No great thing ever happened in the history of Christendom that wasn’t preceded by humble submission to God through prayer. Consider the Businessmen’s Revival during 1857 and 1858. Jeremiah Lanphier, a layman, was hired by the North Dutch Church in New York City and tasked with reaching people in the marketplace. Lanphier began before the Lord in humility and prayer. “Lord, what would you have me do?” From a
During the past few months, I have become involved with the youth group at our church, serving as the drummer for the Wednesday night worship gatherings and as a de facto chaperone at youth events. These roles have been a blessing for me, especially since my oldest son, Jonah, is in sixth grade and is now officially a member of youth group. (It doesn’t seem possible to me that he
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is Part II of a three-part series. The other two parts are available online: Part I and Part III. Should We Sing Those Songs?! NOTE FROM THE WRITER: In Part I, we were introduced to the new “worship war,” a debate about the suitability of worship music based on a song’s origins. We explored the issue’s importance, highlighted some theological concerns, and assessed the root
Have you ever noticed people at a college football game? When their team runs on the field they cheer. When their band plays, they clap and sing along. When their team scores a touchdown and wins the game, then all bets are off as to how excited the fans will be. In fact, some people get so excited over their team that they can barely contain themselves on Saturdays while
One of my favorite times in worship at church is when we observe the Lord’s Supper. Each week we sing together, pray together, hear God’s Word together and take the Lord’s Supper together. After the sermon, as the church sings, each member walks to the front to receive the wine and the bread. After we all return to our seats, a pastor then leads us as together we eat the
We survived. Whether the pandemic, a cancer battle, or grief after significant loss, eventually seasons of despair and lament come to an end. As Christians, looking back at difficult seasons often reminds us of the faithfulness of our God. Gratitude may well up within us. By His grace, we survived. But what’s next? When we’ve come to the end of ourselves in a difficult season, how do we begin to
In 1998, when I became editor of the Baptist and Reflector at the age of 40, I had attended mid-year meetings of the Association of State Baptist Papers (now Publications) held during the SBC annual meeting with former editor Fletcher Allen. I didn’t attend my first winter annual meeting until the next year but I was very familiar with the work of ASBP. Last week, I attended the most recent
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is Part I of a three-part series. It was published in the current print edition of the Baptist and Reflector. The other two parts, which will be published in upcoming print editions, are available here: Part II and Part III. Should We Sing Those Songs?! Have you heard about the new “worship war”? This one has nothing to do with musical style, what instruments we
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is Part III of a three-part series. The other two parts are available here: Part I and Part II. Should We Sing Those Songs?! NOTE FROM THE WRITER: In Part I and Part II, we were introduced to the new “worship war,” a debate about the suitability of worship music based on a song’s origins. We explored the issue’s importance, highlighted some theological concerns, and
In Acts 16, the Apostle Paul received a vision from the Lord that was the beginning of a movement of God that literally changed the world. In verses 9-10 of that chapter, we read: “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought
No great thing ever happened in the history of Christendom that wasn’t preceded by humble submission to God through prayer. Consider the Businessmen’s Revival
During the past few months, I have become involved with the youth group at our church, serving as the drummer for the Wednesday night worship
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is Part II of a three-part series. The other two parts are available online: Part I and Part III. Should
Have you ever noticed people at a college football game? When their team runs on the field they cheer. When their band plays, they clap
One of my favorite times in worship at church is when we observe the Lord’s Supper. Each week we sing together, pray together, hear God’s
We survived. Whether the pandemic, a cancer battle, or grief after significant loss, eventually seasons of despair and lament come to an end. As Christians,
In 1998, when I became editor of the Baptist and Reflector at the age of 40, I had attended mid-year meetings of the Association of
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is Part I of a three-part series. It was published in the current print edition of the Baptist and Reflector.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is Part III of a three-part series. The other two parts are available here: Part I and Part II. Should
In Acts 16, the Apostle Paul received a vision from the Lord that was the beginning of a movement of God that literally changed the