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 great English evangelist, Leonard Ravenhill, who went home to be with the Lord in 1994, has this challenging epitaph on his headstone: “Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?” As Tennessee Baptists, these are some of the questions we have spent the past 12 months answering with our Acts 2:17 Initiative vision team. We have diligently evaluated the things we are living for. Throughout this
Editor’s Note: With the focus on Israel, following the bombing attack by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, I am yielding my space to Jeff Iorg who has written an excellent and concise summary of how Christians should respond to this situation in the Middle East. Continue to pray for Israel and for those who will be ministering in the country. Tennessee Baptists, along with Southern Baptists across the country, are
I recently had the opportunity to preach during the 80th anniversary of my home church, Shiloh Baptist Church, in Saraland Ala. That church and its people had a significant impact in my life and ministerial calling. It’s been years since I’ve been back, but it is a sweet homecoming every time I return. Such sweet memories. Jeanne and I were married at Shiloh. My brother, Rob, and I were ordained
I’ve been a Southern Baptist church member for 54 years and I was on the cradle roll six years before that. I know all about Mission Friends, RAs, and even the WMU and GAs (I went to GA camp in college as a lifeguard and I attended WMU meetings as a preschooler with my grandmother.) I know children’s choir, Celebrate Life, committees, Wednesday night Baptist business meetings and prayer meetings,
With Halloween just around the corner, horror movies and costumes are already beginning to surface on various entertainment outlets and in our community. Though people ask in different ways, a common question I receive this time of year is, “Are ghosts real?” Answering this question requires a careful delineation between the spirit world revealed in Scripture and the false glamorization of Hollywood myths. The fictional portrayal of zombies, trapped souls,
October is generally recognized as Pastor Appreciation Month by many churches in the Tennessee Baptist Convention as well as the larger Southern Baptist Convention family where churches select a Sunday in the month to honor their pastors and, oftentimes, other staff ministers. You may read the headline and automatically assume I am opposed to churches paying tribute to their ministers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pastors and staff
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
The great English evangelist, Leonard Ravenhill, who went home to be with the Lord in 1994, has this challenging epitaph on his headstone: “Are the
Editor’s Note: With the focus on Israel, following the bombing attack by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, I am yielding my space to Jeff Iorg
I recently had the opportunity to preach during the 80th anniversary of my home church, Shiloh Baptist Church, in Saraland Ala. That church and its
I’ve been a Southern Baptist church member for 54 years and I was on the cradle roll six years before that. I know all about
With Halloween just around the corner, horror movies and costumes are already beginning to surface on various entertainment outlets and in our community. Though people
October is generally recognized as Pastor Appreciation Month by many churches in the Tennessee Baptist Convention as well as the larger Southern Baptist Convention family