Sincerity may look like the courage to do what’s uncool, or the humility to do what’s cool. You have two options when things get tough: keep going or give up. Childhood is as precious as it is short. When exceptions are not exceptional, they should not be accepted. Saying no means … More Ten Brief Reflections
When did God first speak to His people? Long ago. How has God spoken to His people in the past? At many times and in many ways. Who did He speak to? He spoke to our fathers, the patriarchs. Who did He speak through? He spoke by the prophets. What about now? These are the … More God Has Spoken by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Perseverance demands power. Perseverance demands more than power, but not less. You also need faith, and hope, and love, and many other biblical fuels, but without the sheer power to keep going, perseverance is impossible. So where do we get this power, how do we get this power, and in what measure? Paul gives one striking answer in … More Power to Persevere
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8 Who is Jesus Christ today? The same as He was yesterday. Who will Jesus Christ be tomorrow? The same as He was yesterday and the same as He is today. Who was Jesus Christ yesterday? The same as He is today and the … More Jesus Christ Is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever
Titus, we heard that you just got a letter from Paul. What did he say? He said a lot, but at the end, he wanted me to remind you of some things. What kinds of things? To be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no … More The Why of Christian Living (Titus 3:1-8)
Have you ever noticed that the classic children’s story The Little Engine That Could bears a remarkable resemblance to The Good Samaritan? There are many recensions in its long history and several layers of morals involved, but the version I read to Judah on Tuesday night speaks volumes to a fundamental matter of the human psyche and the human condition. The little … More The Little Engine That Could, the Good Samaritan, and the Inborn Law of Love
Yesterday afternoon former USC running back and 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush took the unprecedented step of forfeiting the award for the best college football player of the season and returning the trophy to the Heisman Trust. I can still picture some of his spell-binding runs during that captivating year that culminated in the … More Kind-of Confessions
How do the people of God gather to worship? At the building, with the church. We don’t gather at the church, because the church is not a location. We don’t meet in the church, because the church is not a building. We meet at a building (or a home or a park or a cave), with the church. … More At the Building, With the Church
My Good Friend, At many points in our academic journey together, we will meet surprises, obstacles, setbacks, and disappointments. Some will be merely annoying. Others will be devastating. We will be overwhelmed, overworked, and overworried. We will theorize about “balancing life” and will do our best, but such balance will remain an ideal, a mystery, … More See You at the Top
My semester class schedule is now finalized. I’ve already completed the initial online course consisting of nine brief online lectures introducing us to the Southern Baptist Convention and its main funding mechanism, the Cooperative Program. On Thursday I completed the helpful Graduate Research Seminar, the introductory course for all doctoral and Th.M. students which centers on research and writing. And Friday, … More The Classroom and the Crucible
Once again I sit upstairs beneath the vaulted ceilings of the Honeycutt Center on the campus of Southern Seminary. The room is still a bit warm from the day’s heat, the lounge has mostly emptied, and the friendly cleaning guy is bellowing hello to the few remaining students as he cleans tables and empties trash cans. For the past … More Full of Blessing
I’m sitting in the sprawling Honeycutt Center on the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s around 11:30pm Eastern Time, the majestic campus has been hushed by nightfall, and the crickets have picked up where the cicadas left off. This is my first post from “Loua-vull,” and if this new Ph.D. program … More New Kid on the Block
Three weeks ago, we were packing up the last of our belongings, saying final goodbyes to friends and co-workers and church family, madly finishing up projects to prepare for the new Dean, and preparing for our cross-country move into the next season of our lives. Three weeks from now, I’ll be exploring a brand new … More The Incredible Journey
Like some of you, I watched the United States’ national soccer team on its hair-raising journey into the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2010 World Cup. By allowing opponents to score within the first ten minutes of every game, the team ensured a tournament journey filled with tension and drama. Yet by producing comeback after comeback, … More The World Cup and the Wonder of Humanity
“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” — Proverbs 11:28 Very few well-taught believers would admit that we trust in our possessions, even in the prosperous West. We have money, but we don’t love money. We use our possessions, but we don’t worship our possessions. We … More Trusting in Our Riches
There’s a lot of caring to be done in the community of faith. Spending a couple years as a pastor-principal at a serious Christian college reveals just how much sin, conflict, tension, hurt, and suffering exist even among God’s children. Enough to make sense of the cross. In the last three weeks of school I … More Caring Until Sunrise
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