I have given the website a new look, thanks to the numerous templates offered by WordPress. The picture in the header is a picture of the flags of various nations which are displayed in our sanctuary during the month of December for our Lottie Moon Emphasis.
Archive for April, 2007|Monthly archive page
John Stott Announces Retirement
In Biography on April 27, 2007 at 8:40 am
John Stott, one of the 20th century’s leading evangelical theologians announced his retirement (click here to read the article). (HT: Derick Dickens)
Stott’s commentary on Romans, his work on The Cross of Christ as well as his marvelous work on preaching (Between Two Worlds) have made me rather indebted to helping me think through the atonement as well as expositional preaching. I grew disturbed over the years hearing of him embracing the doctrine of annihilationism (there is no eternal hell), theistic evolution, and inclusivism (click here to read more).
What about you? What has John Stott’s ministry meant to you?
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I’ve Been Tagged — Thanks to Steven Newell
In Uncategorized on April 26, 2007 at 12:00 amSteven Newell of The Silent Holocron has tagged me. I now have to list off six weird things about myself. So, here they are:
- In my 7th grade year, I lived in three different states: Michigan, Virginia, and Florida. Needless to say, that year was just ducky!
- I believe I am the only Florida Marlins fan in the state of Kentucky (I would love for someone to prove me wrong).
- When the entire congregation interviewed me at the church where I serve as pastor, the fourth question they asked me was, “So, are you a University of Kentucky or a University of Louisville fan?” (Keep in mind, the church where I serve is in Lexington, KY — home of the University of Kentucky!) I just answered them, “You’ll just have to pray for me!” I’m a huge U of L fan.
- I can listen to Bach, then Weird Al, then Bob Marley, then Frank Sinatra, then Elvis. Needless to say, I have rather eclectic tastes.
- I am one of the two people on earth who simply does not like American Idol.
- My favorite snack is a Hardee’s chocolate shake and their Chili-Cheese Fries. And boy do I pay for that one!
OK — my turn. Time to tag five people. Here they are:
I’ve Been Tagged — Thanks to Steven Newell
In Uncategorized on April 26, 2007 at 12:00 amSteven Newell of The Silent Holocron has tagged me. I now have to list off six weird things about myself. So, here they are:
- In my 7th grade year, I lived in three different states: Michigan, Virginia, and Florida. Needless to say, that year was just ducky!
- I believe I am the only Florida Marlins fan in the state of Kentucky (I would love for someone to prove me wrong).
- When the entire congregation interviewed me at the church where I serve as pastor, the fourth question they asked me was, “So, are you a University of Kentucky or a University of Louisville fan?” (Keep in mind, the church where I serve is in Lexington, KY — home of the University of Kentucky!) I just answered them, “You’ll just have to pray for me!” I’m a huge U of L fan.
- I can listen to Bach, then Weird Al, then Bob Marley, then Frank Sinatra, then Elvis. Needless to say, I have rather eclectic tastes.
- I am one of the two people on earth who simply does not like American Idol.
- My favorite snack is a Hardee’s chocolate shake and their Chili-Cheese Fries. And boy do I pay for that one!
OK — my turn. Time to tag five people. Here they are:
A Blog Full of Great Listening Resources: Faith By Hearing
In Preaching on April 25, 2007 at 9:31 amMy friend Mark Combs, pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Salem, KY, often makes me aware of great blogs and other sites on the internet. He didn’t let me down on this one.
The blog is called “Faith By Hearing” operated by Todd Shaffer of Montreal. Here’s the description from the blog:
Faith by Hearing is designed to collect and categorize the ever-growing availabilty of great Reformed and conservative evangelical audio sermons, lectures and training. This is not a machine gun listing of sermons and lectures. It is a personal project to encourage others to be blessed by the preaching and teaching of godly men who are faithful to the all-powerful Word of God.
He claims that “next to the Bible, my iPod is my most treasured possession.” You can read more about Todd’s church plant in Montreal at http://www.toddshaffer.com. .
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Olford Ministries to Merge with Union University
In Preaching on April 24, 2007 at 3:05 pmI just received this e-mail from Olford Ministries which helps men in the work of expository preaching — they are now merging with Union University. Here’s the letter:
Dear Friend of Olford Ministries International, Inc.,
We have very important and “extremely exciting” news to share with you. The press release below will give you some of the details. This is just a personal word to let you know of our sincere appreciation for your continued interest and involvement in the ministry of OMI, Inc.
Olford Ministries International, Inc. will be partnering with Union University to further our ministry goals. This relationship with Union started in a remarkable way. The decision to move forward in a strategic and organic relationship is taking place after much prayer, counsel, and discussion. We believe that God is in this, and “to God be the Glory.”
The Olford family and the Board of Directors have unanimously approved this merger, Lord willing on May 31st, which will open up new opportunities for teaching and training. On behalf of my wife, Ellen, and my mother, Mrs. Heather Olford, thank you for being a friend of this ministry.
We value your continued involvement in the future as we move into this new day of ministry. Keep in touch to find out more about what is taking place, and how we may be able to serve you better.
In Christ,
David L. Olford
I think this is an excellent move and will give the Olford Ministries some more exposure. What think ye?
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How Old Are Most Southern Baptist Pastors?
