Something I’ve been thinking about is my website. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to maintain but there is an expense for hosting. After watching many people I know (and deeply respect) make the switch themselves, I decided it was time to investigate for myself. I am certain the reasons others have made the switch to Substack are as varied as the people themselves. My reasons for making the switch to Substack are not complicated.
Now that budget season is well behind us, I’m taking a little time to reflect on the budget process in my current church. It can be challenging to anticipate how an entire year will unfold, much less try to do so months before that year even begins. We all know too well that things can change very quickly (yep…I’m still thinking about the impact of Covid among other things) and in ways that simply cannot be anticipated.
As we approach the end of 2024, I’m excited to share some of the highlights from the second half of this eventful year. Despite intentionally stepping back from writing during the latter half of the year, there have been several joyous occasions and significant changes in our family’s life that I’d like to celebrate with you.
Let’s face it, people don’t always agree with us. That’s a fact of life my parents taught me growing up. Even later, in the different facets of my career, from large multinational corporations to local small businesses, my dad and I would talk about those sorts of relationships. With Father’s Day having just passed, he’s been on my mind (like just about everyone else!), and I’ve been missing him since 2020.
People close to me know I spent the first four months of 2024 serving with a remarkable ministry called Frontline Policy helping with what I certainly hope is the first annual Run 2 Win Conference. Frontline Policy is two distinct organizations: Frontline Policy Action is a 501(c)4 dedicated to forging public policy and electing champions for conservative family values (if you know me, you know that’s my heart). Frontline Policy Council is a 501(c)3 dedicated to educating and equipping Christians to engage in the political sphere. Though two distinctly different entities, both work towards a common goal of glorifying God in the public sphere.
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated my 54th trip around the sun and it has been every bit as eventful as all the others. I shared some thoughts on social media and thought I’d expand on those a bit and share them here since I’ve been intentionally quiet here on my site in recent months. That’s not to say there hasn’t been a lot going one…Lord knows there certainly has! Through everything, God has blessed my family and I in ways great and small.
s we navigate our daily lives, the hum of next year’s elections might seem like distant background noise. But it’s crucial to perk up our ears and pay closer attention now. The decisions made at the polls in 2024 will shape our community in Fayetteville and our state for years to come. A few months ago I wrote an article called “Issues for Christians to consider in the 2024 elections.” There I mentioned a number of issues Georgia Baptists should seek clarity on as we consider candidates vying for our votes.
A few days ago I shared across my social media accounts that I have concluded my role as Executive Pastor at Flat Creek Baptist Church. It was not an easy decision, but one we believe aligns with God’s will for our lives and the church.
Southern Baptists believe in the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. This is rooted in our understanding of the doctrine of Imago Dei, the belief that every person is created in the image of God. This means that a person’s fundamental identity is defined by their relationship with their creator.
Folks that know me know of my great love of education! Apart from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I believe a quality education has the greatest impact in a person’s life and future. I also believe that parents are both the primary educators and decision-makers for their children. There are some who believe the education of children should be left to professional educators and parents should simply trust their local schools. I do not share this belief.
In a world that seems to be evolving at an ever-accelerating pace, Southern Baptist churches face their own unique set of challenges as we look ahead to the next two decades. As believers, it is essential to approach these challenges with a positive and thoughtful mindset, fueled by a steadfast commitment to the gospel and an unwavering trust in the providence of God.
Friends, the state convention is more than just a meeting. It is a powerful gathering where God’s Word is proclaimed, hearts are encouraged, and souls are stirred to action. It is an opportunity to embrace the biblical vision of unity, collaboration, and discipleship. This is a moment for us to stand together and affirm our commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture, the preaching of the gospel, and the winning the lost across Georgia.
Cancer is a name that carries an unthinkable weight, a name we’d all prefer not to know. But it’s a name that has seeped into our lives, our families, our friendships, and our churches. It is an illness that does not discriminate, tearing through the very fabric of human life, spreading fear, pain, and uncertainty. I hate cancer, not out of bitterness or rebellion against God, but because it causes such profound suffering to those I hold dear.
