Archive for November, 2006
In the Midst of the Rancor…
November 30th, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Worth Reading
In the midst of the rancor of SBC debate, Bryan Riley brings us back to (what should be our) center. This is a must read post.
Thanksgiving Wrap-Up
November 27th, 2006 | 3 Comments | Posted in » My Life, Pictures
Well, I’m only about four days late on my Thanksgiving post… so I’ll make it brief. If you want to know much of what I’m thankful for, I posted a pretty good list just a little over a week ago, when recapping Toward the Goal’s first anniversary.
What’s missing from that post that I’m REALLY thankful for? My family.
My kids… Jeffrey and Jenna. My wife… Nancy. All of you provide light for my life. You keep me focused on what’s really important. I love all three of you with every bit of my being. I’m so glad we had so much time to spend together this weekend… even if it was just hanging out in the hotel, playing in the park, shopping, or yes… even while on the long road to and from Grandma’s.
And the upcoming addition to my family… my second little princess, whose name I can’t yet share. All I have is a few fuzzy ultrasound pictures yet I love you every bit as much as I love Jeffrey, Jenna, and Nancy. I can’t wait to look into your eyes when you’re born, but for now, I’m more than content to feel you wiggle and kick in your mommy’s belly.
Yes… in just my family, I have much to be thankful for. Couple that with the God who loves me, and all the other blessings He has poured into my life? I’m truly blessed.
(I know… no post about my family is complete without pictures… so here’s one of each of my kids…)
First, Jeffrey at the playground Saturday afternoon…
Here’s Jenna at the playground as well…
Last, but not least… my second little princess (ultrasound picture from doctor’s visit a month or so back)…
Peace Wreath… or Sign of Satan?
November 27th, 2006 | 4 Comments | Posted in » In the News...
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this story covered in my local newspaper… so much so that I had to seek it out online and post it for you here.
The basics? A homeowner’s association in Colorado is fining a homeowner $25 a day for their display of a Christmas wreath in the shape of a peace symbol. Other residents in the subdivision disapprove, for reasons as diverse as disagreeing with the perceived protest of the Iraq war… to offense that the symbol is a sign of Satan. Seriously.
Seems to me that the thin air is getting to people out there…
Out of Touch?
November 22nd, 2006 | 9 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, In the News...
Here’s an interesting study from Lifeway, showing that pastors are generally less informed about our culture than laypersons. I’m curious what this really means, and if indeed true, whether this is a large reason our culture as a whole has less and less use for the church.
Here’s the story.
I guess the study begs the question, “Is the church genuinely out of touch with culture, and thus ineffective at reaching it?” (This almost goes hand in hand with the last post on entertainment…)
Any thoughts?
Entertainment… Evil?
November 22nd, 2006 | 5 Comments | Posted in » Quote of the Day
I ran across the following quote on another blog today… thought provoking stuff.
I believe that amusements were created by the devil to take the minds of dying men off of their dying. I believe that entertainment and amusements are the work of the enemy to keep dying men from knowing they’re dying and to keep men who are enemies of God from remembering they are enemies. . . . Fallen human nature plus the work of the devil have given us something to keep us thinking harmless thoughts and pleasant thoughts in order that we might not settle the matter of eternal soul welfare. The man who comes home at night, God in heaven knows, and nobody else does, that just three weeks away is a coronary thrombosis that will drop him on the sidewalk. God knows it and he doesn’t and his family doesn’t. If he knew it, he’d be calling in the preacher and reading his Bible and getting straight with God. And why isn’t he going to call anybody and get right with God? Too many funny things on the radio, too many funny things on T.V., too many Life magazines, too many comic strips, too many things that he can do! Too many bowling clubs, too many theaters, too many night ball-games, too much everything to take his mind off the fact that his troubles are real and that the agitation and disharmony and discord within him are the result of his fall and his sin. . . . Now if that’s radicalism, you can quote me, I don’t care. I believe that.
– A.W. Tozer
What do you think? Is there much truth in this? How should whatever truth this quote embodies be implemented in our lives?
