Why do we have Vacation Bible School every year in so many churches across our state? Are we just trying to entertain our children during the hot summer days? No, we expend so much time, energy, prayers, and creativity because of hardening of the heart, not hardening of the arteries — which is a medical/physical […]
For 150 years, The Courier has been telling not only the news of South Carolina Baptists but also the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ! A friend of mine who serves in a denominational role in another state once said to me, “It takes three years to say hello to a Baptist.” I […]
As far back as I can remember, I have appreciated The Baptist Courier as a vital contributor and supporter of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Let me explain. My hometown is Hartsville in Darlington County, where I was born and bred. My home church was First Baptist, located in the heart of town, and I […]
Under a mango tree in Hoima, Uganda, roughly 100 children gathered, eagerly waiting for Vacation Bible School to begin. Sixteen short-term missionaries from the United States had traveled there to minister to these children and their families. Their sacrifices of hot showers, air conditioning and cultural familiarity seemed utterly insignificant as the days passed and […]
One of my dad’s favorite pastimes was fishing. He rarely caught anything big, but he loved to go to the lake or a river, or a stream, and “drown a worm.” I have a nice bass on my wall that was caught with my dad on Watauga Lake in East Tennessee. I cherish the memory […]
Sometimes it seems the hardest thing for a Christian to do is to accept God’s will. We pray and ask God for help — to heal us, bless our lives and change our situations. We pray that God will answer us in the way we want, and when He doesn’t, we become frustrated and question […]
A lot can be lost in a single generation. The writers of Scripture often warned the leaders of Israel that unless they rehearsed the works of God to their children and grandchildren, a generation would arise that “knew not the Lord or his ways” (Judges 2:10). Southern Baptists have a lot to pass on to […]
Black History Month invites all Americans to better understand African-American achievement. For Christians, it is an opportunity to better understand God’s providence and grace as we listen to one another’s story of pain and promise without contempt. In the spirit of African-American historian Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), students of African-American history learn to view the […]
For other Cartersville, Ga., residents and me, it was surreal to see Trevor Lawrence, a kid who had just been known around town as “Trevor” since he was 15, on the national stage Jan. 7. It shouldn’t have been. Over four years we saw his talent at Cartersville High’s Weinman Stadium, the spirals thrown at […]
I’ve been there, and you likely have as well. You’ve never heard the song your church is singing or you’ve heard it but don’t like it. The temptation is to silently mimic the words or not sing at all. But here’s why we need to sing anyway: It’s right to sing God’s praises. Even if […]