Like many, I’ve followed the story of the tornado-spawned tragedy in Oklahoma. The images called up memories of when an EF-4 tornado swept through Murfreesboro, Tenn., where I served as a pastor at the time. A young mother and her…
Where was God in Okla. twister?
By Mike Smith Like many, I’ve followed the story of the tornado-spawned tragedy in Oklahoma. The images called up memories of when an EF-4 tornado swept through Murfreesboro, Tenn., where I served as a pastor at the time. A young…
Fifty years from now
What might it mean to be a Baptist Christian at the mid-point of the 21st century? I’m hesitant to try and answer such a question. In my experience, actual developments over time usually take unanticipated forms. If someone 50 years…
Flawed heroes
Flawed heroes are the only ones available. This should not surprise us. Take biblical heroes for example. A friend and I have been discussing the Noah story lately. My friend is not taken with Noah. As he notes, Noah tells…
Prayer is our shared vocation
Make a list of some of the intractable problems facing us: natural disasters, deadly violence, international conflicts, human rights violations, mutating bacteria, political impasses, hunger and the like. That’s just my short list. You probably can add quite a few…
Confessions of a dysfunctional decorator
With apologies to all self-help movements, my name is Mike, and I am a dysfunctional decorator. When it comes to wall colors, any shade of blue works for me. Left to my own devices, I would paint all the walls…
Your Kingdom Come…
I’ve been thinking about one phrase in The Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The longer I ponder the words, the more I become convinced of a few matters. The…
Following Jesus in a politicized world
By Mike Smith Have you noticed some of your Facebook friends taking a sabbatical from social media during the remainder of the 2012 election cycle? The number seems to be growing. For the most part, they do so because they’re…
Following Jesus in a politicized world
Have you noticed some of your Facebook friends taking a sabbatical from social media during the remainder of the 2012 election cycle? The number seems to be growing. For the most part, they do so because they’re tired of the…