Tag Archives: Jesus

Take Responsibility for your Behavior

Posted on June 19, 2014 | 3 comments

   “The healthy way to deal with God’s repentance call is to take personal responsibility.  I’m not responsible for the wrongs of others, but I am responsible for my own choices and decisions.

   I love playing basketball with Milton.  For the past many years, Milton and I have played together.  We’ve been on the same team in our church league basketball and shared many pick-up games.  And we have gotten older and older.

   Milton, like me does not want to lose.  This former college basketball player knows what he is doing on the court and he plays to win.  But, as our ages continue to increase Continue reading →

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Posted in books, Christianity, responsibility, Uncategorized

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What I like about the Southern Baptist Convention

Posted on June 10, 2014 | 2 comments

I am at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) this week. Think of a giant church business meeting with sermons and worship interspersed. That doesn’t sound like much fun to many of you, but you do get to meet a lot of old friends and make some new ones. Okay, there are some annoyances. There are sessions where anyone can speak- some less thoughtfully than others. (Wasn’t that charitable of me?) There is great congestion and lots of walking. But we SBCers can often focus most on our problems and can be extra critical of ourselves. So here are some things I really like about our convention.
1. We focus well on International Missions. I call the IMB (the International Mission Board of the SBC) the glue that holds us together. I listened Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, International Mission Board, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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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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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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Unsolicited Advice for the International Mission Board

Posted on March 3, 2014 | 33 comments

Tom Elliff is retiring after a short, but effective stint as the head of the IMB, the international mission agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here is some free (like someone is going to pay for this?) advice to the trustees who will choose his successor.

I care deeply about this decision for at least three reasons. 1, I love missions. God grabbed my heart for missions on my first mission trip and I am all in. 2, The church where I am pastor (FBC O’Fallon, IL) is in the SBC, goes on many IMB connected mission trips each year and has a few families from the church serving with the IMB. 3, My son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter serve with the IMB as new career missionaries to Madagascar.

1.  Don’t worry much about who recommends them.  We don’t need any kingmakers because we don’t have any kings.  (Further free advice extends to my recommendation that you read that last sentence again.) Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, International Mission Board, missions, southern baptist convention, 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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