We received our annual Christmas card from Carol. It is always a delight to catch up with her family. Typically, it is our only contact with them during the year. They were members of the congregation where I was pastor…
Pastor says Newtown needs privacy, time
By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor who ministers near Newtown, Conn., says one of the best things people can do to help right now is to pray for first responders coping with psychological trauma and clergy who are…
Green Day: on Holiday
The holiday season has reached its peak. Decorations, parties, calories and music abound. Some of this music is soul inspiring. I am warmed each time I hear Sheryl Crow’s “Blue Christmas”, The Barenaked Ladies’ “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” or…
Sloppy church
My guess is that when you go to a fast food restaurant, you look for a clean or mostly clean table at which to eat. I avoid tables that are piled with stuff from a previous customer that wasn’t considerate…
Music fills the air
Music is the universal language. Music is prevalent during this festive time of year. Music is imperative for a soul to really “sing.” Music is very much a part of my family. Melodies and harmonies abound around a family who…
Christmas key time for Hospitality House
By Jeff Brumley It’s always tough visiting loved ones in prison. A spouse or parent can see incarceration taking its toll over the years while they continue to deal with the legal, financial, social and emotional impact of the crimes….
Spears, tridents, pitchforks, and rakes
I am concerned about the focus of the church, or its lack of focus. There was a time when the church in the United States was relatively financially flush and spent its money on a variety of ministries. Churches had…
Clergy self-esteem
If you suffer from low self-esteem, you might not want to go into local church ministry. Of course, if others suffer from your overly inflated self-esteem, you probably shouldn’t go into local church ministry either. Who, then, can survive, you…
Book shares struggles of Baptist women
By Jeff Brumley Growing up Baptist, Jennifer Harris Dault says her calling into the ministry was clouded by comments and assumptions along the way that the pulpit was no place for women. “I had this feeling as a kid that…