The Christmas season in our culture has become a lot of things, and a good number of them have nothing to do with Christmas. Strip away all that has attached itself to the word, “Christmas” and what rises above everything else is the actual purpose of the Christmas season. God was on a rescue mission. It is the mission above all missions. It was an objective birth in the very
You shall be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). Go, teach, and baptize in order to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20). These were Jesus’ final instructions before His ascension back to Heaven (Acts 1:9). Yet, sharing the gospel with others is often a thankless assignment that is at best misunderstood, and at worst resented. These disconcerting responses should not discourage our evangelistic zeal, though. Even Jesus faced the rejection of
I love Thanksgiving. Oh, let me count the ways! Family, food, football. But I love Thanksgiving because by its nature, it is a time to press pause on a busy year that seems to pick up speed as it careens toward Christmas. In fact, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to slow the mind and spirit and prepare for the thankfulness that should accompany the celebration of the birth of our
We all have the same amount of time. Twenty-four hours in a day, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. How do you use this time to give thanks for your blessings? During this Thanksgiving season, we are reminded to stop and reflect on those things for which we’re grateful. Not rattling off someone else’s list, but our own — one that requires deep reflection.
A friend I’ve known for years recently experienced a sizeable disappointment. There was an emerging career opportunity for which he was qualified and believed God was opening that door. It made sense, given his experience, and his God-centered motivation was fueled by all the right reasons. Excitement grew as he was among the final few candidates. But after months of grinding through an emotional gauntlet, the process came to an
It’s not often that a Baptist editor is willing to encourage his readers to read another newspaper. Though we don’t like to admit it, we can be territorial. But, in this case, I can and do encourage our readers to take a look at The Baptist Paper (TBP), a national Southern Baptist news publication launched in 2021. The Baptist Paper is a product of TAB Media Group, which has published
I am so glad to be a Tennessee Baptist and excited about our future together! It has been an honor to serve on and chair the Acts 2:17 Vision Team as we have experienced the hand of God move mightily to bring us to the point of recommending this strategic vision to our Tennessee Baptist family. In a lunch meeting a couple of weeks ago with one of our great
Lloyd Elder died Nov. 3 after a lengthy illness. Southern Baptists lost a statesman — and bivocational and small church pastors across the denomination lost a friend. (See obituary HERE). Many people will remember Lloyd Elder for his years as president of the former Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway Christian Resources). He served as head of the Baptist publishing agency during the “conservative resurgence” which began in 1979 and
We are just days away from one of my favorite times of the year. No, not Thanksgiving, although that is one of my favorites. I’m talking about Summit, the annual gathering of Tennessee Baptists. For me, it is truly like a big family reunion where we get to see friends from across the state and can visit, laugh, worship, pray and conduct business related to the Great Commission tasks God
We all know the inward, sinking feeling that we have come to call cringe in recent years. The slang description describes the embarrassing awkwardness that accompanies social failures that are far too common. On the one hand it is nervous laughter when nothing is funny and on the other it is the deafening silence after a joke falls flat. We cringe over loud, obnoxious conversations in quiet spaces; over the
The Christmas season in our culture has become a lot of things, and a good number of them have nothing to do with Christmas. Strip
You shall be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). Go, teach, and baptize in order to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20). These were Jesus’ final
I love Thanksgiving. Oh, let me count the ways! Family, food, football. But I love Thanksgiving because by its nature, it is a time to
We all have the same amount of time. Twenty-four hours in a day, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. How do you use this time to
A friend I’ve known for years recently experienced a sizeable disappointment. There was an emerging career opportunity for which he was qualified and believed God
It’s not often that a Baptist editor is willing to encourage his readers to read another newspaper. Though we don’t like to admit it, we
I am so glad to be a Tennessee Baptist and excited about our future together! It has been an honor to serve on and chair
Lloyd Elder died Nov. 3 after a lengthy illness. Southern Baptists lost a statesman — and bivocational and small church pastors across the denomination lost
We are just days away from one of my favorite times of the year. No, not Thanksgiving, although that is one of my favorites. I’m
We all know the inward, sinking feeling that we have come to call cringe in recent years. The slang description describes the embarrassing awkwardness that
