In general I don’t like emails that have been forwarded a dozen times. However, I do usually have a look at what I have been sent unless I have reason to suspicion a virus or such. Why take the time?…
The day I was cursed at in church
In ministry, one day is always different from the next. Sometimes, there are wonderful and rewarding experiences. Other times, there are difficult experiences. I’ll never forget the day I was cursed at in church. Samuel L. Jackson style. I was…
Three ways to appreciate your associate pastor
Associate pastors, youth ministers, and other staff ministers often do the unglamorous jobs of ministry without much recognition. Associates have a calling and a title, but they often do not preach, must attend church meetings, and juggle several responsibilities which…
Southern Seminary VP Impedes Tolerance
My jaw nearly slapped the ground when I read the words. They bellowed from Mark Coppenger, vice president for extension education and director of Southern Seminary’s extension center in Nashville, Tenn. Recently he sat on a panel that discussed the…
Three responses to 9/11 grief
Eleven years ago on September 11, I was in college. I was getting out of a Tuesday morning class when I heard people talking about an airplane crash. As I walked back to my apartment, I heard more and more…
Romney and ‘war’ on religion
“There is a religious war going on in this country,” former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan told the 1992 Republican convention in a primetime address. Mitt Romney has declared that President Obama is waging a war on religion. Whether one actually…
Tweet this, Facebook that
What is my life worth? Is it all based on the perception of “friends” who read my posts on Facebook? Do I need to be sure they know how I really feel about my Lord or politics? And, what if…
Worlds colliding
As a pioneer in the field of grief, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross used to hold workshops all over the world. In these workshops people didn’t just learn about grief; they had a chance to do deep grieving of their own. A friend…
Our rhetorical Civil War
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” —Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, 1861 So it was then, March, 4, 1861, that Lincoln uttered these words to a struggling, soon-to-be-divided United States. We hear these words 151…
Pockets of friendship: Three lessons for interfaith engagement
Editor’s note: This blog first appeared on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s blog site. It is published by APBnews with the permission of the author. By the time I took my first post-seminary post as a pastor, I wanted interfaith dialogue…