President’s Perspective: Advance Together or Hero Ball?

“Will this be their year?” was the question posed during a segment of an NFL pre-game show on the Baltimore Ravens. One of the hosts commented that as long as their All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson stays healthy, they’ll be in the hunt. Her partner agreed, but added he needs to work on his accuracy and […]

President’s Perspective: Weakness-Based Ministry

I don’t know what it is about October, but for some reason, most of my spiritual and ministry milestones happened in October. It’s the month I got saved, the month God called me to the ministry, and the month I preached my first sermon. It was also October when our church moved into its first […]

President’s Perspective: I Miss My Church

Not too long ago, I was in a Bible study with a group from outside my church when a lady asked, “Tell us how we can pray for you?” I asked for the usual: health and strength, wisdom to lead my family, church, and the convention well, and a few million dollars. Then I paused […]

President’s Perspective: Hearing What’s Not Being Said

If there’s anything I’ve learned from 18 years of pastoring, it’s this: What’s said and what’s heard can be two entirely different things. If you attended the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting last month, you probably overheard a number of sidebar conversations involving Critical Race Theory, sexual abuse, and Executive Committee transparency, just to name […]

President’s Perspective: A Queen And God’s Faithfulness

“The name of the only Queen in Israel’s history.” A nice piece of Bible trivia that would make a great Bible Jeopardy clue. But more than trivia, the events surrounding her reign are a powerful story of God’s providence, faithfulness, and our response. It was the eighth century B.C., long after the northern 10 tribes […]

President’s Perspective: The Cast and Crew

I’m hooked on Disney+. It wasn’t my plan. My original plan was to purchase a subscription and keep it for one month, just long enough to watch a few movies with the family over Christmas. But that was before I saw the promos for WandaVision, Marvel’s nine-episode miniseries exclusively on Disney+, with episodes dropping every […]

President’s Perspective: Why It Still Matters

“In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11, CSB). The question seems to find its way into the comment section of every online story about a race relations milestone being reached in the SBC. It generally goes like […]

President’s Perspective: Who’s the GOAT?

“Is he the GOAT?” It’s the most popular question on sports talk radio. The 2020-21 version goes something like this: After appearing in his 10th championship and winning his fourth title with a third team (Los Angeles Lakers), is Lebron James the NBA’s Greatest Of All Time (GOAT)? Everyone has an opinion. One morning while […]

President’s Perspective: God Can Use the Worst to Produce the Best

“The Worst Year Ever.” That’s how Time magazine described 2020 in its December edition, and justifiably so. No one will miss a year marked by a global pandemic, business shutdowns, social unrest, natural disasters, and a divisive election cycle. The New Year’s ball couldn’t drop fast enough. But adversity is a great teacher, so before […]