difference Day” in December for the entire family; or preparing and serving a holiday dinner to a homeless center. Children can request extra chores and donate part of their allowance for a month. Adults can save change and forgo restaurant meals. Celebrate the spirit of giving back to those less fortunate. Claim Matthew 25:40 as your family’s verse.

•    Attend a Christmas service of Scripture and Carols. Churches and Christian colleges present free community concerts during the Christmas season. Sit together as a family and support those who have spent hours in preparation. Afterward, meet for light dessert and coffee. Plan to make this an annual event.

•    Donate to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Does grandfather really need a necktie with blue toadstools? Or does Aunt Sally have space for another wall hanging? Instead of all the relatives exchanging gifts, donate to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This offering goes to support international mission work that includes presenting the gospel, education, supporting missionaries who serve and other expenses.

As you celebrate the birth of Jesus, think of new traditions your family can enjoy. Adapt some of the older customs with these fresh ones. Thank God for making families part of His plan.

— Tomlin lives in Jackson and writes for the Christian market and teaches the Boot Camp for Christian Writers.

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Filed Under: Culture, Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas, LMCO, Lottie Moon

MINISTERS’ WIVES: SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS

December 19, 2015

By Barney Self
Pastoral Counseling Minister, Forest Hills Baptist Church, Nashville

Barney Self

Barney Self

A minister’s wife lives in a fishbowl. She is viewed from every angle and in every way. Pressures are brought to bear on her that others can barely imagine. The daily life struggle is to maintain an appearance that is acceptable including make-up, clothing, and hair style. Next, the children have to be presentable and dressed “appropriately” as well and their actions must conform to a standard that is above the rest of the population. Her house must be ready for House and Garden inspection at any point. She must relate to everyone as her best friend even if others are hurtful to her or her husband. She must be willing to pick up any task in the church when there is a need even if it is not in her gifting because she is considered part of the paid staff because her husband is the pastor.  If these stressors and pressures were not enough, the Holidays arrive. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas, pastors

COUNSELOR PUTS ADVICE INTO PRACTICE

December 18, 2015

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Weslee Hill, right, in a happy moment with her mother, Susie Edwards, a longtime staff member of the Baptist and Reflector who died last March after a battle with cancer.

Weslee Hill, right, in a happy moment with her mother, Susie Edwards, a longtime staff member of the Baptist and Reflector who died last March after a battle with cancer.

MARTIN — Weslee Hill has counseled people through stressful times in their lives for the past 10 years as the counselor for Weakley County Baptist Association, based in Dresden. She is now putting into practice advice she has been giving to others for the past decade.

Hill has especially walked with despondent clients through holidays including Christmas.

The despondency quite often is dealing with the loss of a loved one, but it can involve a number of things including broken and fractured relationships, Hill said. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: Christmas

HOW TO CHOOSE LIFE: ‘MAX THE DASH’

December 18, 2015

By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

Johnnie Godwin

Johnnie Godwin

A friend of mine heard the only thing that matters between birth and death dates is the “dash.” So he challenged himself with a motto on his cell phone: namely, “Max the dash!” A baby named Lottie Moon was born on Dec. 12, 1840 and died Dec. 24, 1912 at age 72. But, oh, how she maxed the dash! You may not hear the SBC mission goal for 2015 in her name is $175 million. But that’s just money. Her dash was cause and effect! I’m writing about that.

Why? and How? Greats from Nietzsche to Frankl have said, “If a person has a ‘why,’ almost any ‘how’ will do.” Today, we look at chaotic effects over all the cosmos and ask, “Why?” Other than writing off all senselessness to sin, we don’t know why people do the evil they do. Cause and effect are elusive and puzzling. But for Lottie Moon, her ‘Why?’ was Christ; and her answer was yes — to give her life to follow her ‘Why?’ It was Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas, LMCO, Lottie Moon, missions

