Guest Viewpoints

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Guest Viewpoint: Ask others about themselves

I can only wonder how many people I pass every day without knowing much about them. Some of these folks are neighbors I still don’t know well. Others are coworkers and students on a campus large enough that knowing... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: ‘I move we fire the preacher’

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... Continue Reading »

Father’s Day: Being There

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: The hearing-impaired want to hear the sermon

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: Movies — Lousy, Lamentable Lingo

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.”... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: The Number One Reason Missionaries Leave the Field

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: The Key

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: Twain, Trains & Jesus’ Westward Trail

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: TobyMac & Me

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: When Foster Kids Come to Church

“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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: Why I practice cold-call evangelism

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... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: Testimony services aren’t ‘old-fashioned’

Growing up as a pastor’s son in a small church, some of my fondest memories are linked to those occasional Sunday nights when my dad, rather than preaching, would moderate a “testimony service.” In those services, our song leader... Continue Reading »