Blog
Legislation Won’t Make Us Christian
The prophet Hosea boldly told the people of his day that God was tired of being placated by their symbolic measures of worship. Instead he told them: "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6...
What Mohammed Ali, Rocky, and Jesus Have in Common this Easter
Recently I’ve been letting go of some things. I sold a Harley motorcycle, my 65 Ford Comet, my 4-wheeler, and my Mohammed Ali and Rocky posters. O.K, so those last two items didn’t bring as much money as the first three. In fact, I was a little insulted that the...
And A Little Child Shall Lead
Each month our church staff leads chapel for nearly 70 children at our church day preschool. We typically divide up responsibilities, but honestly, my role is usually minimal. I might do a prayer or a welcome. However, I'm always there because I love seeing the...
Sewing Garments Together With Love
Seventy-five-year old Vivian Davis is constantly looking for ways to help people who are in need. People who know this drop items off at her home because they know she will get them into the right hands. Despite knee replacement surgery, she has traveled to Togo and...
Our Response to Winning and Losing Reveals Character
February 20, 2016 I don’t like to lose. I don’t know anyone who does. I especially don’t like to lose to braggarts. There’s one sure way to shut up a braggart and that’s to beat one. Maybe that’s why I’ve always liked the story of David and Goliath. It’s hard to...
Sabbatical Reflections
My father-in-law, as a master gardener, has a close connection to the earth. He has enriched his garden through the years with hundreds of loads of pecan hulls from the local pecan company. Because the earth gives back so freely and because he believes it’s a biblical...
A Liberating Thought for All Saints Day (November 1)
All religions attempt to make sense of death. Death is an enemy, the ultimate enemy. It represents an exit from what we know into what we don’t know. While our religion has some effect on how we grieve, grief is a universal response to loss. Everyone grieves. It’s our...
Mark Richt—Winning With Integrity At UGA
The University of Georgia’s football coach Mark Richt was praised recently for his ethics and integrity. The USA Today article written by Dan Wolken cited Richt as being among the best in college football in these areas, but pointed out that seven colleges within a...
God is All Around Us If We Bother to Look
Have you ever had church where there was no church, where there was no preacher, except the one who preached the message did so by the example she gave, as she served others and gave testimony to God’s goodness and kindness? Have you ever been to church where there...
An Open Letter to My “Brother” Greg
Dear Greg, It happened to me again not long ago. Someone mistook me for you. I was at the funeral of a friend’s father and a man came up to me, shook my hand and began to thank me for what I’d done for him as a customer at your bank. He was singing “my” praises and it...
Using a Labyrinth to Help Focus Your Prayers
A descriptive word that emerges to describe Jesus’ prayer life from a study of Luke’s gospel is “intentional.” Jesus may have done a lot of praying “on the fly” but Luke portrays a Jesus who was intentional about setting aside time to pray. He was as intentional about...
Taking Time to Worship the Maker of All Things
For a week in July, friends of "Baptists Today" journeyed together through Glacier National Park bringing strangers together from across the Southeast who quickly found friendships with one another. That’s not hard to do when you share a love for God and nature. We...