Voices

Christmastime is one of the hardest things to shop for and stay within a budget for most people. In addition, you desperately desire to see a look of wonder and joy on the face of those whom you love. When our children were little, my wife and I ran across an idea that we implemented for years.  Some years we added to this idea, while others we were barely able to get it done. I do not remember where we learned of this idea, so I do not take credit for it at all.  Four things to get your kids at Christmas: Something they want Everybody wants something. You can keep it simple or make it extravagant. This requires listening to your family. It may be that you have to ask them to write things down. At this point, our family uses the app Elfster to help us know what each other are looking and wanting. We can use it year round for other gift-idea occasions as well. Something they need You know what they need.  Whatever that may be that will help them along the journey of life. ...

 Our world is full of accusations, allegations, condemnations, retaliations, polarization, victimization, and the list goes on and on.  What are we, as believers in Jesus Christ our God and Savior, supposed to do with all of these things?  How do we respond biblically?  The answer is simple, but it is not easy.  We stand for biblical truth. Let me give you three ways that are just the tip of the iceberg, but help us on our way to living out biblical truth. 1. We stand on the rock, Jesus Christ.          The believer cannot stand alone, nor even without the help of Jesus. Peter and Paul both remind us what the prophet states about Jesus by declaring,  “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8 NASB) When those we look up to as models fail and fall we must look past them to Jesus Christ the Lord who is the only One in whom we will n...

  The COVID Pandemic has affected every single person in the world in one way or another.  The response has been varied and wide, sometimes even within the same household.  I believe that this pandemic can teach believers in Jesus Christ a thing or two about how to respond to others by comparing cultural responses to the pandemic with sin.  Specifically, there are three thoughts that can help us in evangelism that  are necessary to meet people where they are in order to take them where they need to go. 1. Everyone is affected by sin, but not everyone believes they have been.  Just like COVID, sin has affected the entire world.  Scripture tells us that "all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory."  However, there are many who believe that they are good, moral people.  They are not evil and therefore have no need to change or even listen about a Rescuer.  To even suggest differently is an affront to them. Christians do not need peopl...

  Is this the dawning of a new day for Southern Baptists or the sunset of a dying convention?   This seemed to be the metaphorical question going into the convention in Nashville on June 15-16, 2021.  I was there.  I wondered what would happen.  I was concerned about what would take place.  As those dates are behind us, here are three things that I have taken away from this convention. Grace is necessary. We listened to one another.  We heard the cries of those who are hurting.  We took action on behalf of those who needed someone to stand with them.  However, we did not do it in a way that was harsh.  We followed what Scripture says to "submit to one another."  I am grateful that the Executive Team stated through Ronnie Floyd that we will do what the messengers desire.  That is their role.  They are accountable to the messengers.  They did well to live that out and did so gracefully. It was hot!  Oh, so hot...

Hero, the title conjures an image for everyone.  Some wear capes or masks while others wear stethoscopes, carry a ball, walk on the moon, or run towards danger.  Yet there is a common theme that runs through true heroes.  Our comics, movies, stories, songs, and poems all show the thread of sacrifice for our heroes.  Look closely and you will see that villains do what they want for their own gain while the hero will do what is true, and what they believe is right, even to the point that it costs them everything.  Yet, how many people can say the same is true, or even partially true, in their own life. What is truth?  Pilot asked Jesus that question.  Many others throughout history have asked it, maybe you have as well.  Jesus answered that questions earlier when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The truth is simple, the truth is Jesus.  You cannot have truth apart from Jesus Christ. It is comical how many people say they are a ...

There are difficult things in life to understand, many of which, let's face it, we don't.  There are some who, at times, act like they understand.  For example, when the grandchild explains to the grandparent about all that is needed to beat the video game, talks about the hidden stages, and uses characters by name.  The grandparent nods, mutters mmmhmmm and ok, but has no clue what is going on.  You know, moments like those.  Yeah, sometimes life is hard to understand.  What happens when you don't know which way to go, what is happening, or why it is happening to you.  How can you explain your life, your faith?  What if you have trouble understanding it all. 1. Live on mercy As Christians, we can live on one of three levels. We can return evil for good, which is the satanic level. We can return good for good and evil for evil, which is the human level. Or, we can return good for evil, which is the divine level. Jesus is the perfect exampl...

