My friend Peter Odanga in Kenya is concerned about the rise of fatherless children in African society. “Dad is either too traditional, unfaithful to his marriage, abusing the child. The boy child is rebellious; the girl child falls into the hands of the wrong people. My plea is that we should stop being Africans and become …
8:53 AM We have just posted two new sermons on the website:Who Do Men Say That I Am?
Singing Your Way to Victory8:48 AM This weekend another team from Pontiac (IL) Bible Church is heading to Biloxi to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. I’m planning on driving from Tupelo to Batesville on Saturday to deliver …
This morning I preached on “Discovering God’s Will” at the First Baptist Church of Tupelo. I ended the sermon by sharing the following story: My wife and I had lunch with friends who were visiting from a distant city. As we began our meal the thought passed through my mind that the husband looked more relaxed than I h …
As I was preparing last week’s sermon email message, I read the report of our 1993 missions trip to Haiti called The Witch Doctors Are Liars. Besides bringing back many good memories, I realized that everything I’ve been saying about spiritual warfare can be found in that report. We came face to face to with the …
After more than two weeks living out of suitcases, it’s time to go home to the cabin in the woods. Alan sent an email saying that the big logs have been replaced and the workers have finished all the related repairs. We haven’t been able to live in the cabin since before our trip to Florida on February 23. It wi …
1) Creation-Evolution Headlines. Some creation-evolution sites seem a bit drab to me. But this one offers a ton of useful information, updated daily, in a rolling weblog format. The writers stay on top of the latest news, offering instant analysis of stories from a wide variety of sources. This is a good example of how the …
We had an excellent conference at Camp Wonderland. Of my four messages, the sermon on doubt attracted the most feedback. Several people thanked me for raising a topic that we rarely talk about in church. That’s too bad because doubt not only is not sinful, it can be a catalyst for spiritual growth. One writer called d …
Odds and Ends . . .1) My picture showed up on a friend’s weblog. Scroll down to see if you agree with comparison. I think this is some guy on American Idol. I’ll like it better if he wins the whole thing. 2) I’m writing this note from Camp Wonderland in southern Wisconsin. I’ve here as the Bible teac …
Last Thursday I wrote an entry called “Pastor Ray, Isn’t That a Little Harsh?” , based on a question from a recent radio interview. It turns out that my entry stirred up a bit a controversy. The heart of it all stems from this comment: “If you deny the resurrection, you are not a Christian and should not be treated …
A recent article says that many contemporary churches are adding services that feature traditional hymns. I think this is a trend that is likely to increase in the years ahead. Many in the younger generation seek a connection to the church that goes beyond the flash and splash that characterizes the Boomer approach to worsh …