Every year, the SBC holds an annual meeting in different places around the country where members gather to worship, conduct business, and make important decisions about the future of our network of churches. This year’s meeting will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and there are many compelling reasons why you should attend. Here are four reasons I think you should consider attending the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans
Transitions can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to moving from one ministry to another. It can be an emotional time as you say goodbye to the people and work that you have been invested in, and prepare to move on to new challenges and opportunities. I understand both aspects of this firsthand, having begun a new ministry on January 1st of this year.
As a committed Southern Baptist, I believe that the Cooperative Program is one of the most significant and effective means of supporting our churches and ministries. The Cooperative Program is our unified giving program that enables Southern Baptist churches to come together in support of missions and ministries nationally and globally.
Oh my word…thank you, thank you, thank you for the birthday wishes. What a difference a year can make!
This year has passed by faster than any I can remember! So much has taken place in our lives and change is in the air as we transition to a new season of ministry beginning in 2023.
Since announcing we were entering a time of transition, our family has received hundreds and hundreds of phone calls (yep… still a thing!), emails, text messages, and encouraging words across a variety of social media platforms, all wishing us well.
It is with some sadness that we announced my resignation as Administration Pastor of this wonderful church this evening. As Northside is the first church where I have served on staff, the transition to a new place of service will be another first for us.
Just what am I going on about you might ask? I’m talking about saying “yes” to God and seeing where He may choose to send me to be hands and feet. I know that sounds a little vague and probably a bit “super spiritual’ but when it comes down to it, that really is what I’m going on about. I suppose a bit more explanation is in order.
Friends that are closer to me know of the joy I get from blogging. Over the years since launching my…
I’ve started to write this and stopped…and started again and stopped…oh, let’s just say more times than I want to admit. I knew the first year would be challenging, but I had nothing to compare it to and, if I’m being honest, didn’t really know how to ask someone else about it. You know, how do ask someone, “tell me how you dealt with that first year after one of your parents died?”
itial thoughts about what had taken place at the convention midway through and expressed my plan to provide a more thorough overview once our team returned to Valdosta. In fact, I had begun gathering my thoughts on the convention but then my plans changed.
We’re in Nashville this week for what was expected to be, at times, a testy family gathering. Largely, that has proven not to be the case in the room. Now, you might not know that if all you knew about the convention happenings was based on various social media platforms.
I had thought I would be writing about ministries resuming, in-person gatherings growing, the 2020 election campaigns behind us, and the end of the global pandemic in sight. I still want to write on those topics but I have paused any writing I might do so that I might process the events of January 6, 2021, in Washington DC, the hurried events that followed, and the revelations about famed apologist Ravi Zacharias.
Goodness gracious! Like so many people literally around the world, I thought 2020 lingered far longer than was welcome. This…
A lot has happened in my life that I want to share before returning my attention to other topics such as reopening churches, budgeting during corona, the presidential election, etc. Like many of you, I will not mourn when 2020 passes away and we move into 2021!
Resuming on-campus worship on Sunday morning was just the first step in our plan to slowly transition back to a normal schedule. Sunday will mark our fourth week of on-campus worship services. The last three weeks have gone very smoothly and we anticipate that to continue to be the case as we transition into the next phase of our reopening plan. I strongly believe one of the key reasons for that is part of our plan from the beginning included communication. There are four key groups we knew we needed to have clear communication with.
If there is someone who wants to resume on-campus worship services more than our team, I don’t know him! Seriously, since our church last met on March 15th for worship, we have been closely following the guidance of our local, state, and national leaders working hard to keep the members of our congregation safe.
After our first Sunday online, I have to admit I was down. Like a lot of other churches, things didn’t go as well as we had hoped that first time we moved our worship services entirely online. Yes, we have long had our services on a livestream but it had not been a key focus of our ministry up to that point. Mercy has that changed!
I have been genuinely impressed to see the pastors of churches from across the Southern Baptist Convention creatively adapting to the constantly changing COVID-19 situation. As new information becomes available, leaders at all levels of government have been adjusting their responses to the spread of the virus and asking all organizations in our nation to adapt.
Those are fun discussions, but there was a different question that inspired this post. That question: why do I blog? It’s a good question and one I have actually given a considerable bit of thought to!
