A Brief Look at the Nine Marks of a Healthy Church: Mark One, Expositional Preaching

Recently I read Dr. Mark Dever’s “Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.” I hope to provide a brief summary of each mark that Pastor Dever sees as vital for the healthy church and then think through practical ways to make this mark a reality in our churches. I hope that you will join the conversation as we think through healthy …

Southeastern Seminary’s 20/20 Conference

February 6-7, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary will be hosting its annual 20/20 conference. This year’s conference is entitled “The Gospel Comes to Life.” The highlighted speakers for this event are Mark Driscoll, C.J. Mahaney, and Danny Akin. Here are some highlights from last year’s 20/20 to give you a feel for the impact of this event. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqqhuFIKiJ8] A description of …

James Bond 007 Mission Lingo: Necessary or Nuisance? Part 2

This is the Second Part from Guest Blogger Rony Tomo who serves with Muslims in East Africa I want to briefly respond to three common objections that I hear concerning the “007” lingo used by IMB workers around the world. Objection 1 – Missionaries who speak in 007 language “lack trust in the sovereignty of God to protect them and …

James Bond 007 Mission Lingo: Necessary or Nuisance? Part 1

By Rony Tomo – Guest Blogger working with Muslims in East Africa Since the events of September 11, 2001, things have been done a little differently at the International Mission Board (IMB). The IMB frequently re-evaluates its methodology and protocol in order to be the most effective it can be at fulfilling the Great Commission. September 11 changed not only …

Interview (2nd Part): Pastor’s Cross and White

In this 2nd part of the interview, Pastor John Cross and Pastor Brad White deal with some hot topics of the day. They address things they are doing in their churches that more traditional churches would consider innovative. They speak about the day-to-day activities of their churches, with a major focus on evangelism. They also speak to why they are …

Church Discipline in the News, Part 2

The is the 2nd and concluding piece on the news report of the church discipline situation in Jacksonville, Florida. Part of the reason why a recovery of church discipline is essential for the church in the 21st century is because Jesus says that discipline is a practice carried out with his authority. When Jesus gives the process in Matthew 18 …

Church Discipline in the News, Part 1

A 49 year old woman in Jacksonville, Florida was in the news recently because she made it known publicly to news outlets that her church is in the process of disciplining her and is going to make her sins known publicly (something she has ironically done for them already). You can read the story for yourself. Rebecca Hancock has been …

Christmas Giving

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the opportunity to give. As long as I live I want to always have a giving mindset. As a student pastor, one of my goals is to help students understand that nothing they own belongs to them. All time, possessions, and thoughts belong to God. Everything belongs to God! Every minute of …

…When You Say Nothing At All

In a few days, my wife and I will be loading up the kids into a minivan and heading to Eastern Kentucky to celebrate Christmas with family. Not far from our holiday destination, however, there runs a little piece of history known as U.S. Highway 23, a stretch of road that has been officially dubbed “The Country Music Highway” due …