Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Hebrew in the air
These folks really like their coffee -- there's a Starbucks at the front of the line. Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) always intimidate me a bit. The crowds, for one thing. Members of SBL and the...
One Hospital System’s Role to Advance Human Rights
Baylor Health Care System, now Baylor Scott and White Health (BSWH), addresses local and international human rights issues as part of our corporate responsibility. CEO Joel Allison and our senior executive leadership...
The Lord’s Prayer Urges Us to Focus on Common Good
Many years ago when we were trying to sell our house, a real estate agent gave us a long list of small things we could do to improve the house's appeal to potential buyers. One tip was to bake bread before a...
3 Lessons from Three Decades of Ministry, Marriage
I entered the pastorate with a fair amount of preparation. From graduate to post-graduate work, I was surrounded by motivated friends and a world-class faculty. It was the best of times. I had every opportunity and I...
Jesus Statue Withstands Typhoon. What Does It Mean?
Soon after Typhoon Haiyan wreaked its devastating effects on the Philippines, people began drawing attention to a Jesus statue that withstood the storm. The typhoon practically leveled the coastal town of Tanauan in...
The difference a day makes …
On Monday I posted a few photos taken around sunrise at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, but the morning was filled with a ghostly fog, leaving the deadfall stark, though no less beautiful, as if drawn in black and...
Teamwork
By John Pierce All-day planning on Monday was broken up with 10-mile bike ride — with the first nine miles free of rain. This photo by Larry Hovis was taken at the mid-point, not the end, fortunately.The Baptists...
3 Ways Your Church Can Stay Focused on Its Vision
I have had the privilege of working with numerous congregations to clarify their identity and lean into the future proactively. When that has gone well, one consequence has nearly always been true: The fresh vision...
How to Cultivate Your Capacity for Compassion
In his book, "Man's Search for Meaning," holocaust survivor Victor Frankl said, "On the average, only those prisoners could keep alive who, after years of trekking from camp to camp, had lost all scruples in their...
Survey Highlights Changing Perceptions on End-of-Life Issues
A recent Pew Research Center survey provides a glimpse into changing perceptions on end-of-life issues in the U.S. In 2013, 66 percent of U.S. adults agreed that there were circumstances in which a patient should be...
British Churches Focus on Prison Ministries
Churches across England and Wales are being invited to get to know their local prison. The invitation comes from the organizers of this year's national "Prisons Week," who are encouraging more volunteers to support...
Josiah: The Boy King
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. November 17, 2013 2 Kings 22:1-10; Luke 10:23-28 Actors will tell...
Do Some Good
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Pentecost II Thessalonians 3:6-13 November 17, 2013 Isaiah 65:17-25; Psalm 98; Luke 21:5-19 Do you know the...
The End of the Road: Part II
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. November 17, 2013 The Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost It hadn’t occurred to me when I named this two-part sermon series that some of you might...
How to Handle Resentment in Your Life
When astronauts journey into space, their capsules are equipped with a machine that gets rid of the carbon dioxide they produce as they breathe. If that machine breaks down, they're in trouble, as was shown in the...
Why Your Church Must Participate in Social Justice
Speaking to a group of Baptists at a recent Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia general assembly, George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, challenged churchgoers to engage in social justice...
How Love of Money Distorts Perceptions of Human Worth
One of the most important sections in the first letter to Timothy is usually remembered by the following line: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." This statement occurs in the context of Paul's...
Ethical Reflection Should Inform Technology’s Use
On Oct. 28, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), speaking at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., expressed concern that our current ability to do detailed genetic testing would lead to the elimination of people with certain...
The Calling We All Share: To Bring Forth Life
In the beginning, we all had the same calling. It's commonplace now to talk about God's unique calling on our individual lives, and that my calling may be different from your calling – and that's all right. But in the...
How Pastors Can Know When It’s Time to Change Churches
In recent weeks I've talked with some pastors who are considering if it might be time to move to a new place of ministry. Some of them are under pressure to leave their current church so it probably is time for them to...
The Gettysburg Address: Words that Remade America
Nov. 19, 1863. That was the date of the Gettysburg Address, the speech delivered by President Lincoln during the Civil War. That remarkable speech was given at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in...