Tag Archives: God

Don’t Negotiate with Terrorists

Posted on June 4, 2014 | 1 comment

   Our government policy is “We don’t negotiate with terrorists”- or “We don’t usually negotiate with terrorists” or “We only occasionally negotiate with terrorists” or whatever it is now.  It is hard to keep up with the government sometimes.  Anyway, I want to suggest that there is some benefit to the “we don’t” formula.

   This idea can apply in other areas beyond governments.  It can apply in church life.  Churches don’t usually have real terrorists (that is frowned upon by the Christian faith and tends to be in other religions and philosophies) but they can have people who act terribly.  May I recommend a Continue reading →

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Posted in Christianity, Church, Uncategorized

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Recommendations for the Next President of the International Mission Board

Posted on May 24, 2014 | 5 comments

   Perhaps the most important decision that will be made in the Southern Baptist Convention for years to come is the choice of the next president of the IMB.  I say that, not because he will be so critical to the success of the IMB (generally speaking, we need less of man and more of God in our workings anyway), but because a poor choice would be disastrous for the convention. 

   So, here is my advice- offered freely, and worth about what you are paying- to the next IMB president. 

I would like you to focus on 3 things and start one massive new project.

1.  Focus on making the IMB effective.  You should be a big picture guy.  Help the organization reach the unreached and unengaged groups while mobilizing areas where the harvest is ripe.  Keep our focus on disciple-making.  Help us focus on starting churches that can be led by nationals.  Draw our attention to evangelism that moves towards discipleship.  You don’t have to be chase fads- we’d rather you not.  But do consider innovations that Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, Church, discipleship, evangelism, International Mission Board, missions, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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Northern Southern Baptists

Posted on May 12, 2014 | 2 comments

I am a Northern Southern Baptist (NSB). That makes me sound “directionally challenged” I know. But I was born this way.
I grew up here in Illinois as a Southern Baptist. My grandfather and father were saved (they recognized they were sinners, repented and placed their faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and were forgiven by Him) back in the 1930’s in a Southern Baptist church here in Illinois. So, they became NSBs. Did you know there were NSBs that long ago? I was raised in Illinois where my father was a bi-vocational pastor. Hence, I was an NSB.
After 14 years in the beautiful land of Texas where I attended seminary and was a pastor, I came back to Illinois to pastor 19 years ago. I am an NSB.
There are three things I want you- especially the larger Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) world- to know about NSBs.
1. There are more of us than you might know. My state convention is called the Illinois Baptist State Association and we have about 1,000 churches. Many of them are small, and that is a lot less than southern states with much smaller populations, but there are more of us than you might have known. Many NSB churches started as “southern clubs” as southerners moved to the north for jobs. However, they were usually very serious about the gospel and found themselves reaching folks who weren’t from the south. Some transitioned into NSB churches with the strong theology of the SBC, but culturally connected with their neighbors in the north. If they remained southern in mindset they tended to decline as the inflow of southern transplants slowed. If they became NSBs, they often did very well.
There are some strong NSB churches. The church Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, bible, Christianity, Church, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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Finding Salvation

Posted on April 29, 2014 | 3 comments

   I recently baptized a young Air Force pilot.  His wife gave her life to Christ many years ago.  But he felt that he was self-sufficient.  He didn’t need God.  If others did, that was fine.  He didn’t need anything else.  He was smart, successful and talented.  He would be just fine without giving control of his life over to God. 

   His wife prayed for him often.  She even persuaded him to join her in worship on occasion.  Their son attended our Christian school and he trusted Christ as his savior.  He was baptized in our church.  But dad, well, he just didn’t need God in his life.

