By Greg Love Having been a pastor myself and now serving churches at GuideStone®, I understand that ministers are unique in the financial world — especially when it comes to taxes. Think about it. Between the special tax considerations for ministers, reporting requirements of both active and retired pastors and the implications of housing allowance, ministers differ greatly from those not formally in …
We were sitting on cushions pushed up against the wall in the front room of her house built into the mountainside in Veles, Macedonia. We had brought her dad, a Roma man who lives in the community where we were ministering, to visit her. She took a slow sip from her coffee as she watched my two oldest children, …
From time to time, we hear wonderful compliments ascribed to the people around us. Sometimes the compliment is about the person’s appearance. Sometimes about his generosity or her gentle spirit. Perhaps above them all, my attention is captured when I hear a person described as a true shepherd. “He really knows how to care for other people.” “She is in …
A Bi-Vocational Opportunity for Church Planters & Pastors By Ted Richard Imagine working 2 days each month bi-vocationally, and getting full medical benefits for you and your family for under $300 per month. Now consider the fact that this job would also allow you the opportunity to teach the Bible, share the gospel, counsel, and serve others for the glory …
Six Things to Remember in Your Suffering by Christopher Dilley The Apostle Peter addressed his powerful first epistle to Christians who were experiencing degrees of persecution for their faith in Christ. They were suffering saints in need of a word of encouragement. Peter writes to them in their time of need and reminds them of the unfading hope of the …
For my husband’s seminary ethics class, one of the assignments was to read Francine Rivers’s The Atonement Child. The book tells the story of Dynah Carey who has everything she thinks she needs in life: a handsome fiancé, loving parents, and the respect of her Christian community. When a violent rape leaves her pregnant, everything falls apart. Why …
Three Changes in Theological Education: Then & Now How James P. Boyce’s Vision Became a Reality By C. Jeffrey Robinson On a sweltering July day in 1856, an up-and-coming professor at Furman University stood before his faculty colleagues and delivered his inaugural address. In his presentation, the 29-year-old James Petigru Boyce set forth a comprehensive vision for theological education in …
I’ve got this song stuck in my head, and it’s Rush Witt’s fault. It has been on repeat in my head for days now. “O be careful little eyes what you see / O be careful little eyes what you see…”If you end up reading this book—and I think you should—you’ll end up with the same melody. But it’ll be …
The Cross and Family Sins Redemption, Hope, and Healing by Dr. Russell Moore A few years ago, I felt my knees buckle as I knelt down during the closing hymn at the church where I preached at the time, to receive a trembling little four-year-old boy who took my hand and said, “Can you please pray that my Mama and …
A few weeks ago I shared “A Modest Proposal for Baptist Associations.” I sought to do two things. First, I wanted to affirm the importance of associations in Southern Baptist life. We often spend so much time thinking about national or state work, we neglect the work in our own backyards—associations have typically filled that role. Second, I argued that …