In Church Life, SBC on April 23, 2007 at 8:31 am
Tony Kummer brought this to my attention. I, too, was surprised to see that over half of all SBC senior pastors are 50 years of age or older.
No wonder when I attend the Southern Baptist Convention that most people look at me with shock when I tell them I’m a pastor (I’m 35, by the way). I notice that my age bracket only represents 14% of all SBC pastors.
I’ll ask the same questions Tony did:
- Does this surprise you like it did me?
- What significance does this have on the churches?
(You can feel free to leave a comment on Tony’s blog entry as well — I know he’d appreciate hearing from you.)
Technorati Tags: SBC, pastors, age
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“Our Party Has To Get Beyond Issues Like That,” Says Guiliani
In Culture, Politics on April 22, 2007 at 3:52 pmRudy Guiliani, one of the Republican frontrunners for the presidential election in 2008 said recently that the Republican Party has “to get beyond issues like that.”
He continued:
“Our party is going to grow, and we are going to win in 2008 if we are a party characterized by what we’re for, not if we’re a party that’s known for what we’re against.”
What’s the issue? Abortion. Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com noted:
the GOP has nominated pro-life presidential candidates in every race since 1980 and it has won five of the seven contests — all against pro-abortion Democrats.
Pro-abortion Republican President Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976 in part because Carter was seen as more conservative on abortion and other social issues.
Polls have also shown that abortion is a winning issue for GOP presidential candidates.
Post-election polling after the 2004 presidential elections found that President Bush’s pro-life stance gave him an edge over pro-abortion Sen. John Kerry.
A 2004 Wirthlin Worldwide post-election poll found that 42 percent of voters said abortion affected the way they voted for president. Twenty-four percent of voters cast their ballots for President Bush while 15% voted for Kerry, giving Bush a 9 percent advantage on the issue of abortion. (April 16, 2007 — full article here)
Well, with all due respect to Rudy Guiliani, I do believe that we as conservatives can say what exactly we are for — life. I doubt Guiliani will get far — though he may with his stance on being strong on war and other domestic issues. As for me, my main concern is not about economics or even the war on terror. My issue is, “What value does life hold for you?” If a candidate is soft on protecting the innocent and unborn, then no thank you.
What do you think? Do we need to get beyond this issue? Should it be a deal-breaker?
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“Our Party Has To Get Beyond Issues Like That,” Says Guiliani
In Culture, Politics on April 22, 2007 at 3:52 pmRudy Guiliani, one of the Republican frontrunners for the presidential election in 2008 said recently that the Republican Party has “to get beyond issues like that.”
He continued:
“Our party is going to grow, and we are going to win in 2008 if we are a party characterized by what we’re for, not if we’re a party that’s known for what we’re against.”
What’s the issue? Abortion. Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com noted:
the GOP has nominated pro-life presidential candidates in every race since 1980 and it has won five of the seven contests — all against pro-abortion Democrats.
Pro-abortion Republican President Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976 in part because Carter was seen as more conservative on abortion and other social issues.
Polls have also shown that abortion is a winning issue for GOP presidential candidates.
Post-election polling after the 2004 presidential elections found that President Bush’s pro-life stance gave him an edge over pro-abortion Sen. John Kerry.
A 2004 Wirthlin Worldwide post-election poll found that 42 percent of voters said abortion affected the way they voted for president. Twenty-four percent of voters cast their ballots for President Bush while 15% voted for Kerry, giving Bush a 9 percent advantage on the issue of abortion. (April 16, 2007 — full article here)
Well, with all due respect to Rudy Guiliani, I do believe that we as conservatives can say what exactly we are for — life. I doubt Guiliani will get far — though he may with his stance on being strong on war and other domestic issues. As for me, my main concern is not about economics or even the war on terror. My issue is, “What value does life hold for you?” If a candidate is soft on protecting the innocent and unborn, then no thank you.
What do you think? Do we need to get beyond this issue? Should it be a deal-breaker?
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So What Do We Thank God For? (D.A. Carson)
In Devotional on April 21, 2007 at 9:17 pm“So what do we thank God for? Elsewhere, Paul tells us to set our hearts on things above (Colossians 3:1). If what we highly cherish belongs to the realm of heaven, our hearts and minds will incline to heaven and all its values; but if what we highly cherish belongs to the realm of earth and the merely transitory, our hearts and minds will incline to the merely transitory. After all, the Master himself taught us that our hearts will run to where our treasure lies (Matthew 6:19-21).
“So what does this have to do with our praying?
“If in our prayers we are to develop a mental framework analogous to Paul’s , we must look for signs of grace in the lives of Christians, and give God thanks for them. It is not simply that Paul gives thanks for whatever measure of maturity some groups of Christians has achieved, before he goes on to ask for yet more maturity (though in part that is what he is doing). Rather, the specific elements in his thanksgiving show the framework of values he brings to his intercession — and we urgently need to develop the same framework.
For what have we thank God recently? Have we gone over a list of members at our local church, say, or over a list of Christian workers, and quietly thanked God for signs of grace in their lives? Do we make it a matter of praise to God when we observe evidence in one another of growing conformity to Christ, exemplified in trust, reliability, love and genuine stamina?”
(D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers, Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1992, p. 45.)
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