Soothing Ourselves to Death

March 23, 2006

Chuck Colson has an important article in the current issue of Christianity Today called Soothing Ourselves to Death. Here are a few excerpts:I admit I prefer traditional hymns, but even so, I’m convinced that much of the music being written for the church today reflects an unfortunate trend—slipping across the line f …

Resignation Fever

March 22, 2006

Earlier today I received word regarding a friend who serves on the staff of a local church. After only a few months on the job, he resigned yesterday. While there were various factors involved, it came down to the fact that he and the senior pastor did not see eye to eye on some important issues. He plans to stay on the job …

How to Raise Up Godly Fathers

March 21, 2006

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 …

Cold and Rainy

March 20, 2006

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 …

The 21-Day Challenge

March 19, 2006

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 …

The Witch Doctors Are Liars

March 18, 2006

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 …

Back to the Cabin

March 17, 2006

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 …

Three Links Worth Checking Out

March 16, 2006

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 …

Ants in the Pants of Faith

March 15, 2006

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 …

Quick Notes from Camp Wonderland

March 14, 2006

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 …