Today I want to share a very good way to help save your church money year after year. I’m not talking about something that only larger churches can do either! Nope, this one is for churches of just about any size, assuming you have computers in use in your church. I’m talking about computer software.
There is so much I have learned these last four years that I could write pages and pages about. I could share about all of the training I received in seminary and how I have been able to apply it over that time. I could also write about the things I wished I had learned in seminary that I have had to learn along the way.
You’re probably hearing a lot of people saying something similar to what I am hearing: where did this year go? As the years pass by, they do seem to do so more quickly than I remember as a child or even as a young adult. With the year coming to a close in a few short weeks, I have been reflecting on all God has allowed me to be a part of and the ways in which He has blessed me and my family. Believe me, it’s a lot!
The Georgia Baptist Convention was earlier this week and as I expected it flew by. Any discussion of this year’s meeting that neglects to praise the folks at New Hope Baptist Church for the amazing job they did hosting us this year is simply incomplete. They are blessed with great facilities and amazing volunteers that represented their church and the Lord Jesus Christ so well as they served Georgia Baptists. Thank you!
In my last post I mentioned the Georgia Baptist Convention is right around the corner. Next week, in fact! I know New Hope Baptist Church is ready for Georgia Baptists to come and spend a couple days with them and I am certain they will be amazing hosts!
I hear it all the time: “I’m not a numbers person!” Sometimes someone will say something like, “I sure am glad you’re the numbers guy and not me.” The truth is I am a numbers guy and I love me a spreadsheet where I can track a lot of different, complex things and put together a simple report that helps us see what’s happening in our ministry. To do that, I track a lot of different metrics.
With some vacation time that is unused on my hands, I decided to take a couple of extra days this week and spend time on the campus of Truett McConnell University (TMU). Readers with kids in college can probably relate to this: any excuse to go see my son in person is a good excuse to make that drive! So, with the help of the amazing folks at TMU, I made my plans and waited for this week to arrive. Since I would be on campus, I thought it would be fun to survey a few classes (yep…I’m that guy) and see firsthand what happens in the classrooms on the campus where my son is now residing.
Spending time with two of my friends yesterday was a tremendous blessing and not just because we ate well, which we did! That time reminded me of a few things those close ministry friendships add to my life and my ministry. Honestly, that time reminded me of more than that, but I thought I’d share a couple of those things here.
Do you remember Apple’s little iPod Nano? I sure do! Mine was a gift from my wife while our family was living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. That gift led to my moving away from listening to the radio in my car and eventually into the world of podcasts.
If you are looking for practical training for just about any ministry in your church, you’ll find it at GO Georgia! It is a total church leadership equipping event that helps in more way than you might think.
During a recent staff meeting we talked about our core beliefs. For all of us who still need to know “why,” this is an important exercise that reinforces what we do and why we do it as a church.
Recently I had the privilege of writing a series of columns for The Christian Index related to a breakout session I am leading during the upcoming GO Georgia conference. The title of my session is “Budget with Purpose” and is one of over 100 breakout sessions available to conference attendees. I was humbled by the opportunity to write for such a distinguished publication as well as for the invitation to lead a breakout session at the conference.
When my wife and I got married 1998, we lived in an apartment in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I still had a…
When I say my son and wife are more prepared for this next season in our lives than I am, that does not mean I am not embracing it. Quite the opposite is actually true!
