Every now and then our church’s Children’s Ministry invites Pam and me to talk to groups of young parents about how to raise children to become adults with a real and vibrant faith all their own. In other words, how do we as Christian parents pass our faith on to the next generation? We’re always glad to speak at these kinds of events but the truth is there’s not a simple answer to what’s a complicated question, even though that’s what most Christian parents are looking for. They want to know things like which family devotional materials are best, if they should home school or send their kids to […]
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Russell Moore is in the news once again. The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), Moore’s speaking, writing and commentary for years have challenged Southern Baptists especially but also evangelicals as a whole to be wary of allowing political entanglements to overshadow biblical ministry. That was well and good as long as Moore kept his opinions on a generic level—who could disagree with someone calling on Christians to reach across races, economic divides and political affiliation in order to preach the gospel to everyone? But as the familiar preacher’s saying goes, Moore left off preaching and went to meddling. And now it looks like […]
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Three years ago our church changed the way we did worship. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve been through in church leadership (a list that includes a major church conflict in a church I served two decades ago and the relocation of a church I later served in North Carolina). As we approach the third anniversary of our unified worship, enough time has gone by that I think I can accurately analyze what brought us to that point, the challenges of making the change, and where we are now as a result. So for the next couple of weeks I’ll blog on our journey in a way that […]
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The grandeur and genius of American democracy is on full display every four years when the new president is sworn in, and I make it a point never to miss the pageantry that goes along with it. It thrills me every time and makes me proud to be an American. This year, though, there was an additional piece that caught me by surprise, something so out of the ordinary that I’m still trying to sort through it. Donald Trump’s inauguration, while keeping with the many other traditions that go along with the occasion, included a focus on prayer like none before it. I’m not the only one who noticed. Numerous observers pointed out that no fewer than six […]
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In the euphoria following Clemson’s stunning National Championship victory Monday night, one moment stood out: ESPN reporter Samantha Ponder’s interview with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney as he left the confetti-strewn field. She asked Dabo how his team had managed to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide. “I told the team,” he said, “that the difference in the game is gonna be love. My word all year has been love. Today, we’re gonna win it because we love each other. We love each other. We’re gonna win the game, I don’t know how—I told them at halftime—but we’re gonna win it.” See the whole interview here For anyone who […]
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It’s almost Christmas, and at my house we’ve unpacked the boxes in the attic full of special decorations we only use this time of year. My wife and I have loads of stuff. The Christmas tree decorations are my particular favorites—everything from the first bauble we bought as a newly married couple over thirty years ago to the set of loopy ceramic penguins that presides over our home from the most visible position on the tree. Then there are the manger scenes (maybe a half dozen), lights, seasonal candles, table runners, china and so many knick-knacks I lose count. At Christmas we pull out all the stops and make our home as festive as […]
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As the nation continues to work through the angst or jubilation of Donald Trump’s election as President (depending on whether you’re a Democrat or Republican), one segment is particularly relieved—the evangelical church. Over the last few years the government has encroached into the arena of religious liberty to the degree that many of us were wondering how long it would be before we would face legal action or civil lawsuits if we failed to conform to new laws regarding marriage, sexuality and public expressions of our faith. I wouldn’t say that now the pressure is off. The arc of moral behavior continues to bend away from Christian tradition, and […]
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This week Pam and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary. On November 29, 1980 we recited our vows before her father in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Bamberg, South Carolina where he served as pastor and began the journey together as husband and wife. It was Thanksgiving break at the seminary where we were both students and we had only three days before semester exams, but being young and in love we didn’t want to wait until the following summer to be together. I wouldn’t recommend that, by the way. But somehow things worked out. The wedding was awesome. Pam was beautiful and gloriously happy. Friends and family […]
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Other than Easter, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Not for the food—although I love it more than I want to admit. The smell of roast turkey sets my mouth watering. Sweet potato soufflé–especially the kind with crumbled pecans and brown sugar on top–drives me to prayer. Fresh cranberry relish is an addiction. And I can’t get enough of the special gravy filled with turkey innards that my mother-in-law makes just for me. But lots of holidays are known for their food—whether Christmas cookies or corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day or hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Thanksgiving cuisine isn’t what sets the day apart. Neither is Thanksgiving special because of the vacation most get from work. […]
Read MoreTuesday’s election loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon for many Christians. Hilary Clinton was so clearly aligned with the liberal agenda of restricting religious liberty, expanding abortion rights, supporting the transsexual movement and in general using the power of the state to overturn America’s Christian history that her election seemed to guarantee a bleak future for the evangelical church. That’s at first, I think, why so many evangelicals supported Donald Trump, a man whose track record under normal circumstances would have kept him at arm’s length from most church-going people. Hilary was perceived as the enemy of conservative Christians and all we believe in. Trump was the […]
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