Our church partners with a rehabilitation organization in town with whom I occasionally have the opportunity to worship. At the beginning of all of their worship experiences, they sing a song that repeats this same opening line – “I woke…
By way of ashes
I was 24 and living in Mill Valley, Calif., when I first encountered Ash Wednesday. The Christian liturgical calendar had figured not much at all in my Southern Baptist experience to that point. But one February morning in 1983, spurred…
Perspectives on immigration: safety and security concerns
The issue of immigration is a subject of discussion and debate within the Christian community. Followers of Jesus have diverse perspectives on how to address economic, security, and cultural concerns. Having shared in previous posts the primary points of diversity…
Evangelism is more than confrontation
One of my long-term church friends and I have friendly banter about my use of words and phrases that are probably more complicated than they need to be. Regularly, Lane and I have friendly conversations about the use of complex…
Are Immigrants a fiscal drain on public resources?
The goal of this series is to heighten one’s awareness to the diversity of perspective within the Body of Christ on the issue of immigration, and to provide a synopsis of the differing views of Christians in a way that…
A common peace community
Author’s note: this sermon was preached at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, on January 31st as part of a God’s Heart Toward Immigrants worship service.
Are Baptists still nonconformists?
Not long after our move to work at Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity my wife Kheresa read Monique Truong’s Bitter in the Mouth (Random House, 2010), a novel rooted in Truong’s childhood experiences as an “outsider” Vietnamese-American in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, where…
Gun control isn’t enough; we need a revival
America has a gun problem, but gun control legislation isn’t enough; we need a 12-step program. Since the tragic shootings in Newtown CT, we have been buried in a welter of statistics. Support for gun control is rising, we are…
Jesus, Buddy the elf, and the reindeer that ran over grandma
I enjoy hot cocoa, chocolate covered peanut butter snacks, sausage balls, and homemade Christmas cookies. I enjoy the lights and I also enjoy looking for the tackiest as well as the most beautiful. I love sneak Santa games and real…