Voices

Kingdom Culture and Focus Prevailed My wife and I attended the Southern Baptist Convention that met last week in Dallas, Texas.  I want to share what happened, as I know you have likely heard or read things in the news that may seem troubling to you.  Let me assure you, all is not how it seems.  Yet in all, there is usually a grain of truth. I went into this year’s convention meetings on my face before God begging for unity, wisdom, and peace.  I was troubled in my spirit over major issues that we would be facing that could split us apart if we let our personalities, personal desires, and personal agendas get in the way and hinder our reliance upon God, Himself. There were two major issues that I knew we were facing.  We would be electing a new president, as Steve Gaines’ term came to an end, and we would be dealing with heartache and heartbreak over the firing of Dr. Paige Patterson as the president of Southwest Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texa...

There is a small diner I frequent often in our town for lunch.  From the moment you walk in you feel as if the calendar has moved back 40 or so years.  I love this place.  It is filled with conversation, laughter, the sizzling of meat on the grill, everything you think of when you think of a diner.  Everything, including the cheesy signs and the bar with stools.  But the thing I love the most is that no matter who you are, you are welcome.  I watch the employees as they joke, sing, even pat the old timers on the back in a way that says, "I value you."  So I keep coming back.  There is comfort here; comfort food, comfort in conversation, a place where the worries of life are dropped on the doorstep. There is a noticeable difference between being welcoming and feeling welcomed.   This makes me think about our churches.  Why are places in the world more comfortable to people than the bastion of hope that the church is ...