Rest a While
“Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” –Mark 6:31 (NKJV). There’s a story that’s made the rounds through the years among preachers that goes like this: There was once a lumberjack who was looking for work. The man approached the manager of a wood supplier, asked if he needed any help, […]
Grateful for Partners in the Great Commission
I am often drawn to Paul’s words in Philippians 1:3-5 (NKJV): “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” because, like Paul, I find myself being sometimes overcome with […]
Looking To The Future
One of my all-time favorite movies is the Michael J. Fox classic, Back to the Future. I was mesmerized by the concept and plot of the movie and, like many, was thrilled when Marty made his leap back to the future. When Marty first learns that his eccentric friend, Emmett “Doc” Brown, has invented a time […]
The Clock is Ticking
I’ve always loved playing games and competing. Like many of you, I enjoy competition, and I always have. I played sports in high school, competed in various recreation leagues as an adult, and I always enjoy a good board game. Now I have many favorite board games, but one that definitely stands out is the […]
An Open Hand Before God
Did you know that the topic most referenced in the Bible is love? While that may not surprise you, you may be surprised that the second most referenced biblical topic is money. In fact, there are more than 1,000 references to money in the Bible. Famously, love and money are connected in 1 Timothy 6:10. […]
United yet Unfinished
In October 1823 on a Tuesday, Alabama churches sent messengers to a meeting in Greensboro. Those in attendance helped form the Alabama Baptist State Convention. They promptly elected Charles Crow as their first president. At the time, there were roughly 5,000 Alabama Baptists in about 125 churches. From those days until now, God has blessed the […]
A Mousetrap for Christmas?
I’m sure many of you have already completed your Christmas shopping and you’re just enjoying the holiday season watching Hallmark movies and/or football games and sipping on hot chocolate. For those of us who are last-minute gift buyers, there’s still a few days left to procrastinate. Not only is this the time of year to […]
Don’t Hold Back
As we think about our lives as followers of Christ, we should be constantly reminded of a few foundational truths: We belong to Christ. We have been redeemed, and we now live for Christ and His glory – not our own. We have been given the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) and Great Commandment (Matt. 22:36-40) […]
More Than Enough
Several years ago, I was serving as a youth minister, and we were looking to make the youth area more, “youthy.” I think we’ve all seen this type of thing in churches, haven’t we? The church I was serving had space for the youth ministry that had formerly been the sanctuary many years earlier. The […]
Better Together
When my son played T-ball, the Tigers had a pitcher that was the fastest player in the league. This kid had amazing speed, but the rest of his team wasn’t quite so fast or very good at baseball. When we played the Tigers, one of our boys got a hit with two runners on base. […]