Church Scammed by Katrina “Victims”?
November 22nd, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News...
This is sad. A church in Memphis reached out to some Hurricane Katrina victims by buying them a home, and found their generosity rewarded by the “victims” re-selling the house just a few months later for a profit. Here’s the story.
I know Christians get taken advantage of from time to time when showing Christian love to non-believers through tangible giving… it’s almost something we have to expect to occur. With that in mind, is this church responding appropriately? Should they just let this go, or are they right to be upset to the point of considering legal action?
Whew… Close One!
November 21st, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News...
Whew… that was a close one. Didn’t you hear? According to the California Supreme Court, bloggers are now free to post whatever they want about whomever they want (regardless of the truth of what’s written) without the concern of retaliatory lawsuits. Yep, that’s right… gossip… libel… blatant falsehoods and mischaracterizations… we’re free to do it all! Check out the news story here.
This should come as a huge relief to all of us Baptist bloggers… 
A Lighthouse…
November 16th, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Quote of the Day
Thought the following quote I saw today on the Missouri Baptist Mailing List was especially appropriate in light of a lot of recent actions by Baptist state conventions…
A lighthouse doesn’t shout or scream, it shines.
– source unknown
(Note: this also marks the start of a new category of posts here… the “Quote of the Day”, which probably is a bit of a misnomer as it won’t be all that daily.)
1st Anniversary of Toward the Goal…
November 15th, 2006 | 8 Comments | Posted in » My Life, Site News...
Well, today marks the 1st anniversary of Toward the Goal, at least as it exists at toward-the-goal.net. It’s been an interesting year!
Here’s a few highlights…
- 239 posts, and 471 comments (almost a post every weekday, amazingly enough).
- 107 posts devoted to Baptist issues… something I never envisioned being involved in when I started this site back up last year at this time.
- Top posts of the year (by comments): “A Question I’ve Always Wondered About”, in regard to the experience of tongues / prayer language, and “Is it Really Worth It?”, where I ponder (out of frustration with conduct by many) whether we’re doing more harm than good to our convention through the rhetoric we’ve generated through our heated discussions about Baptist issues. Both posts had 19 comments (not a lot in comparison to most blogs, I know).
- Coming out from the fog of anonymnity. Looking back, it feels crazy that this was ever an issue for me (after all, given the site’s purpose of sharing my faith, it seemed like I was almost being ashamed of being a Christian by remaining anonymous), but it was a tough decision for me at the time (just ask Nancy).
- The 2006 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. What can I say except that it was an AWESOME experience? I met a ton of wonderful people there (almost like a family reunion of bloggers, strange as that may sound), had a lot of fun shooting and producing video footage for Baptists everywhere (see sbcvideos.info), met some Baptist leaders (and was blessed to pray over them), experienced a Westboro protest (and filmed an interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper), met Paul Strickland (an incredibly inspirational soul-winner if ever there were one)… oh yeah, and got lost somewhere outside Greensboro TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW after midnight on the way back to the hotel (I blame the driver, Micah).
- Implemented a complete site re-design (definitely needed!).
Most importantly though? Blogging here at Toward the Goal has brought me into contact with some absolutely awesome people. I can’t say enough about all of you. A few I want to mention in particular, though…
- Micah Fries. Yeah, you’re my pastor… but over the past year you’ve also become one of my closest friends. This blogging thing gave us yet another commonality. Tracy and Nancy may not appreciate it all that much (we both spend WAY too much time online), but hey… that’s yet one more thing we’ve got in common. I can’t wait to see how God continues to grow the friendship not only between you and I, but between both of our families. That’s not even mentioning the excitement I have about seeing how He uses us in the St. Joseph area…
- Kevin Bussey. We had some great times in Greensboro… you introduced me to Carolina BBQ (that sauce just has to grow on you, I guess!). You were fearless and incredibly composed in the interview with the Westboro folks (there’s no way I could have held my composure the way you did). But your heart man… that’s what I like best about you. You love God, you love people, and you want to make a difference in this world. Your church is blessed to have you as their pastor. I really hope we’ll have a chance to see each other again someday! In the meantime, I look forward to our continuing online interactions!
