A recent Gallup survey had some very bad news for pastors — and, by extension, for the church in America. In the survey, only 34 percent rated the honesty and integrity of pastors as very high. Among respondents under age 30, the rate was a much lower 20 percent. These numbers are the lowest since […]
While attending a wedding ceremony in 2016, I discovered a change of wording in the marriage license. After the ceremony, the bride shared with me that the officiating minister was having trouble filling out the marriage license and asked if I could help. As a pastor, I had filled out numerous marriage licenses and agreed […]
After the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — a landmark case that reversed the harmful precedents set in Roe v. Wade — more attention is rightly focused on the welfare of children, post-birth. Lifeline Children’s Services’ mission is to equip the body of Christ to manifest the […]
Haunted. This is the word many women use to describe their day-to-day experience after having an abortion. Their haunting includes fear, guilt, shame, confusion — but most of all, the memory of the life that was, and could have been. Countless women bury these memories deep within. One woman, Elizabeth, recalls being young and poor, […]
The charge nurse of the medicine floor at my local hospital spoke wearily through my phone, “The older patient in bed 407, Mr. B., is not responsive, and his vital signs are stable. Can you take a look at him?” Mr. B. was 87, had Alzheimer’s dementia and several other medical conditions. When I examined […]
It’s that time of year when we begin thinking about goals for the next year. Too often, these goals are not related to our walk with God. More than simply setting “New Year’s resolutions” we might break quickly next year, I hope one or more of these goals will become part of your Christian walk […]
The Son of God took on flesh and was born in a manger. One of the worst things that can happen to us is that the good news of Christmas Day becomes routine. Maybe this happens because we’ve allowed our daily pace and to-do lists to drown out our sense of wonder. Perhaps trials and […]
Our church is blessed to have the best greeter that ever walked the earth. His name is Freddy, and he is a Chiweenie. A Chiweenie is a canine mixture of chihuahua and dachshund. Freddy is named after my grandfather and father, both Southern Baptist pastors. We acquired this little dog in 2019, a year after […]
Like many Christians, I have recently felt a responsibility to say something about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and open the door for abortion restrictions across the country. My goal in doing so is not to score any points or to take a victory lap. I am not under the illusion […]
God-fearing, right-thinking, life-loving Christians have prayed for nearly 50 years for God to intervene in the affairs of our nation to overturn the abhorrent Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 that essentially overruled the abortion laws of the individual states. Subsequent to that decision, more than 60 million surgical abortions have occurred in the United […]