Southern Baptists

“No One Else is Willing to Come Out Here”

by

I’m still processing all God did among us in West Africa.  In some ways, this was the hardest mission trip I have ever been on in the fact of the conditions and what it takes to get there.  In other ways, it was the easiest in that it was very simple in theory.  Our primary objective was to share the gospel.

When speaking to our partnering missionary, I told him how difficult it was to get to him.  I had to fly across the world.  Then drive across the country.  Then walk across the desert.  Then, I was where he wanted me.  He said, “This is frontline missions.  There’s a reason your church was the last one to visit me months ago.  No one else is willing to come out here.  It’s too far.  Too hard.”

It was interesting to find out that out of the 18 summer volunteers serving with them this summer, 6 of them are from North Side, 3 are from Brook Hills (David Platt’s church), and the rest are from different locations.  Out of all the Southern Baptist churches, only 2 “radical” churches (sorry for the pun) are willing to encourage their students to go there.  And that is the reason why we must continue to go.

READ MORE

When God Does the Most With the Least Expected

by

In my life, I’ve learned that God often does the most with the least expected.

We often think we’ve got it all figured out.  In our estimation, we have enough knowledge to map out God’s plan for our lives.

But that rarely happens.  Oftentimes, God uses things in our lives that we never ever saw coming.

I said “yes” to the ministry when I was a teenager.  I really didn’t know what area I wanted to serve, I liked doing so many different things.

And yet, if you look at what God is using me the most in right now, I never would have seen this coming.

READ MORE

The Tragedy of Demas

by

Thursday night, I was honored to lead worship and preach for Lander’s BCM.  I felt pretty clear concerning the direction for the message, but I knew it was going to be a bit different. I wanted to focus on the biblical character Demas.  If you haven’t heard about him, you are not alone.  He’s not that famous.  We don’t know

When the Church Vote Doesn’t Go Your Way

by

I posted yesterday concerning the approval at the South Carolina Baptist Convention of the Great Commission Resurgence.  This approval met with a very significant majority vote (which shocked me personally).  While there are many different changes, the one that keeps me focused is that it changes the budget for more emphasis on sending more missionaries to the field.  It takes away some money from our institutions but also gives them allowance to raise money in other avenues.

The vote was a significant majority, but everyone involved are not raving fans (I know you’ve never heard of a situation like that in a church setting ;)).  I’m sympathetic to both sides.  I have dear brothers who were a part of leading the change and I have dear brothers who tried to stop it.  I see both sides, but the reality is, the change has happened now.

So, what do you do when the church vote doesn’t go your way?

READ MORE

The Great Commission Resurgence (And South Carolina Baptists)

by

North Side is a part of the Southern Baptist Convention, and within that denomination, we are specifically aligned with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Yesterday, we took a group of the staff to be a part of the yearly Convention meeting.

Recently, there has been dialogue concerning the allocation of Southern Baptist funds. When the recession hit, the Convention as a whole had to figure out how and where to cut back. From that event, the Great Commission Resurgence was a movement within the Convention to review how we spend money and where we send our resources. Yesterday, part of our leadership were in attendance to decide how South Carolina should go forward with their funds.

When North Side takes up an offering each week, 10% of that automatically goes to the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. When all of our Baptist churches put their funds together, we “cooperate” and send more missionaries than individual churches could on their own. So, even if you haven’t heard about this discussion, the decision yesterday effected where some of your tithe and offering money goes to.

We thought it would be great for you to hear how a large group of very different people united together around the gospel yesterday. Of course there are concerns about the strategy, and some people are not raving fans, but what I thought was amazing yesterday was very opinionated people got together and shared together in a Christian, civil way.

The following is an article provided by the Baptist Courier:

READ MORE

Honor Begins at Home

by

 

What an incredible weekend!  With a limited number of theaters showing the film Courageous, it was the top 5 movie in the box office this weekend!  That is unheard of!

If you got to see it, you know the range of emotions you experience during this roller coaster ride.  It is absolutely powerful.  We watched it with a Friday night showing at 7:00 that North Side rented out.  It was great to watch it and experience it with my church family.

Many of asked about the Bible study I worked on.  You can purchase “Honor Begins at Home” with LifeWay stores now.  It is an 8-session study that highlights principles in the book.  You can actually download a copy of one week’s lesson for free here.

But there is a slight catch.

READ MORE

Will the Southern Baptist Convention Make It?

by

The Southern Baptist Convention met this week in Phoenix for their annual meeting. I was unable to go, but I tried to stay informed through Twitter and such to see what was going on.  It was the lowest attended meeting in years (possibly because Phoenix is a far way away from the Bible Belt and the economy).  SBC has had the lowest number of baptisms last year that they have had in 50 years.  Not a good sign.  Many are wondering if the SBC will make it.

I will say this.  I have never seen such a rejection of status quo in our Convention as I see right now.  When theologians who are normally stereotyped for the lack of evangelistic fervor are leading the call for a resurggence on the Great Commission, we are heading in a good place.  When young pastors are heavily involved rather than choosing to steer clear of the Convention, that is a good sign.  When a Convention fights for the nations, ethnic diversity, and a desire to trim the financial fat that has been accumulated, we are heading in a good direction.

I know there are controversies where all this is going.  Many reading may think that some things could be handled differently.  Maybe it could be led better or in a different direction, but I am at least excited about that it is going somewhere!

Highlights:

  • New IMB President Tom Eliff sharing heart for unreached people groups
  • New NAMB President Kevin Ezell sharing strategy for church planting
  • First non-white man elected to office, Luter will serve as VP, many already campaigning for him to serve as President next year
  • Passion to see ethnic diversity in our churches and our convention
  • Desire for a greater sense of unity throughout the convention
  • Great promotion for churches to get behind Courageous

A lot of great things took place, and one of them being David Platt’s message Wednesday morning (his message starts at about the 8th minute).  You can view that here:

READ MORE

The Heart of Worship (Nashville and Back)

by

 

I’m heading back from Nashville today from a busy few days at LifeWay.  I left Sunday in the middle of the last service to get to GSP to make a flight.  Monday and Tuesday were full of ideation for LifeWay’s 2012 curriculum.  I was humbled to write for this great team again when they asked me to write a unit on selected Psalms entitled “The Heart of Worship.”

It was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.  While I was there, I also got to spend some time with the editorial team for Courageous.

READ MORE

Founding Freedoms – New LifeWay Curriculum

by

  I was so excited to receive these copies in the mail of LifeWay’s LifeTruths upcoming quarterly edition.  The crew at LifeWay does a fantastic job at this Bible study curriculum geared towards parents. I was honored to write for the second time for this publication.  The first time I wrote a curriculum called “I (Still) Do” on marriage.  In

Courageous Writers’ Conference

by

banner

Last week, I had the privilege of brainstorming with the Sherwood Pictures Team and LifeWay leadership for the upcoming “Courageous Bible Study” based on the Courageous movie coming in September 2011.  I was humbled when they asked me to be a part of the writing process, and I am even more humbled after spending a week working on this material.

I can’t go into too many details concerning the film or the curriculum, but I can share some things with you so you can make this a matter of prayer:

READ MORE

+ MORE POSTS