Archive for June, 2006
Sound Familiar?
June 29th, 2006 | 11 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues
Take a look at this editorial from Jeremy Green in the Florida Baptist Witness. Sound familiar?
Yeah, I thought so too. Its theme is awfully similar to Ben Brammer’s article from mid-May, which I spoke about in this blog post. (Note: Ben and I have since exchanged e-mails, and I will say that his heart was definitely in the right place when he wrote his article. I simply felt that some of the wording in his article was unnecessary rhetoric which detracted from his points.)
Now, I’m not linking Jeremy and Ben, except in the similarity of some of the statements in their articles. I would imagine that, should Jeremy and I have correspondence similar to that which Ben and I had, we’d find ourselves in complete agreement with the heart of his article (just not the wording). However, based on the text of the article, I am again forced to wonder… why is it that we continue to assign motives to “younger leaders”, assuming the positions taken in blog posts, editorials, etc., are indicative of a desire for convention leadership positions? Moreso, how can one make these assertions when so many have clearly stated that they are NOT interested in leadership positions? Maybe someone could point out for me just who these “younger leaders” are that desire leadership positions?
Further, why do we continually see statements by some that basically allege that the interest of “young leaders” in convention life adversely impacts their “day-to-day” ministries? Why do some seem to think that it’s an either/or issue, when it really needs to be both? Why can’t we highlight the positive that some of the apathy many have had about convention activities is now lifting, and that many leaders (both young and old) are now doing more than ever to be involved in the life of our convention and to keep their flocks informed?
I don’t know… maybe I’m just frustrated by the rhetoric that comes from both sides, but I, for one, would sure like to see a larger focus on the positives. I certainly am not saying that we should ignore the controversies (we have to continue to address these, and that necessitates debate), but let’s drop the rhetoric and be sure that everything we say (or write) is Christ-honoring.
UPDATE…
Jeremy has his own blog here.
Another cool illusion…
June 28th, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » Just For Fun...
Check this out! Talk about a cool illusion!
You Pray… God Answers!
June 27th, 2006 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Church Stuff..., Prayer Requests
Hey, quick update on VBS at Missouri Valley (remember, I asked you all to pray about it?)…
We had a young girl accept Christ tonight!
That’s right… you prayed, and God answered!
So… please don’t stop praying! We’ve got three more nights to go, and I know God’s not done yet!
Verse-O-Matic Update, or… Name that Blog Section!
June 27th, 2006 | 10 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
I had initially named the section containing the “verse-o-matic” plugin “Random Bible Verse”. After further thought (and after a suggestion from one of the readers of this blog), that title sounds a bit like I’m treating Scripture passages a bit non-chalantly. So… since I’m running a bit low on creativity, we’re having a contest to name that section of the blog. The winner will get… um… well… something. Can’t do Starbucks gift certificates… that’s been done (Dorcas Hawker). I’d do an autographed copy of my book… but that wouldn’t be very original either (not to mention the fact that I haven’t written a book!). So… how about this… let’s extend the contest a bit further, we’ll allow readers the opportunity to name the prize too ($10 or less, please… I’m not made of money!).
So… two questions:
1. What should I name the “Verse-O-Matic” section of the blog?
2. What should the prize(s) for this contest be? ($10 or less).
All entries must be submitted by midnight on July 4th! Winners will be announced the following day.
Verse-O-Matic
June 27th, 2006 | 9 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
I just finished adding the “verse-o-matic” plugin to the site. It displays randomly selected Scripture verses from a list I’ve provided, changing the displayed verse each time a new page is loaded on the site.
I’ve added about 25 verses I like… how about sharing some of your favorites? I’ll add them to the list too.
Vacation Bible School…
June 26th, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » Church Stuff..., My Life, Prayer Requests
If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted anything profound the past few days (okay, I know… do I ever post anything profound?), it’s because I’ve been a bit busy preparing for Vacation Bible School at my church, Missouri Valley Baptist. I’m serving as the missions leader, so I get the privilege of sharing 10-15 minutes each night telling a bunch of impressionable kids about what God is doing throughout the world through people He has called.
Pray for our VBS, will you? I don’t know what this week will hold, but I know that God can do amazing things through VBS. So…
– Pray that God will prepare these kids’ hearts for what they’re going to learn, and that at least one of them will come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
– Pray that God will grant the teachers (such as my wife Nancy) the ability to guide these children to a deeper understanding of what faith in Jesus means.
– Pray that God will grant me wisdom and strength to share about His power in the lives of our missionaries, and that learning about that will encourage them in their own faith.
Thanks!
Live Comment Previewing!
June 26th, 2006 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
I’ve added a new plugin to the site which allows for live comment previewing. I’ve also modified the width of the text area for commenting to eliminate that irritating stylesheet error that caused part of your comment text to scroll off the right side of the screen. Hopefully these features will make the commenting more user-friendly.
Let me know if you like the new features! I’m always open to feedback, especially ideas that will help improve the look and feel of the site!
Won’t We Ever Learn?
June 22nd, 2006 | 10 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues
Guess what?
Southern Baptists are bickering and infighting about drinking beverages containing alcohol again. Is anyone surprised?
Why can’t we just let this topic die? It does nothing but cause division everytime we bring it up. We get articles like that written by James Smith in the Florida Baptist Witness, full of strawman proposals and personal attacks. We get heated, wandering discussion on mailing lists such as the Missouri Baptist list (linked in the left sidebar) or in blogs like Marty Duren’s SBC Outpost or Wade Burleson’s “Grace and Truth to You”. What’s the point?
Does anyone really disagree that the Biblical prohibition is drunkenness rather than drinking? Does anyone really disagree that Jesus himself drank wine? Why are we splitting hairs over this, one way or the other?
Isn’t the most appropriate Scripture passage in regard to the consumption of alcoholic beverages from 1 Corinthians 8:9?
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
We have freedom in Christ, but we must be careful how we exercise that freedom. Isn’t that the bottom line?
Anyway, maybe I’m just a foolish young layperson who is weary of seeing so much bickering and infighting and just doesn’t see the point of further dispute.
A Little Essay Contest…
June 22nd, 2006 | 4 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues
Wade Burleson has challenged everyone to a little essay contest…
Get your thoughts together, and let him know what you would do if you were president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Yes, there will be prizes.
Anyway, check out his site for more information.
Who’s Going to Hell?
June 21st, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News...
Here’s an interesting news story regarding beliefs about who’s going to hell and why, broken down by a variety of people groups (see some of the results of the survey here).
The telling statistic to me is not that people of different backgrounds believe in hell as a real place and that they believe that many they know are going to hell, but that 58% believe that we go to hell because of immoral action (this must be the “if I’m good enough, I’ll get in to heaven” crowd). They’re only partially correct. The Bible is crystal clear that we’re all unworthy, all filled with sin… and thus, all bound for hell (Romans 3:23… “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”). So… although sin is the reason we deserve hell… it’s not the deciding factor in whether we go there. The deciding factor is whether we accept or reject the free gift of salvation offered through faith in Christ (Romans 10:9… “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”).
Anyway, there’s a whole world out there that’s missing the point when it comes to heaven / hell… a world that doesn’t understand that we can never be “good enough” for heaven. It’s up to us to tell them that we’ve got to trust in the one who enabled salvation… the one who paid the penalty for sin… the one who conquered death and gives us life… that we’ve got to cling to Jesus and go before the throne of God with Him as our hope of salvation.
