Inspirational
Thinking about Signs
I was driving through a neighboring town this past week and my route took me past one of the mainline denomination churches there. It was one of those old, majestic buildings with plenty of stained glass and large, wooden front doors. Personally, I’ve always appreciated those buildings because they were often built as a testimony to a creative, majestic, and…
A New Year, An Old Story
Martin Scorsese has been one of the most admired and prolific directors and producers of feature films over the past 50 years. His films are known for their unflinching takes on some of the darker aspects of life (though they do not represent his entire oeuvre, he is perhaps best known for his crime-drama works like “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Departed”). …
Cynicism and Benny Hinn
Sometimes, you encounter an event that causes you to scratch your head and struggle to reconcile two things that you didn’t think could exist simultaneously. This happened to me recently (as I’m sure it happened to many others) when I heard that Benny Hinn had publicly made some statements that seemed to indicate he was turning away from the prosperity gospel he had…
What Excites You?
As much as Fall may mean crisp evenings, the changing (and falling) leaves, and pumpkin spice for some people, for me it means the return of college football and my beloved Bulldogs teeing it up between the hedges at Sanford Stadium on the campus of the University of Georgia. I love the sport of football in general, but I especially love the intricacies of college…
The Billy Graham Rule – Today
Much has been made about the so-called “Billy Graham Rule” in recent years, due to the acknowledgement of many public figures (such as Vice-President Mike Pence) who adhere to it. When Billy Graham was beginning his ministry, he and his team understood that all of their Kingdom efforts could be undermined and discredited by a single accusation of sexual impropriety. …
#SBC Thoughts – Part 2
This week’s thought is from Lisa King, who served as a messenger to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention this year. I am thankful for her – as well as the other messengers’ – prayerful and thoughtful participation this year. I thought it would be a good thing for you to hear the perspectives of some of those who attended and not just my…
#SBC19 Thoughts – Part 1
This year, the SBC’s annual meeting was held in Birmingham, Alabama with nearly 8,200 messengers representing the more than 47,000 SBC churches throughout the United States. Every year, these messengers gather together to handle the business of this convention of churches, hear reports from our various entities, ask questions, become informed and educated, and meet…
D-Day
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing by Allied forces into Nazi-occupied Europe, a significant turning point in World War II. The full story of all the events that led up to D-Day, as well as its completion, is much too long to tell in such a short space here, but it is a story that we should all know, study, remember, and pass on to the…
The Distraction of Boredom
Have you noticed how almost everything in our society today is focused on entertainment? Our lifestyles push us so that we do not have much downtime at all, and much of the time we spend engaged in activity is centered on keeping us entertained. Sports have become a multibillion dollar industry, regardless of the level. For instance, the NFL alone reported $14.2…
The Day After Easter…and Beyond
The weeks leading up to Easter can be a special, if not hectic, time for believers (and especially for churches). There is something incredibly sweet about meditating on our celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are reminded of our need for a Savior, as well as how that Savior was the Second Person on the Trinity who stepped out of eternity and into…