   And then, one Sunday, God just broke through the stubbornness.  God showed him Continue reading →

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Posted in Christianity, evangelism, faith, military, Uncategorized

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Criticizing Adrian Rogers

Posted on April 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

If you have been criticized lately I offer these thoughts.
1. Recognize the inevitability. Everyone gets criticized. I once heard someone criticize the preaching of Adrian Rogers. Really? Adrian Rogers? Adrian was a spectacular preacher- the right mix of passion and logic, interest and depth, with a voice like the mighty waters of Lake Huron. (I’ve never actually heard the voice of Lake Huron, but if I ever do, I expect it to sound like Adrian Rogers.) If someone criticized his preaching, I’m sure they will find ample opportunities to criticize mine. Ample. People in every profession and situation of life get criticized. It is part of being an imperfect person living among imperfect people.
2. Consider the source. If a mean person criticizes you, it might be because he is mean. If an angry person criticizes you, it might be because she is angry. My wife loves me. If she criticizes me, Continue reading →

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Posted in Christianity, encouragement, Uncategorized

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Military types and the church

Posted on April 9, 2014 | 2 comments

   I love that the church where I am pastor (FBC O’Fallon, IL) is near Scott Air Force base.  We have hundreds of military folks in our church and it is a great blessing.  It will be 19 years this summer since I came and I’ve learned some things about the military folks.  (I am a slow learner.)  Here are some things I’ve learned about ministry with the military community.

1.  Military types move.  A lot.  To lots of places.  It isn’t unusual for me to meet a new family moving in from Guam while saying goodbye to another moving to Germany.  Some move in saying “I’m only here for three years so I’m jumping into the church with both feet.”  They look immediately for opportunities to serve and connect.  I love that!  Others say, “I’m only here for three years so I’m not going to get involved.”  The smart aleck in me responds with, “How long will you be here if you do get involved?”

Military families learn how to deal with new circumstances and environments.  The children of military parents learn to make friends and adjust to new things.  Their moves make them interesting to us civilians.  They have seen places we haven’t and enjoyed experiences foreign to us.  We are impressed with the variety of their experiences. 

They are so interesting.  But, they leave us.  And, if we aren’t careful, we guard our hearts against the pain of their departures.  I remind our church often that we must be willing to love each other- military and civilian- even though our hearts are broken when we part.  Love is worth the pain.

2.  Military types deploy. Continue reading →

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Posted in Christianity, Church, military, Uncategorized

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Not a White Church

Posted on March 23, 2014 | 4 comments

I am not a white pastor. Don’t get me wrong, I am quite Caucasian. I’m named Douglas, get sunburned pretty easily and live in suburbia. That sounds pretty Caucasional…Caucasionistic…Caucaustic? But I am not a white pastor. I am a pastor… who wants to be a man of God.
My church is not a white church. While we have a lot of whitish skinned people in our church we are not a white church. We are a church. And, by the way, Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, Church, integration, segregation, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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Midnight Worship

Posted on March 10, 2014 | 2 comments

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”  Acts 16:25

On the night my father died, our family gathered in his room.  After weeks of battling physical ailments, death was near.  While we did not grieve as those who had no hope, we still grieved.  And we sang.

As we circled the room where our family patriarch was dying, we sang hymns and choruses of faith.  It felt like midnight in our souls, which made it a good time to worship.  It is good to worship the Lord in the pleasant Continue reading →

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Posted in Christianity, prayer, Uncategorized, worship

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Why Men Struggle with Friendship

Posted on February 10, 2014 | 1 comment

God made us for relationships. Yet many men- many men- will find meaningful friendships hard to build and sustain. We end up isolated and miss the benefits of close relationships with other men. If that isn’t you, great. But for many men, friendships are like doing a rubiks cube- challenging, intimidating and a little unnatural.
Let me mention three reasons for our difficulty in building lasting friendships.
1. We tend to stay superficial. Continue reading →

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Posted in Christianity, Church, friendship, Sunday School, Uncategorized

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The Segregation of the Church

Posted on February 3, 2014 | 1 comment

There are so many ways to divide the church. Our past has often included division by race. I am glad to see that changing. I love that my church has people of different backgrounds and races. Heaven will certainly include people of every tribe and tongue.
Segregation by race has been accepted and justified by the homogenous growth principle. That is the principle that people tend to come to Christ through churches that are much like they are. But isn’t the ideal something better than churches that are segregated by race?
Today’s churches have a new way to divide.  They are often segregated by age. Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, bible, Christianity, Church, integration, segregation, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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