Earlier this year our Missions Pastor told me he thought I was supposed to be a part of the team…
Back in 2007 I did something I wasn’t very sure about at the time: I set up a blog. While…
Merry Christmas from South Georgia There is so much to be thankful for this Christmas season. A lot has changed…
–> It’s been a while since I posted a new blog. Most of my energies have been spent in recent…
Character, Reputation, and the Difference Another leader is in the news recently for a moral failure. All of the details…
Lessons From United Airlines The recent debacle experienced by United Airlines remains in media headlines as additional details become public…
New Members’ Class I recently had the opportunity to put together a new members’ class at our church. My pastor…
It seems whenever sin comes calling, it usually finds a willing accomplice. Never mind that it is easy to find…
I am an education guy! I earnestly believe education has the power to change people in profound ways and alter…
In my role as an education pastor, I spend a good bit of time thinking about how the church can…
I am grateful for the interest in my summer reading list. The first part I posted yesterday received pretty good…
Summer is upon us and it is a really fun time of year. I have enjoyed seeing the commencement photos…
Recently I was asked about using discussion in Sunday School classes and thought it might be a pretty good idea for a blog…
Like many Americans, I have been following the political primary season with interest. The truth is it is difficult to…
I had planned to return to blogging more regularly once 2016 began but did not anticipate just how busy I…
Apparently Starbucks has altered their coffee cups for this Christmas season and I am supposed to be either a) really,…
From left: Dr. John David Trentham (Chair), Dr. Christopher Sanchez, Dr. Barry Gibson, Dr. Bruce Cannon, Dr. Danny Bowen (2nd…
As a Southern Baptist, I try to keep up with the happenings going on within our convention. I am especially…
Some of my newer friends may not know I am a graduate of Liberty University (MRE 2012 / Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary)…
I had lunch with a ministry friend of mine recently and the topic of social media came up. Let me…
For those of my readers who are not connected to me via social media, you may not be aware that…
“Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who…
The grand jury charged with reviewing the actions of Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in…
Kids are back in school, summer is winding down and it is time to start looking ahead towards the holiday…
So many opinions being expressed about the SCOTUS’ decision this morning concerning Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties which I…
I was having a conversation with a friend recently who is struggling with some of the things he finds in…
My regular readers have noticed that my blogging activity has slowed down considerably since beginning doctoral work at The SouthernBaptist…
Essentialism: a second reaction to pragmatism/experimentalism/progressivism, essentialism found common ground with the perennialist view of progressive educational practices attempting to…
Behaviorism: a major force in education since the middle of the twentieth century welcomed by those who prefer scientific methodology…
Neo-Scholasticism: scholasticism is an approach to understanding and blending the study of philosophy and theology. Early in the movement, which…
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you are aware of recent remarks made by Phil…
This photo of Southern Seminary was posted to Twitter by Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. It is a beautiful campus any…
It’s been a while since I last wrote a column here. My current educational endeavors leave precious little time for…
What is Success for the Christian Academic? ObedienceMatthew 28:19-20; James 3:1 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the…
Most folks who know me know I usually attend the annual Johnny Hunt Men’s Conference each year. I am especially…
Praying for the families who lost loved ones on this day and for a nation that, since then, has struggled…
Wow! It has been two months since I posted anything here. My regular readers know that is a bit unusual…
As we gather with family and friends to celebrate Independence Day in the United States, remember that freedom is not…
My regular readers know I don’t do much in the way of social commentary here at the blog but recent…
Conclusion There is a great deal of agreement in the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith (1833) and the…
Differences Clearly there are similarities in the two confessions being reviewed. However, the differences in the two statements abound. …
Similarities Upon close examination of these two confessions, one immediately notices the many areas of agreement. Both hold that…
This series was originally posted a couple of years ago while I was a seminary student at Liberty Baptist Theological…
It has been a few weeks since I last posted a new blog, a fact that was brought to my…
With the recent spate of evil rearing its ugly head, it strikes me that now would be a good time…
In the secular world, I have been a part of management for many years. My undergraduate degree is in management…
Like many, I was unaware of how interrelated the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are. In fact, until my time…
