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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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…
Recently I was asked about using discussion in Sunday School classes and thought it might be a pretty good idea for a blog…
From left: Dr. John David Trentham (Chair), Dr. Christopher Sanchez, Dr. Barry Gibson, Dr. Bruce Cannon, Dr. Danny Bowen (2nd…
Some of my newer friends may not know I am a graduate of Liberty University (MRE 2012 / Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary)…
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…
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…
This photo of Southern Seminary was posted to Twitter by Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. It is a beautiful campus any…
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…
Wow! It has been two months since I posted anything here. My regular readers know that is a bit unusual…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
**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…
Let’s talk about the Apostle Paul and his missions. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul undertook several lengthy mission…
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…