April 2020 Blog Posts (14)

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us…

Some days, it is not so much who you are as it is where you are. Years ago, when I was the Baptist Campus Minister at the University of Texas, I proved this to be true. One of my staff members and I arrived late for the weekly Austin Baptist Association Pastor’s Luncheon. When we entered the room, someone said, “The Liberals are here, we can start now.” Compared to some of the extreme conservatives in the room and given the fact that we served in a rather liberal university environment, we…

Strike up the music, beat the tambourine, play the melodious harp and the lyre;

blow the trumpet for the new month, for the full moon, for our feast day!

PSALM 81:2-3 TNJB

I am your Vital Strength.

     When you feel like giving up, I…

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.…

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, people need each other more than ever before, yet they need to avoid each other more than ever. Christians believe faith is more powerful than fear. As the news media and government agencies continue to discuss the critically important topic of the spread and impact of Coronavirus, it’s easy for anyone to give into fear, especially when they are isolated from others.…

It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.

PSALM 77:10 NRSV

Crying to a Good Source is a sincere quest.

     Hold nothing back—let your tears flow freely in My Presence.

     When you are in deep…

While this quarantine is difficult for people all over the world, it is not quite as hard on writers. I do not simply mean that people need our reading material to fill the time. Writers need solitude to write. While many of us have had to learn to write in the midst of the hubbub, it always helps to be alone. This doesn't mean…

Unless they offer an essential service, suddenly everybody has time for a small group. The #1 excuse people give for not joining a group is that they are too busy or they don’t have enough time. Small Group Pastors know what they are really saying is, “Small group is just not a priority.” I get that. But, now the “I don’t have time” excuse has been erased, and small groups should become a greater priority — even if they can’t meet in person.…

The Coronavirus outbreak has opened a new chapter in starting online small groups. Online small groups aren’t a new thing. I was in an online small group on CompuServe in 1992! That might make me the grandfather of online small groups. But, online groups might be new to you.

The Pursuit Church in Minot, ND just launched online small groups off of their online service on March 22, 2020. This church of 1,500 already had about 60 small groups. On that Sunday, 30 people stepped up to…

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for World War II. It was intended to raise the morale of the British public, threatened with widely predicted mass air attacks on major…

There is a sense in which the most important part of a tree is its root system. The stability and nourishment of a tree come from its roots. And, of course, the roots grow more slowly than the branches. So it is with our spiritual lives.

For this reason and others, I recommend Scripture memory as a discipline of…

I've lost it; I’m wasted. God – quickly, quickly!

Quick to my side, quick to my rescue! GOD, don’t lose a minute.

PSALM 70:5 THE MESSAGE

Through all time and eternity, rest assured I will encircle you.…

Whatever we’re afraid of, whatever we worry about, even death—the worst thing we think can happen, will not end our relationship with God.

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