A longstanding debate exists over this question: Are leaders born, or made? In church ministry this questions matters because we depend on so many people to lead so many ministries. If leaders are born, then we have a finite number of people who can lead. If leaders are made, then more people can make a… Read More »
I Was A Jerk
When Monieca and I were much younger and living in Sumter, she worked as a social worker with DSS. We attended a picnic with her coworkers and their families. It was a large crowd and there was a lot of alcohol. I remember feeling very uncomfortable being there and I didn’t enjoy myself. In fact,… Read More »
The Power of a Song
Every few years a new song emerges that is so powerful I remember where I was the first time I heard it. Such as the Friday afternoon in 1980 on I-64 between Louisville and Lexington, Ky as I drove home from Seminary. I was listening to the radio when I heard country singer George Jones,… Read More »
The Best Father Ever
Sunday’s message was titled “The Best Father Ever.” Apparently it resonated with a lot of people. Several individuals have spoken with me and it’s obvious there are a lot of people with emotional scars from the past. One mother described how her kids had refused over the years to attend church on Father’s Day because… Read More »
Kids and Jesus
This past week at First Baptist has been about kids. Let me explain: First, thirteen young couples participated in parent-child dedication during yesterday’s two worship services. Each of them expressed in their own words the commitment to be Christian parents. They talked about praying for and with their children, about setting a godly example, about… Read More »
Leadership Thoughts
Peter Drucker famously stated that “management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” One of the lessons I’m learning as the years pass is that leadership becomes increasingly important as our church grows. It also becomes more challenging. More people, more activities, more systems, more complexity, more everything. This “more” makes it… Read More »
An Amazing Chain Of Events
It was a Monday afternoon in Geometry Class my sophomore year of high school when Evelyn turned around and asked me to attend a revival service at her church that night. I had never been to church, except for a couple of funerals, and really didn’t know much about it. I accepted her invitation anyway… Read More »
A Wise Comment
David Vipperman and I were reminiscing at lunch Sunday about the time he flew Kathy Bigham and me to Hilton Head Island to meet with community leaders to discuss our efforts to rid SC of video poker. He had been a pilot since his military days and been around the world. I mentioned that our… Read More »
$300 Millon
What you do if you had $300 million? Some of you just laughed and thought to yourself, “That’s a silly question. I’ll never have that kind of money, so why waste my time thinking about it.” I get it…but let’s have some fun for a moment anyway and think about it. What’s the first thing… Read More »
The Christmas Clock
A battery powered clock hangs on the wall in our kitchen. It briefly chimes musical tunes each hour. We hung it two years ago when decorating for Christmas because it plays Christmas tunes. We liked it so well, we left it up. I don’t think we planned to leave it up permanently, but it still… Read More »
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