You might be interested in knowing why I named this ministry “Great Bible Teachers.” Here is how that happened. Chad Hall is a good friend and a masterful coach. As I was struggling with this nudge of doing “something” to strengthen the teaching ministry of the Church, Chad invited…
Guest blog: Research: Why Americans prefer a Bible in their hands to one at their finger-tips
This article was written by Jeff Brumley for Baptist News Global | July 13, 2018 Americans are online for everything nowadays, but evidence shows most prefer paper and ink to read the Good Book. And that’s no surprise to Troy Dixon, the lead pastor at Normandy Park Baptist Church in…
Charting the pilgrimage
One method of teaching that I like to do from time to time is a pilgrimage question. For example, recently, my lesson was on the Church. I asked class members to put a dot on one end of their paper that represented their birthdate, then another dot at the…
A Minister’s Funeral
Recently, I attended the funeral of the Rev. Russ Ames. I first met Russ when I was asked to serve on his ordination council – almost exactly a year ago. He was in very bad health at the time, as he had been for several years. As a matter of…
Review – Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology
Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology by David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves and E. Randolph Richards. Downers Grove: IVP Academic. 2007. The typical lay person may not know it, but Paul has gotten a pretty bad rap lately. It is as if all of Western…
If it ain’t King James…
The King James Version recently made the news, even if was “fake news.” This week, the Babylonian Bee (a satirical site that focuses most of its humor toward the church with titles like, “Worship Drummer Throws Drumstick Out To Lucky Screaming Fan” or “‘Church Foyer Coffee’ Keurig K-Cup Flavor Now Available”)…
Solid Proof of Church Geekhood: Finding the Best Church
Where should I go today? Recently, I was in Asheville, NC. I had a retreat commitment at a Baptist church for Saturday night. I had another Baptist regional gathering commitment for Sunday afternoon. This meant I had Sunday morning “free.” I had no commitments to speak or teach or merely be present…
What’s Your Story?
There are five elements to a good story: 1. Characters 2. Setting 3. Plot 4. Conflict 5. Resolution How does this relate to our Bible Study class? Are we sharing our stories with one another? Too often, our sharing stops with the first three elements. For example, “My father…
Tradition
Our family tradition is to attend the Easter sunrise service at Home Moravian Church in Old Salem each year. Last year, it was cold! Some years it is raining. But this year, it was an absolutely beautiful morning. Thousands of persons gathered to listen to the readings and songs, to walk…
No more “Sunday School answers”
Last week, our lesson was taken from Amos 8:1-14. As we neared the end of the passage and the lesson, we came to Amos’s warning that if the people did not repent of the way they were treating the poor, the land would suffer and their souls would suffer a drought. I…
