Years ago my oldest child, who was in kindergarten or first grade at the time, came home from school and told me that he heard one of his classmates use the “S” word. I was like, “Ah, ‘S’ word! Not…
Louisiana flood victims need help — including the spiritual kind, pastor says
Most Louisiana flooding victims are still much in the rescue phase, still in shock that their homes, businesses and communities remain underwater. But it won’t be long before they enter a stage of emotional devastation induced by seeing damaged or…
Life — and church — in a box
My life is in boxes right now. As I prepared to move from Connecticut to Mississippi, I packed over 40 boxes of books in my office. We have gone through each room, and while there is still a lot to…
Sacred space: the antidote to over-stimulation
Sometimes, pastors need a place to get away, a place to go where they can recharge between sermons and committee meetings and the like. They need a sanctuary from the sanctuary — a space where they can delve into Scripture, pray…
Delta-bred Coker returns home from New England to lead Mississippi CBF
The thermometer offered a 103-degree “Welcome Home” recently to Mississippi native Jason Coker, returning to his roots after 14 years of church leadership in Wilton, Conn. A Baptist from the South with a drawl, Coker arrived in the affluent Connecticut…
Incredulous me: The postmodern dilemma
Several weeks ago I was reading through the Doubting Thomas passage from the Gospel of John when I stumbled upon an image from the 17th century. In 1601-1602, the famous Michelangelo Caravaggio painted the scene where Jesus is guiding Thomas’s…
Finding utopia: Does God promote economic equality?
How would God structure an economy? This may be an odd question for a Baptist who believes in the separation of church and state, but it’s a question that I can’t help but ask. State religion does not have a…
Survival mode
Survival mode generally does not bring out the best in people. When nearly all of the luxuries of life have been stripped away and all you have left is the choice to survive, those choices are brutal. I’m not a…
Ministers preaching humor for Christians, churches
Laughter, fun are signs of a healthy congregation that celebrates the joy and hope of the Christian story, Baptist pastors say. A few years back, after Erin Conaway preached his first sermon as associate pastor at South Main Baptist Church…