- Judah. My Kiwi friend (New Zealand for all of you that don’t know the Kiwi reference)! You’re the first person I really got to know online very well at all (good old e4god.com… too bad it got overrun by spammers / hackers). I’ve always appreciated your passion for defending and explaining the faith to the searching online. You’re solid Biblically, and you’ve challenged and encouraged me in my walk with Christ. We may not correspond much nowadays, but do know that I have appreciated our online friendship.
- Bob Cleveland. We may be seperated by a generation or so in age, but brotherhood in Christ bridges all barriers. I appreciate all of the encouragement you’ve sent my way (especially those personal experiences you’ve shared via e-mail), and I’m more than pleased to know that some of the things I’ve shared here have been of benefit to you in your own walk with Christ.
- Bryan Riley. Man… your faith is an inspiration. You and your family have made sacrifices most would find nearly impossible. I can’t help but be encouraged as I’ve learned about your journey from Arkansas businessman to missionary in Hawaii, where you’re now finding ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Your journey and sharing reminds me that honoring God by following Christ is what matters most, and that it’s worth it… no matter what the cost.
- Alan Cross. You, like Bryan, are an inspiration to me. What you and your family have gone through with Caelan would tear most people apart, but you’ve consistently shown us through what you’ve shared that God’s grace and provision is sufficient, and that He truly is there for us in our most difficult times. As I mentioned to Kevin, your church is blessed to have you as pastor.
- Dorcas Hawker. The way you use your blog is a shining example for us all. You’re open, honest… real. You share about your life… and glorify Christ through doing so. Thanks for showing all of us what blogging is all about.
I have no doubt overlooked some people I should recognize, so please don’t be upset with me if I haven’t included you on this list (or even if I have!). I appreciate everyone whom I’ve interacted with through this strange media we call blogging. As for those of you who read this blog with whom I have not conversed? I appreciate you as well. Why not introduce yourselves, though? I’d love to have the opportunity to get to know you.
As for the future of Toward the Goal? I couldn’t have imagined where God would take this last year, so I can’t begin to guess at where God will lead me with this in the coming year. The good thing? I don’t have to know… I just have to be willing to follow as He reveals each subsequent step. The future is in His hands… and I trust Him.
Anyway… I pray that Toward the Goal has been and will continue to be a blessing to all of you.
Quiverfull?
November 14th, 2006 | 3 Comments | Posted in » In the News...
Here’s a new word… “quiverfull”. Heard of it? Neither had I, until I ran across this news article.
Basically, “quiverfull” is a movement amongst evangelical Christians regarding abstinence from birth control methods… basically opening the door to allow God to control family planning. Hard-core quiverfullites (to coin a new term) do not even allow for natural family planning (tracking a women’s cycle and abstaining during the most likely periods of highest fertility). Most couples who subscribe to this movement have large families (for obvious reasons).
Interesting stuff… particularly the reaction from liberal groups. Did you know that this movement (if you can call it that) is really just a reaction to changes in women’s social roles… an attempt to reimpose a more traditional social order? So says Stephanie Coontz, director of research for the “Council on Contemporary Families”. To quote her directly (from the article):
It’s a backlash that I don’t feel will triumph. In the past, large families were helpful economically, but today, they become a disadvantage, especially to younger kids who don’t get as many resources.
Al Mohler (president of SBTS) brings a more sane perspective, somewhat in support of “quiverfull”:
If a couple sees children as an imposition, as something to be vaccinated against, like an illness, that betrays a deeply erroneous understanding of marriage and children.
Children should be seen as good by default.
Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m not sure what to think of “quiverfull” and all it’s implications. I do believe, however, that Christian couples should seriously think about their attitudes toward birth control, children, and God’s role in such decisions. This article about “quiverfull” certainly makes for a good conversation starter!