Erickson outlines three views of the image of God; substantive, relational, and functional. I will briefly discuss each view, offer…
Back on January 6th I let everyone know that I had been invited to participate in the second phase of…
Conclusion There is certainly more than one approach to teaching in general and teaching Scripture in particular. It is…
Three Possibilities In their discussion of communicators determining their goal, Andy Stanley and Lane Jones state there are three…
INTRODUCTION For a teacher, understanding how those whom they teach learn is probably second only to understanding the material…
So I was having a conversation recently with someone about the character of God (big surprise right! His reason for…
Biblical criticism does not mean that people are criticizing the Bible though in our day and age there is certainly…
Have you ever been involved in a discussion with another believer that turned towards what one of you assumed was…
Happy New Year everyone! I trust all of my regular readers enjoyed the holiday season that just concluded and is…
The approach to discipleship ministries is as diverse as the churches that seek to obey…
As overwhelming as the points covered in my last few posts might seem, there is…
As Christians, we have a strong desire to reach people where they are and share the…
Clearly, culture plans a critical role in communicating the gospel whether that is in different…
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God; to obey His will; to be…
Much like the idea of culture itself, the concept of worldview would seem to be rather simple. In passing…
Early missionaries went out into the world with unbridled enthusiasm to reach the world for…
Decades before the call of the Lord to ministry was placed on this seminarian’s life,…
A Journal Review of THE LOCAL CHURCH IN MISSION: BECOMING A MISSIONAL CONGREGATION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GLOBAL CONTEXT AND…
Eleven years ago today terrorism on a scale once thought unimaginable visited the shores of the United States. That day…
I love blogging! Most people who know me know this about me and are often very kind and visit my…
My regular readers know I usually attend Johnny Hunt’s conference, most years anyway. I am not a big fan of…
There can be no doubt about the tense political climate in the United States in recent years. This is particularly…
266 days before I was born, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins made history. Armstrong was the first man…
Yesterday afternoon I sat down and took the last final exam in my Master of Religious Education program at Liberty…
Stetzer, Ed. Subversive Kingdom: Living as Agents of Gospel Transformation. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2012. 236 pp. $14.99. ISBN…
July 26th at Six Flags Over Georgia…
Let me begin with the passage that nearly everyone in will reference when considering world evangelism: Matthew 28:18-20: And…
Conclusion For the missionary, it should be comforting to know that the Bible itself is a…
Mission Theology: Two Key Motifs A motif is a recurring element in a story that has…
Mission Theology and Other Aspects of Theology Through the centuries, Christians have done a good job…
The Nature of God and Mission What has been demonstrated thus far is the fact that…
Scriptures Related to Missions From beginning to end, the Bible is a missionary book telling the story of God reaching…
Happy 4th of July! May this day be a day of family and friends while remembering the reason we celebrate…
I have been toying around with refreshing the blog for quite some time but have been reluctant to do so.…
Please consider supporting MUST Ministries as they serve our neighbors in need in Cherokee County!
**This series began as an assignment for a class at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION The notion of sending missionaries…
William Carey once said, “Expect great things; attempt great things”.[1] And attempt great things he did! Carey was born August…
Happy Father’s Day everyone! The love of our parents is to be cherished all of our days and we are…
Let’s talk about the Apostle Paul and his missions. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul undertook several lengthy mission…
My regular readers know I am wrapping up my MRE with a couple of classes focused on missions. Well, as…
Life is filled with milestones as the years roll by and recently my family and I celebrated Commencement 2012 at…
The question of the role giving should play in the lives of Christians arises fairly often and in my experience…
Conclusion The matter of whether gambling should be permitted or not has a long history. At present, the perception of…
The Case Against the Permissibility of Gambling A thorough case that supports gambling both in the context of larger society…
The Case for the Permissibility of Gambling There are a number of reasons given for allowing gambling, even among professing…
The Different Forms of Gambling When discussing the topic of gambling, an image of casino-style gambling such as that found…
**This series originated as part of my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION In Christendom, whenever discussions of so-called…
This past weekend was an amazing experience for me and my family. If you are connected to me via Twitter…
Have a blessed day!