How many times have you wished that your kids had a full relationship with God?  Working in youth ministry for close to two decades I cannot count the times where teens or collegians are told to develop spiritual disciplines in their lives.  They are told that these habits will deepen their walk with the Lord and help them to rely on Him while building their faith.  Yet that is where it stops.  It is as if we tell each generation, you get a good relationship with God.  When the push back of "Why?" comes the response is often no more than a spiritual "Because I said so."  We cannot expect teens/college kids to do the spiritual disciplines we have preached, but not taught. 1. "Because I said so" does not work How many times have you used that with your children.  I remember growing up I thought to myself, "That's dumb.  I will never say that to my kids."  I do not remember the first time I used it on my little ones (at the time) but I know ...

There is no debate that the western church is alive.  She is active.  She is well.  That being said, some would debate those statements.  What I say here, to some, will be offensive and harsh.  That is not the intent.  The intent is tha t it is time for us to be honest with ourselves and the people of God.  1 Peter 4:17 states that “it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.”  Now you may be thinking, “Who are you to judge?”  I am of the household of God and throughout Scripture it tells us to examine ourselves, so I am examining.  Within our culture, here in the west, we have allowed those who are clubs to maintain that they are churches.  People gather at these clubs to hear what they want to hear, to be entertained, and to set their own agenda.  Men and women of God, we should be aware of these places, and we should stop calling them churches. Here are three ways you can tell if your “church” is a cl...

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 ...

    Revival is not a one time thing.  This is, I believe, the key to understanding true revival.  True revival happens when a disciple of Jesus Christ is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18 states, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." Continuing on, Paul tells what a Spirit-filled person acts like.  Now you can get all wrapped up in the first phrase of the verse and never make it to the second part, but I am not interested in having a conversation that focuses on picking apart Scripture and never living it out in life.     Being filled with the Spirit simply means being under control of the Holy Spirit thereby impelled and empowered to do His will.  It is not indwelling of the Spirit, nor is it baptism of the Spirit, nor is it getting more of the Spirit.  I like how the commentators of the Liberty Annotated Study Bible put it, "Those who are saved do not need to get more of...

There you are, minding your own business and then it shows up...If you love Jesus or want a blessing, type Amen or like or share.  I really despise those things.  The reason I do not like them is very simple:  That is not how it works!  God is not your genie, the man upstairs, the guy in the sky or your spiritual broker.  God is not there to make deals, bargain with or try to manipulate. These are all lies about a god who does not exist.  Clicking on an image of some guy in a robe who has one hand held up in the air will not proclaim your love for Jesus, get you any type of blessing nor does it share Jesus with anyone.  If you want to show the world around you, be it the cyber world or the physical world, then there is only one way to do it. Sharing Jesus is not about clicking, it is requires talking. 1. You must use words Spoken or written, sharing Jesus requires words.  Now you may say, "I share Jesus with my life and when people are rea...

When God speaks, He always expects a response.   I was taught this as a child.  I was taught this in Bible college.  I was taught this in seminary.  I read it again last week.  I believe this is true.  I would venture to say that many who attend evangelical churches would even give an "Amen" to the statement. However... If we believe, truly believe the statement is true, then what has happened in our churches? Maybe, just maybe, the statement itself is not understood in light of biblical truth.  I am going to make an assumption for the sake of this article, you believe the Bible is the inerrant, fully sufficient, word of God.  Now, let me be clear, whether you believe it or not does not change the fact that it is.  The only change will be your response to it. Scripture is God's primary mode of communication in our world today.  Since it is God communicating through His holy word, when His word is taught, read, studied and prea...

