By Barry Howard A pastoral prayer for Sept. 11, 2011: On this 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we gather to remember an atrocious day, a day that we wish we could forget. We confess our…

By Barry Howard Fourth of July weekend is upon us. Where will you be this Sunday morning? While many of us have appropriate plans in place this weekend to celebrate our nation’s independence with picnics, barbeques, ice cream and fireworks,…

By Barry Howard Multiple mission partnerships seem to be the new norm among many churches, and especially those that network with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. A quick survey of the list of CBF churches indicates that fewer than 10 percent…

By Barry Howard Trying to come up with an appropriate name for a group of Baptists is like trying to nail Jell-O to the floor. It just keeps jiggling and refuses to be still.  Because faith is dynamic and emerging,…

By Barry Howard Recently, as I was preparing the eulogy for our pastor emeritus at First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Fla., I came across a copy of an article from the Dallas Morning News dated December 1992. The column was…

By Barry Howard On Palm Sunday in 1994 a tornado touched down near Ragland, Ala., and cut a trail to Rome, Ga., demolishing hundreds of homes, destroying five church campuses and taking 29 lives before leaving that area. Entire communities…

By Barry Howard Often I am asked: “What can I do to grow as a Christian?” There are several things that may help you grow in your faith, but one of the most important things is to read the Bible…

By Barry Howard As Christmas approaches, our mailbox seems to be stuffed each day with Christmas cards and requests for money. We love getting Christmas cards and letters. After reading them, my wife displays them around the living room with…

By Barry Howard In the close-knit rural church of my upbringing, we didn’t observe Advent. Not by that name, anyway. We naively made a huge leap from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The important liturgical dates on our church calendar other than…

By Barry Howard  Nov. 2 is Election Day around the country. In the state of Florida, where I live, citizens will be electing a new governor and a new senator in hotly contested races, and several other important local offices…

By Barry Howard The summer of 2005 will be permanently etched in the minds of Gulf Coast residents. And for me that summer of multiple hurricanes provided a most unusual welcome to a new community. In May of 2005 I…

By Barry Howard I learned how to drive in my grandfather’s 1966 Volkswagen Fastback — a straight shift. Learning to change gears while simultaneously pressing the clutch proved to be quite a challenge. However, once I mastered the art of…