Chapter 4: Sweet Hour of Prayer Arriving at the third of the three classic ethical systems, Reuschling provides the definition…
INTRODUCTION Dr. Wyndy Corbin Reuschling’s book, Reviving Evangelical Ethics: The Promises and Pitfalls of Classic Models of Morality, seeks to…
Strategy: a simple little word that so many in our congregations use daily in their secular employment. Yet when it…
As I stated in a previous post, I have become a fan of social media. I believe that churches should…
We are well into the 21st century and believe it or not there are still churches out there that have…
Interesting that the GOP-controlled House of Representatives declined to protect users of social media. More on this in subsequent posts…
It has been over three years since I first touched on the topic of social networking. Since December 2008, much…
Application The letter to the church at Laodicea is the final letter of seven written to the churches of the…
Literary Analysis Revelation, apocalyptic in its genre, was written to the Roman province of Asia. There were a number of…
Historical Context There are varying opinions as to the authorship and date of writing of Revelation. The author identifies himself…
**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION Perhaps the most complex book…
Michael Fabarez. Preaching that Changes Lives. Grand Rapids: Wipf and Stock Publishers., 2002. 224 Pg. $24.99. ISBN 1-59752-368-2. Reviewed by…
John R.W. Stott. Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century. Grand Rapids: W.M. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,…
Southern Baptists are all abuzz over the recent discussions concerning the possibility of changing the name of the Southern Baptist…
Annie Sudduth SALTILLO – Annie Mae Hester Sudduth, 83, died Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, at Gilmore Memorial Hospital in Amory.…
The funeral service for pop star Whitney Houston has come and gone and the world gathered to remember her music,…
A small group of men from our church attended the 20th Johnny Hunt Men’s Conference this weekend. I was amazed…
Howard G. Hendricks & William D. Hendricks. Living by the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible. Orlando:…
This is the state of our pizza delivered earlier by Domino’s. Needless to say it was in pretty sad condition…
Conclusion In the nine verses studies in this passage of Scripture, a great deal of theological truth has been unpacked.…
Application for the Modern Christian The Apostle John said a great deal to his readers in this short passage of…
Verses 18 – 21: Faith Provides Understanding “18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not…
Verses 14 – 17: Faith Enables Prayer “14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if…
**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** Without actually breaking from the preceding…
Wishing everyone blessings in the New Year!
I am very excited about the upcoming Johnny Hunt Men’s Conference! A small group from Northside Baptist Church will be…
I am completely amazed at just how quickly 2011 has come and gone! I spent a rather significant amount of…
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
One of the cornerstones of sound hermeneutics is to understand the context of a passage…
My regular readers may have noticed that all but one of my October posts have disappeared. Sadly, a professor from…
So the follow up question in this discussion was whether or not Jesus implies that all Scripture is inerrant. I…
Recently I was involved in an online discussion about the inerrancy of Scripture. An interesting question was posed when I…
The Lord has poured our His many blessings on me and my family this year including the readers of my…
Introduction Originally published in 1981 and now in its third edition, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s How to Read the…
Conclusion There is much that the Anabaptists have contributed to the Free Church movement over the years. As a Southern…
Pacifism Pacifism is a term derived from the Latin word for peacemaking and is defined as the belief that disputes…
Economic Sharing The Anabaptists came to be in the earliest days of the German Reformation. The German Reformation was essentially…
Communion As with baptism, virtually the all Christian churches have some observance of Communion or the Lord’s Supper. The Greek…
Baptism Virtually all Christian churches perform the rite of baptism. As such, baptism is an important part in the life…
**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION Baptist history is far more…
Several days ago Steve Jobs passed away into eternity. The accomplishments he made during his 56 years on Earth will…
Like so many others, ten years ago this morning I watched the second jet liner slam into the second of…
The Plural-Elder-Led Church As with the single-elder-led church, there is ample biblical evidence to support a plurality of elders in…
The Bishop-Led Church The Bishop-led church exhibits a loose hierarchy system where the decisions of the church made by its…
The Congregation-Led Church At the center of congregationalism is the firm belief that Christ is the head of his church…
The Presbytery-Led Church Presbyterianism emphasizes the importance of elders, or presbyters, though adherents do not generally hold this polity is…
The Single-Elder-Led Church Akin spends thirty-eight of his forty-nine pages describing congregationalism before arriving at a place where he begins…
**This series began as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION Church government should be a…
Bounds, E. M. The Necessity of Prayer. Baker Book House (1976), ISBN 0-8010-0659-7. Digitized by Harry Platinga, 1994. Available: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bounds/necessity.toc.html.…
It has just occurred to me that I have not been a very good blogger of late! New posts coming…
Remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of American freedom.
I have never done this sort of exercise here at the blog before so this should be interesting. Take a…
We do not need to go far into the OT before finding Scriptural support for small groups. We see that…
It occurs to me that I have been rather inactive here at the blog so I thought I should remedy…
Congratulations to the Class of 2011! You have reached a major milestone in your lives and you have every reason…
Have a great day!