Comfort, prestige, home and health.  These and many more creature comforts have overtaken the mindset of Western Christianity.  One day, Jesus is shared and the unthinkable happens...you are laughed at or someone disagrees with you.  We call it persecution, and by definition, it may be.  You do not like it.  How can you make sure that never happens again?  This is not what you signed up for when you became a Christian.  So here is a helpful guide to quit the horrible persecution you have endured. Ways to NOT be persecuted: 1. Refuse to share Jesus with others This is simple.  Keep your faith hidden.  Live in total disobedience to the command of Jesus and you will not have to be concerned with other people. 2. Do not pray that people will respond to the gospel Prayer is a weapon.  Do not fight for the souls of those who are headed to a Christless eternity.  Fall deeper and deeper into carnality and persecution will not be y...

Every high school sport that I have been a part of or attended over the years always has the same thing happen.  It is known as Seniors' night.     The night that all graduating seniors are recognized and honored for what? When you break it down, each senior is being honored for being himself. Whether they have contributed to the team over the years or this is their first, each one gets honored.   What would happen if we honored others for just being...them?  Could it be that community, unity, cooperation and gratitude may just make a comeback? Simple ideas for honoring others. 1. Send a personal thank you note There are few things more uplifting than checking the mail and finding a hand written note of thanks.  Choose a ink color other than black or blue.  I like using green.  It shows that you have taken the time to show your appreciation. 2. Spend your time We live in a day where we "do" lunch.  What if we went back to "eating"...

Most insects have what are known as compound eyes.  According to biology online, "As the name suggests, compound eyes are composed of many similar, closely-packed facets (called ommatidia) which are the structural and functional units of vision.   The number of ommatidia varies considerably from species to species:   some worker ants have fewer than six while some dragonflies may have more than 25,000." The internet is humanity's compound eye.  One story can be seen by millions, and even billions, across the globe.  In a day of fake news stories (which is a nice way of saying lies) you must be vigilant to make sure that what you put online is beneficial.  Here are some tips to remember when you are online. Three Simple Tips to remember as you live online 1. Once you post it, you can't take it back Like the words that we speak, our posts on the internet are out there for good.  You may be able to delete what you see, but with instant back up, q...

I was newly married and on the phone with someone I had never met in my life.  Near the end of our conversation I heard these words, "I love you."  To this day I still do not believe it.  This person did not know me and I did not know them.  Sure, we knew about each other, but really did not know one another. We all want love.  We all want to be in a place where there is safety to open our lives up with someone who will accept us, warts and all, for who we are.  We want people to care enough for us to challenge us to excel.  Yes, we all want love. But do we value love enough to give it to others, constantly, faithfully and fully.  I think this is where some of the breakdown in our culture lies.  What we want does not translate into what we value.  We do not value love.  We want it all for ourselves, and we expect others to provide it, yet we do not reciprocate let alone take the initiative to show love to others.  One no...

I was walking down the stairs one Sunday morning into the baptistery after giving the final instructions to the baptismal candidates.  As I stepped down I was reminded of one more thing.  I turned and look back to tell them the step were really slippery so be careful as they came down....and there I went, down.  My foot had slipped on the stairs.  I knew better than to turn, talk, and try to step down into the water at the same time, but I was dumb and I paid the price for it. We are headed into spring and many of us will be picking up sticks, maybe doing some digging and as the year goes on leaf pick up then shoveling snow.  Let me give you a few tips on how to save your back, knees and hip joints.  Simply put, you need to turn your toes. 1. Look where you want to go. Turn your head first.  Make sure that where you want to turn is free from anything you could twist your ankle on or damage your knee with a misstep. 2. Turn on the heel while l...

Let's take a moment today and think about what you are not saying. A lot of times we are told or think about what to say, how to say it, and/or how what we say comes across to other people. Scriptures is clear about watching what we say and thinking about our speech patterns. Ephesians 4:29-32 teaches that our actions and directly related to our speech. In other words, you walk what you talk. That being said, I believe that much of what is not said should be talked about more. Now, let me be clear, I am not meaning to have our speech include filthy things and words that tear down others. I am simply putting out the idea that our speech patterns need more of Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving others even in the same way that God forgave you in Christ." I would dare say that too many of us (yes, us...me included) do not have the kind of speech represented here consistently in our lives. Is my speech patter, are my words, my go-t...