My poem of the week this week is William How’s magnificent hymn, “For All the Saints.” Sung to Ralph Vaughan Williams majestic tune, “Sine Nomine”- particularly with a good pipe organ- this is one of my favorites- a grand tune reminding us of the great cloud of witnesses about us. I rarely can get through …
There are so many reasons for people to celebrate the Reformation, and every year at this time I try to point out some facet of the impact of this great event. This year I am pleased to announce that the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies at Union University is planning REF500, a festival celebrating the …
This past Sunday many church celebrated Reformation Sunday as we near Reformation Day, Oct 31, the anniversary of the day Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, sparking the Protestant Reformation. Justin Wainscott, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson, TN, passionately explained the importance of the Reformation in terms of …
Continue reading ‘Justin Wainscott on the Importance of the Reformation’ »
I am pleased to see that Selah Helms’ book, That Your Faith May Not Fail is now available. I was blessed to have an opportunity to read a pre-publication copy. Selah tells the story of her son’s tragic accident and how her family has walked through this trial. Having known, loved and respected the Helms …
I am currently reading Tim Keller’s new book on prayer and benefiting from discussing it with a group of my faculty colleagues. Also, last week I was blessed to hear a great message on prayer from Steve Gaines in a chapel service. Prayer is an area where I always need growth and these things …
Continue reading ‘“Thank you, God, for putting in Momma’s mind the idea for this great food.”’ »
This is a great poem about living boldly for truth. The call to rely “on only your soul” in the second stanza misses it, but replace “soul” there with “God” and this is it! So many compelling images pressed into service for calling us to stand for what is right regardless of public opinion or …
Preaching on the social issues of the day is often done poorly, and, thus, many conservative Bible preachers look askance at the practice. Too often preachers have left behind their mandate of preaching the Word for the mess of pottage which is cultural and political commentary. I imagine I am not the only one who …
Continue reading ‘Preaching on Social Issues in a Gospel Manner’ »
I recently had the opportunity to teach New Testament Survey for missionary trainees at To Every Tribe, and I was very impressed with the organization. I deeply appreciate the vision and passion of David Sitton (founder and president of TET), and all those I met there. These people are training to go to dangerous and …
Hal Poe wrote a column with this title recently for our local paper, The Jackson Sun. It is well worth reading. Hal underscores the importance of pastoral oversight and care and the value of smaller congregations. Here is a piece of his warning about inherent issues of large, mass meetings: The mass meeting has always …