Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
7 Suggestions for Pastors Leaving Their Churches
This is the season for clergy and church staff to move. Quite a few pastors have contacted me about managing their goodbyes and hellos as they transition. These pastors want to manage their leaving well as a final way...
Why Haven’t We Found Heaven Up There Yet?
The final scene in Luke's Gospel is the blessing and departure of Jesus. The ascension, celebrated this year on Sunday, June 1, concludes his earthly ministry. His disciples seem ready to proclaim the astounding news...
May 30, 2014
Maya Angelou: I'm Trying to be a Christian (Telegraph, UK) What the Largest Study of Women Leaders at Evangelical Nonprofits Has Learned So Far (Christian Today) Islamic Society of Central New York Plans New Mosque...
Lessons for July 13, 2014
July 13, 201 The Fertile Word We know what it’s like to suffer through a bitter winter that seems interminable. We long for the warmth and the green and the blossoms of spring as daffodils do battle with lingering snow...
Promises, Promises
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. May 25, 2014 The Sixth Sunday of Easter John 14:15-21 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give...
Loving Obedience
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. May 25, 2014. John 14:15-21 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This is what Jesus said to his disciples in our Gospel...
Bridge Over Troubled Water
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. May 25, 2014 John 14:1-7 Some of my most meaningful conversations are with people who are dying. When your days on earth are drawing to a close,...
What Jesus Said…About the Holy Spirit
A sermon by L. Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. May 18, 2014 Sixth Sunday of Easter Psalm 66:8-20; John 14:15-21 John writes his gospel for the second generation of Jesus followers. Do you...
Don’t Be Afraid to Do the Right Thing
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Sixth Sunday after Easter I Peter 3:13-22 May 25, 2014 Psalm 66; John 14:15-21; Acts 17:22-31 A century ago the Reverend Daniel Poling,...
What Jesus Said…About the Fatherhood of God
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. May 18, 2014 Fifth Sunday of Easter Psalm 21:1-5; John 14:1-14 One of the books that had a great impact on me as a teenager was written...
Of lilies and such …
Most days, any number of things can bring me happiness. Pharrell Williams' "Happy" song, with its repetitive and self-satisfied lyrics, is not one of them -- though I don't begrudge the bouncy fun it brings to many...
Making a Difference in the Lives of At-Risk Students
Most mornings, his mom wheels into the school parking lot at 7:55 a.m. The car is old and loud, with the potent smell of burning oil and the clanging sound of a dragging muffler. A safety patrol officer opens the door,...
Why Your Minister Should Be Like Your Physical Therapist
My experience with a physical therapist was fairly routine. I went in with a painful or injured body part, and the physical therapist helped me restore motion, function and strength to my body. Through thoughtful...
Politicians Relentlessly Blame Each Other as the Undocumented Are Relentlessly Deported
Political posturing is more important than plight of the undocumented--apparently for Washington politicians who are more concerned about short-term gain than either the long-term economic good or doing the right moral...
May 29, 2014
Maya Angelou, Acclaimed Writer, Dies (Christian Science Monitor) Civil Rights Icon John Lewis: Maya Angelou 'Inspired an Entire Generation' (TIME) GOP Senate Candidate Attacks Supreme Court for Preventing Teachers from...
John Wilson: A Pastor Connected to His Community
John Wilson was one of the most significant church and public leaders in 19th-century England. As the pastor of Woolwich Tabernacle—which merged together with Conduit Road Baptist in 1969 to form Woolwich Central...
When You’re Suffering, Why Does God Feel Absent?
My daughter asked me a big question the other day. "Dad, why did God make bees and mosquitoes?" I could see her 5-year-old theological wheels turning as she pondered the mystery of why a God who cares for her and who...
Undocumented Shift Crossing Location to South Texas
Undocumented immigrants have shifted their crossing location into the United States as Washington continues to shift blame from one party to the other for the failure to address comprehensive immigration reform. Based...
May 28, 2014
N.C. Pastor Matt Cook Nominated as CBF Moderator-Elect (Associated Baptist Press) Fundamentalist Christian, Tea Party Candidate Wins Texas Lieutenant Governor Primary; Says Creationism Should be Taught and 'Triumphed'...
William Tolbert Jr.’s Triple Legacy to Liberia
May 13, 2014, would have been the 101st birthday of William Richard Tolbert Jr. Thirty-four years ago, April 12, 1980, Tolbert, the 20th president of Liberia, was assassinated in a coup d'état that ended the so-called...
Treating People Like People: A Review of “Through the Door”
There is a documentary you probably shouldn't watch unless you're prepared to become engaged in the prison community because "Through the Door," which is about people doing just that, is likely to leave you eager to...