It is an honor to pastor a church with a growing and vibrant community of college students, young adults and single adults. I have discovered that nothing is more besetting to this demographic than the sting of loneliness and certainly days like Valentine’s Day only reinforce that sting. While much of our culture celebrates love in an endearingly tacky way, singles are tempted to view the whole spectacle as at best nauseating, at worst depressing. So I have prayed for you and I would like to offer as well some words of encouragement. [Read more…]
Statement on Sexual Abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention
Dear Soma Family,
This weekend, the Houston Chronicle published a devastating articles about decades of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. It is devastating not only because of the crimes themselves, but also because of the response of pastors and church leaders. Many victims were shamed, made to feel at fault, and given horrible counsel in response to their reports of abuse.
It is clear from the article that these weren’t isolated cases. Instead, it reveals a pattern of abuse and cover-up that extends to some of the highest levels of leadership inside the SBC. Pastors who committed abuse were quietly sent off to other ministries. Victims were told to keep silent. Further abuse was perpetuated on other victims. [Read more…]
in the news
“In the News” brings together some of the most interesting content I’ve found online, as it pertains to the church and the people God has called us to reach. Keep in mind, I don’t endorse or agree with everything you’ll see included in the these articles but I find them interesting and worth the read or watch. Take some time to check out the articles and let me know what you think.
Patriotism and the Church
Having lived my life on two sides of the same [Christian] track I have seen a lot of different things, especially when it comes to views of this country. Growing up in a historic African American context I heard much about the United States but not much around National holidays and an unintentional differentiation between.
How’s Your Physical Health—REALLY?
A lot of pastors are fat, including ME. The other day I stepped on the scales and was promptly mortified with round mass of man I have become. This is sad because a pastor that refuses to address his weight is hypocritical. I will often tell people to have “self control” when it comes to sex before marriage or have “self control” when it comes to smoking…but I can’t seem to practice “self control” in a buffet line. In Baptist world, the one I am most familiar with, many of the pastors have a problem with people drinking alcohol but they would NEVER speak against someone eating too many biscuits. There is even a inside joke of “Baptist Butts” to refer to the oversized nature of our posteriors in our churches. Statistics prove that way more people die every year due to obesity or obesity related (and preventable disorders) than alcohol yet the SBC remains silent on the subject and it’s literally killing us.
landing the plane
Almost 2 years ago I announced that our family would be leaving the great city of Kansas City and moving 2 hours east to Jefferson City. Quickly my time hear is coming to a close as the residency has moved into the dreaded interviewing stage. Recently, I was invited to step into a process with the Rock Church’s Soulard campus. Overall, our time there was great and as we continue to pray through this process I wanted to share the sermon that I preached. This is not the quality of video or audio but hopefully you are able to enjoy God’s word. The title of this sermon is “Sign or Savior” and was based out of John 4:43 – 54. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did proclaiming it.
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