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.

According to the Bible. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews (9:27 NASB). Believers will face the Judgment Seat of Christ, a time of exposure, loss, and reward. Those who die without Christ can expect a separate judgment, the Great White Throne of God.

On March 16, a storm passed over our town and it knocked out electrical power at our house for ten hours. This was much longer than usual and long enough to prove very inconvenient to us. It also demonstrated just how dependent we have become on modern conveniences and luxuries. My wife said we had become spoiled, and she was right.

Hoschton sits just beyond the edge of Atlanta’s suburbs. It’s the small-town Georgia living experience that many across our state enjoy. With fewer than 5,000 residents, it’s easy to see it as little more than another exit with a Cracker Barrel. But God is doing something new in this community.

Yale University was founded because Harvard University was deemed too liberal. How ironic is that, considering both universities are light-years away from their founding principles.

In a matter of days, 135 eligible cardinals from around the world will gather in Rome for a papal conclave in order to choose the next pope for the Roman Catholic Church. Meeting beneath the artistic scenery of the Sistine Chapel, these electors will vote as many as four times per day until their chosen leader receives a two-thirds majority.

​Several years ago, in Peachtree City, Georgia, a community known for its extensive multi-use path system, a golf cart crashed into a car. Interestingly, the cart was steered by a blind man who drove two miles before wrecking into a parked automobile in a restaurant parking lot.

The days of Baptist pastors changing churches every 18 months are long gone. Many pastors and ministry leaders now stay 10 years or more in their assigned place of ministry.  

During the recent Easter season people around the world heard much about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is, of course, the centerpiece, the cornerstone, the lynchpin of our faith.

The Apostle Paul can arguably be considered the best Christian who ever lived. But he was not always such a man. Far from it. In fact. Paul was originally Saul of Tarsus, an evil man who hated Christ …

I’ve been encouraged recently by all the posts about Easter on social media. I love the family photos. I love watching children hunt eggs. I love seeing families come together for meals. But most importantly, I love the truth behind this special day on the calendar.

What is an emotional affair and why must pastors, elders and ministry leaders fight against succumbing to this temptation?  According to one online source, “An emotional affair is a non-sexual relationship involving a similar level of emotional intimacy and bonding as a romantic relationship.”

Many things run through the minds of college students at the end of the academic year. Exams are over, and summer is here! Families and friends ask when you’ll be back, and you begin counting the weeks and days of relaxing, maybe working, or going on exciting trips. Looking at your calendar, you see six to eight weeks of being away from school and back “home.”

Two preachers stood by the side of the road that separated their churches. They had just finished hammering a hand-made sign into the ground, which read:           The End is Near!           Turn Around Now           Before it’s too Late!

Ecclesiastes 10:10 reminds us, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.”  Leadership burnout results from continually giving one’s energy and resources for the well-being of others without taking time to invest in one’s own well-being—or a failure to sharpen one’s ax. 

​As a newer retiree, I’ve checked a few things off my “wish list” of retirement adventures. Taking my wife to Alaska last year, making it to Spring training this year, trying to read more books. I still want to make a trip out West and especially visit the Grand Canyon. I understand it’s a place that takes your breath away.

On this coming Sunday, millions of Christians around the world will celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Atheists will deny it. Agnostics will question it. Others will ignore it.

If I may ask a deeply personal question, what is your biggest failure or regret as a Christian? Was it a private sin that still causes you hidden shame? Or a public stumble that embarrasses you in front of others? Maybe it was a single act that haunts you daily? Or a pattern of disobedience that hounds you even now? All regrets in life are painful, but failing the Lord has a much deeper sting.

This was my 18th year working at the Georgia Capitol and my 12th year with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board on legislation dealing with social and moral issues. I'll have to confess this was one of our most successful years at the State Capitol. This year, we were able to see a “clean” Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) passed without unfriendly amendments and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.

“Numbers do not tell the whole story about a church or Christian ministry, but they do tell a story.” I have heard those words vocalized for years by one of our well-known Kentucky Baptist leaders, and I agree with him.  

When he was 70, the legendary major league baseball player Ty Cobb was asked by a reporter, “What do you think you would hit if you were playing in this era?” The Royston, Georgia native, who had a career average of .367, told the reporter, “About .290, maybe .300.”