Things have been kind of quiet here at the blog lately! I have been diligently working on the course work…
This is amazing! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did…
Happy Easter! He is risen!
This single week is probably the greatest week in the history of the world! In this week Satan was defeated…
Now if you don’t believe the United States government has a spending problem, I can’t think of a better illustration.…
Conclusion Where there are two or more people involved, sooner or later there will be conflict. Conflict is not the…
Church Discipline in Conflict Does conflict reach a point where church discipline becomes necessary? Before this question can be answered,…
Resolution in Church World The ways conflict is resolved as discussed in the previous section all involved a third party…
Resolution As stated previously, not all conflict is negative. In fact, some conflict and tension is actually desirable if it…
Different Types of Conflict There is more than one type of conflict. It also bears mentioning…
Conflict Exactly what is conflict? According to Oxford Dictionary, conflict is a serious disagreement or argument, a prolonged armed struggle,…
**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION The topic at hand is…
I have just finished up my most recent class and wanted to let my readers know I am working on…
Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi was always close and cordial. Paul established the church at Philippi during his…
There were many reasons given for the persecution of the early church which included social, political economic, and religious. There…
So just how do we know about the period between the Old and New Testaments? If you are like me,…
There is a lot of talk in the media these days about the federal budget and the cuts that the…
Calvin and Feral first attempted to reform the church in Geneva in 1536.[1] Not everyone was ready to follow Calvin…
Please be in prayer about the possibility of a trip to India. The details are not yet worked out but…
When answering the question of the authorship the book of Acts, it is important to note that acceptance of Lucan…
Paul on many occasions mentions his Jewish background and upbringing. Until his death, Paul remained proud of the fact that…
Paul’s theology can best be described as being Christocentric[1]. Paul’s view was that salvation was found “in Christ” and the…
It is apparent that Paul realized that he both “received” the Gospel through revelation and through the tradition imparted to…
Paul believed that careful observance of the Law was critically important as a faithful response to God’s love. It is…
Ephesians is among Paul’s letters referred to as the Prison Epistles. It is generally assumed that Paul wrote these epistles…
If you don’t already have tickets, there is still time to get them before the 19th Annual Johnny Hunt Men’s…
Both 1 & 2 Thessalonians were written by Paul and also include Timothy and Silas. Timothy was a young man…
From Acts 13-14 we have learned that Paul and Barnabas evangelized the southern part of Galatia[1] during their first missionary…
According to Acts 18, Paul first preached the Gospel in Corinth during his second missionary journey.[1] Corinth was an ancient…
The New Year is upon us and I am excited about the coming year! 2011 begins much differently than 2010…
Erickson describes two types of evil: natural evil that does not involve human willing or acting and moral evil that…
Is man free or is God sovereign? My answer is yes! For me, this continues to be one of the…
A number of milestones here at the blog. This is my 100th post this year and I wanted to make…
Adams points out students of the Bible should remember that the Bible we read today is not its original form.[1]…
THIS CRITIQUE ORIGINATED AS AN ASSIGNMENT FOR MY STUDIES AT LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Bibliographical Entry Pipes, Jerry F,, and…
The term theology is derived from the Greek words theos (meaning God) and logos (meaning speech or reason). B. B.…
The Pharisees, like all intertestamental Jewish groups, never questioned the sanctity of the written law. The Pharisees did have their…
The advantages and disadvantages of having four Gospels instead of one single Gospel abound. One advantage of having four gospels…
My regular readers know I don’t hit politics very often but I have a brief rant I need to get…
Bibliographical Entry Fay, William and Linda Evans Shepherd. Share Jesus Without Fear. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1999. Author Information William…
Application/Conclusion When it comes to placing our trust in men or in wealth, we see in this Old Testament Scripture…
What gets answered in this passage? So now you’re wondering where I am going with this, right. Of course, we…
Scripture Verses Now that we have a little background information, let’s move on to our text. Our study passage is…
**This study originated as one of my school projects** Introduction Before I get into this four part study of Psalm…
In a few more days all of those annoying political commercials will be over! Don’t forget to vote next Tuesday!!!
