To the world, she was Francis, but to us, she was Nanny. I first met her when my wife and I were dating. After eating at her table for the first time, I knew this was a family I wanted to be part of. Even better, though, was the example set by her and her husband.

Someone defined fathers as “men who give their daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so that they can have grandchildren who will be smarter than anyone else’s.”

Charles Stanley (The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life) said, “Spiritual growth is a process. God is engineering your circumstances with a definite result in mind.” The result is your spiritual growth. Stanley added, “So relax. There is no rush. God is in control.”

What an honor and privilege it has been for me to serve you as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As I have traveled this year, hearing from and representing Southern Baptists across our nation, it has confirmed what I already knew to be true: It is good to be a Southern Baptist.

All sins are the same. Sin is sin. No single act of disobedience is any worse than another in God’s eyes. Chances are you’ve heard statements like these repeated by sincere believers and cynics alike.

Like many others in the mid-19th Century, Levi Strauss made his way to California in search of a fortune. He traveled to “The Golden State” loaded with heavy canvas fabric with the idea of making tents and wagon covers.

The key to achievement in any area is simply commitment. Without commitment, nothing can be accomplished, especially anything challenging or difficult

The best lies always have an element of truth in them. At no time is that more apparent than every June when Hollywood and corporate America join hands for Pride Month. Admittedly, the movement seems to have lost a bit of steam as more and more of society continues to wake up to the damaging confusion and chaos caused by embracing the LGBTQ+ doctrine.

It was a significant moment in history. Everyone in the room felt the gravitas of the gathering May 13. The program was hemmed in worship and prayer. Jeff Iorg, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said, “We have come to a moment we must lean forward.”

​Summer for many means enjoying Vacation Bible School (VBS), a concentrated time of Bible study, activities, music, crafts, recreation, refreshments, and fun for children and students usually held during a week of “summer vacation.”

Merriam Webster defines paradox as “something (such as a situation) that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible.” In other words, it is something that does not make common sense. It’s something that cannot be and yet is.

Recently, I had the special opportunity of returning to my home church in Berea, Kentucky for homecoming services. If the nostalgia of seeing people from my childhood wasn’t enough, the church was also celebrating their new pastor, my pastor, who has returned to lead them after being away for 25 years.

I participated in two Cooperative Program celebrations in the past two weeks. One in Murray, Ky., at First Baptist Church recognizing the origins of the Cooperative Program and the other in Memphis, Tenn., commemorating its adoption by Southern Baptists nationally as our primary Great Commission funding tool.  

When I started my third year of teaching history at Poynor Junior High in Florence, South Carolina, following graduation from Furman University in 1962, I could not have imagined that I would start the 1965 school year at Newton Memorial School in Osogbo, Nigeria. Newton existed as a boarding school for Southern Baptist missionary kids in grades 5 to 10.  

“The House of David” has been a surprise hit this season on Amazon Prime. With a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 91%, this series focuses on the life and times of Israel's beloved earthly king. 

We now live in a world and society of skepticism. Most people no longer believe the Bible is true or that it is God’s Word. Things Christians hold sacred are now considered myth.

One of the joys of pastoring is celebrating the milestone achievements of the people you serve and love. Over the previous few weeks, I have had the distinct joy of attending numerous graduations, from kindergarten to college, marking the significance of a completed goal.

Saying “no” to ministry opportunities can feel painful. But the reluctance to say no, even to good things, can negatively impact one’s life and ministry. 

One of the most important new sentences in the proposed revised Business and Financial Plan is in the first section – The Cooperative Program.

Recently, my aunt, who resides in an assisted living facility, celebrated her 92nd birthday. My mom wanted to call her sister, but she no longer has a cell phone. We decided to call the nurse’s station and request someone bring a phone to her so Mom could wish her happy birthday.

The Great Commission is more than a command—it’s a calling to be a disciple and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Every church has a discipleship culture, whether intentional or not. The question is: Is your church’s culture actively making and multiplying disciples? 

Doctors Bryson and Taylor (Building Sermons to Meet People’s Needs) said, “What you think about the Bible will not change what the Bible is. However, what you think about the Bible will determine the person you become.” They went on to claim, “The Bible has been uniquely inspired, marvelously preserved, and thoroughly proven.”

Located just 500 miles northeast of Vancouver, the Fraser River in British Columbia divides into two streams. One flows eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The other runs westward to the Pacific Ocean. Dubbed as the Great Divide, just six inches after the fork in the river, each new conduit is unchangeably fixed.

The term “sister churches” refers to communities of like-minded Christian faith and practice who see themselves as united in relationship and mission — committed to following Scripture faithfully and working together to fulfill the Great Commission.

Teaching Sunday school or leading a Bible study is both a profound responsibility and an incredible privilege. On the one hand, you're speaking for God—teaching and explaining the deep truths of Scripture. On the other hand—you are speaking for God. That reality brings with it an overwhelming responsibility we must not take lightly, and an awesome honor we should gladly embrace.