We were wrapping up the monthly business meeting at my first pastorate, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church near Quitman, Miss., a meeting where I, as pastor, was serving as moderator. At the time, Mississippi was caught up in a raging fire of racial tension as James Meredith became the first black to enroll in Ole Miss. […]

I’m one of the lucky ones. I was privileged to be raised in a home with a father who loves me and who has stayed faithful to my mom all these years. I have never known the pain of growing up in a broken home, and for that I feel very blessed. My dad is […]

Many churches have members with hearing loss. How can pastors make their sermons accessible to all folks with hearing loss? One option is to use a speech-to-text transcription service. There are several software options online, with Dragon being very popular. Like all programs, the software will have to be trained to the speaker’s voice, so […]

Having a high regard for the use of language, much of today’s movie dialogue — and sometimes everyday conversation — causes me to cringe. It’s an era when your “Thank you” to a cashier is met with “No problem.” Your waiter approaches your mixed group with “Hi, guys.” And celebrity interviewees frequently utter phrases such […]

The most common reason missionaries go home is not due to lack of money, illness, terrorism, homesickness, or even a lack of fruit or response to the Gospel. Regretfully, the number one reason is due to conflict with other missionaries. Yes, you read that correctly. From my own personal experience on the field and after […]

Every day since last January, I’ve worn this necklace — a simple chain and an old brass key. A lot of people thought it was just a key to my house or my dorm, but it has so much more meaning than that. Over the last year, I have seen the Lord do incredible things […]

Standing with my feet in the water on the banks of Donner Lake, I was in awe of the pristine summertime scene. The clear mountain lake against the deep blue sky, with the lush-forested Sierra Nevada Mountains towering above me, made an impression on my soul. It’s hard to believe that just mere miles from […]

I went to the “Hits Deep Tour” featuring TobyMac at the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Ga., earlier this month. I didn’t go alone, but with my extended family — 17 of us (one granddaughter was sick and could not join us). It was not the first time I have been to a contemporary Christian […]

“The Turners have a new foster child,” someone whispered. A wide-eyed 12-year-old walked into church beside the couple, and people began to welcome him. When God prompts someone in your church to foster a child, how will your church respond? Are the preschool, children’s and youth workers prepared? Will children include them? Will seniors and […]

Many of us have received a phone call from an unknown number and, upon answering, found out that a random salesperson from a different state is attempting to sell us something. This method is called cold-call sales, which simply means that a company acquires a list of random names and phone numbers and methodically marches […]