This past Lord’s Day I began a series with our congregation entitled “For Future Generations.” The thrust of the series is that we, the present generation, have a responsibility to those who come after us to pass along a faith...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
This past Sunday our church finished the study of Mark Dever’s “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” with a discussion on biblical church leadership. We observed the following main points. The congregation has responsibility. This is...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
It was one year ago that First Baptist Church, Paintsville, KY invited me to be their Senior Pastor. It was an honor and privilege then to receive their invitation, and it is an honor still today to be their pastor. In light of this occasion, I...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
On Sunday evenings, our church is studying through the book of Titus. I am calling this series “Paul’s Recipe for a Healthy Church.” In keeping with that analogy, the first ingredient on Paul’s recipe is God-ordained...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
During my reading on the Great Commission Resurgence discussion in the SBC, my attention was drawn to a contributing issue that I would like to address as separate from my response to the GCR itself. Time after time, the leaders of the SBC who...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
As stated in my previous blog, I would like to share with you why I decided to sign the document “Toward a Great Commission Resurgence” even though initially I had strong hesitations. (Those are listed on the previous blog) All...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
For those readers who may be unaware, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) voted by a large majority to appoint a “Great Commission Task Force” at its latest session this past June. The task force is to evaluate the convention model...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
For the past 4 Sundays, our church has studied and meditated on Philippians 2:5-11. It was a delightful, enriching time. Even though I preached 5 sermons on this profound text, I know we have not yet touched the bottom - it is just that deep.Last...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
One of the surprises I have found during my now ten-month journey to be placed in a pulpit ministry is how so many Southern Baptist congregations hold a false dichotomy between one being a preacher and being a pastor! Usually, these churches mean...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
October has been named "Pastor Appreciation Month." It is fitting that one month is set aside to make sure our shepherds know how grateful we are for their labor of love. Pastors, who are called by God and take their calling serious, are the...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