BETHLEHEM EXPERIENCE DRAWS 987 PEOPLE

December 17, 2015

Baptist Association sees 10 people make commitments to Christ, 44 in three years

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Ramona Reardon of First Baptist Church, Whitley City, Ky., explains to visitors of the Bethlehem Experience the spices and herbs she is selling. With her is Gracie Cotton of New Haven Baptist Church, Oneida. — Photo by Connie Davis Bushey

Ramona Reardon of First Baptist Church, Whitley City, Ky., explains to visitors of the Bethlehem Experience the spices and herbs she is selling. With her is Gracie Cotton of New Haven Baptist Church, Oneida. — Photo by Connie Davis Bushey

WINFIELD — Just like a time traveler, one enters the stone-walled streets filled with residents of another time.

Cloaked women carry baskets of wares as robed men go about their business. Many are working at stalls and discussing their products. Roman soldiers stride among them, unsmiling. Soldiers also monitor the census takers and tax collectors.

A visitor from modern times, a young man, is called up to the census table where two Jewish men are working. The workers demand his papers and one comments that he will soon be of age to be a soldier. A Roman soldier interjects in an authoritative voice that the boy will be required to serve in the Roman military. The young man, with a shocked expression, quickly rejoins his group. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: Christmas

WHERE IS JESUS? MINISTERS’ WIVES AND CHRISTMAS

December 17, 2015

By Donna Gaines
Member, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova

Donna Gaines

Donna Gaines

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And yet for those of us in ministry, it can be stressful, overly busy, and can leave us exhausted as we roll into a new year. How do we prepare for the season in such a way that it doesn’t leave us depleted? How do we prevent our schedules from crowding out the very One we are celebrating?

When our children were small there was a popular character in children’s books by the name of Waldo. It was always a challenge to find him. He was hidden in the midst of very “busy” pictures with a multitude of things taking place. I remember their excitement when with a squeal of delight they let us know they had located him! There he was, hidden in plain sight. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas, pastors

PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE THIS CHRISTMAS

December 16, 2015

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

Lonnie Wilkey

More than two thousand years ago the God of the the universe performed a miracle that is unmatched.

He sent His only Son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem.

Webster’s Dictionary defines miracle as, “an event or action that apparently contradicts known scientific laws and is hence thought to be due to supernatural causes, esp. to an act of God.” A virgin birth certainly classifies as a miracle, and of course, it happened during the time we now refer to as Christmas.

Miracles did not end with the birth of Jesus. During his short time on earth, Jesus performed several miracles, including bringing people back to life after they were presumed dead. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas, prayer, worship and music

NO PLACE LIKE CHURCH FOR THE HOLIDAYS: SURVEY

December 16, 2015

By Carol Pipes
LifeWay News Office

151216lifeway-christmas1NASHVILLE — Christmas is a great time to invite someone to church, according to a recent study by Nashville-based LifeWay Research. In a recent poll of 1,000 Americans, LifeWay Research found six out of 10 Americans typically attend church at Christmastime.

But among those who don’t attend church at Christmastime, a majority (57 percent) say they would likely attend if someone they knew invited them.

“Regular churchgoers may assume the rest of America has already made up their mind not to attend church,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. “In reality, many would welcome going to a Christmas service with someone they know.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, News, SBC Tagged With: Christmas, LifeWay

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  • FOUNDER OF MID-AMERICA BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DIES AT 94
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  • FOR CHRIST
  • GREEAR ADDRESSES UNREPORTED VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
  • PAPER’S SEXUAL ABUSE REPORT LEAVES SBC’S GREEAR ‘BROKEN’
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abortion baptisms Baptist Collegiate Ministries Bible: Acts Bible: Genesis Bible: Matthew Bible: Psalms Carson-Newman University childhood Christmas church revitalization collegiate Cooperative Program Disaster Relief education election evangelism family Five Objectives Golden Offering homosexuality IMB international LifeWay Lonnie Wilkey Lottie Moon missions money NAMB new churches pastors prayer racial reconciliation Randy C. Davis SBC SBC annual meeting sports Steve Gaines Summit TenneScene Union University volunteers WMU Woman's Missionary Union youth

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