For my most recent project in school, I had to come up with some graphics. Let’s just say a graphic…
Conclusion The vast majority of modern churches would look far different today if the Biblical model described were adhered to…
Examples for Others to See In the NT we examine four passages of Scripture beginning with Mark 3:14. Here we…
Job Design Honesty must prevail and a hint of excitement confessed when discussing job design. Previous graduate studies that touched…
Here in the county I live in, a recent news article quoted a county official’s belief that voter turnout would…
**This series began as an assignment for Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION Throughout the Scriptures, regardless of the situation being…
It’s hard to believe that fall is upon us and we are preparing for the holiday season once again. Believe…
Connection to Worship If Christian education, discipleship, and spiritual formation are all interrelated and the primary focus of church ministries…
Focus of Ministry If the ultimate goal is the creation of true disciple of Jesus, then this should be the…
Education What is Christian education? Howard Hendricks discusses at length the traits visible in student but fails to offer a…
One of the most important parts of my seminary studies is my Logos Bible Software. Back in January I blogged…
**THIS SERIES ORIGINATED AS AN ASSIGNMENT FOR MY STUDIES AT LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY** INTRODUCTION During the preparation for this…
Conclusion Philip Schaff, in his History of the Christian Church, said that revolution is followed by reconstruction and consolidation and…
The Church There can be no doubt about the way Calvin came to view the Roman Catholic Church in general…
Fallen Man For Calvin, human beings are the noblest of all of God’s works as they are created in the…
The Lord Calvin firmly believed that everything we can know about God is strictly limited to what God has revealed…
The Scriptures To understand how John Calvin viewed the Scriptures, one need only arrive at the sixth chapter of his…
**This series was taken from a term paper submission for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION The number…
Noll, Mark A. The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitfield, and the Wesleys. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,…
Conclusion The progression of the apostolic writings to actual recognition as Scripture is a process that spanned hundreds of…
Fourth Century Eusebius (ca. 265 – ca.339) could be written of in either the third or fourth centuries. A…
Third Century There are over thirty extant treatises by Tertullian (ca.160 – ca. 220). Converted in Rome where he…
Second Century Within thirty to thirty-five years of the apostle John’s death, there is ample evidence that all four…
First Century At the time of Jesus there was no New Testament as we know it today. Simply put,…
**PLEASE NOTE: This series originated as a term paper for a class at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION …
F. F. Bruce. The Canon of Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1988. 349 Pg. $18.30. ISBN-10 0-8308-1258-X. Reviewed by Christopher…
The sheer volume of scholarship on this topic presents a formidable task for a work…
Paul’s background and God’s choice of a man like Paul to be the apostle to…
Saunders has stated that Paul’s problem with Judaism is that it is not Christianity. This…
In defining what the law is, the purpose of the law is implied. The law…
Martin Luther saw the law as something terrifying and humbling as it revealed sin and…
Before one can come to an understanding of Paul’s view of the law, we must first know what the law…
**This 7 part series originated as a paper for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** Having written over…
Straight from the government…anyone feel like the economy is getting better?
Tears flowed freely earlier today when I learned that the Lord called home one of his saints serving in Afghanistan.…
David C. Deuel. “An Old Testament Pattern For Expository Preaching.” The Master’s Seminary Journal, Fall 1991: 125-140, http://www.tms.edu/tmsj/tmsj2f.pdf (accessed March 28, 2009) Like…
Conclusion While skepticism is necessary I have found most form criticism passes beyond skepticism and borders on a lack of…
Solutions to the Synoptic Problem There are many solutions offered for the Synoptic Problem. As stated previously, the parameters…
Similarities and Differences of the Synoptic Gospels There are a great many similarities to be found in the Synoptic…
Development of the Synoptic Gospels In what has become known as the prologue of Luke’s Gospel, the author describes…
Introduction: So What’s The Problem? In preparation for this project, I have asked a great many people in my…
David C. Deuel. Suggestions for Expositional Preaching of Old Testament Narrative. The Master’s Seminary Journal, Spring 1991: 45-63, http://www.tms.edu/tmsj/tmsj2c.pdf David…
I forget where I found this but thought I would share it.