A common lament in our current pandemic is people saying the hardest part is “not knowing.” Not knowing how long the quarantine will last, when they will return to work, how widespread the pandemic will be, etc. Millions of people are experiencing profound uncertainty—an unsettling, disruptive...
Pastors are the front-line leaders in God’s kingdom. Over the weekend, I watched several pastors speak to their congregations electronically and consulted with others about ministry challenges. These pastors were insightful, intentional, positive, and effective in their messages and ministry...
Having lived through SARS, MERS, Legionnaire’s, and Swine Flu—not to mention Y2K, 9/11, and Katrina—my primary observation about the Coronavirus is this: we will get through it. Every time one of these events has happened in the past, panic is usually followed by anger and then resignation to...
Southern Baptists have re-launched their compassion-ministries emphasis under the umbrella called Send Relief. The International Mission Board and North American Mission Board are the lead partners in this effort, with the goal of providing one giving, information, and volunteer portal to...
Vision 2025 consists of five strategic goals, recently endorsed by the SBC Executive Committee, to be presented for consideration by the SBC annual meeting in June 2020. My hope is they will be adopted by Southern Baptists – not just voted and forgotten—as our North Star for the next five years.
Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee made a decision and heard a significant report about a new denominational initiative – two very important actions. The Executive Committee voted unanimously to endorse Vision 2025 which is comprised of five seminal goals to channel...
Leaders have the daily challenge of maintaining perspective and doing what matters in the long-term, not what others demand we do now or what seems most pressing in the moment. We must lead with our hands on today’s plow, but our eyes fixed on tomorrow’s horizon.
Gateway Seminary will host Dr. J. D. Greear, the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, for special events this week. We will have chapel on Wednesday, 11:00 a.m., featuring Dr. Greear. We will follow chapel with a leadership luncheon, including an interview and question/answer time...
The Super Bowl halftime show featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez left me confused. Some secular reviewers felt the same dilemma. One asked whether the show empowered or objectified women. Good question.
According to a new study by the National Institute for Health, the second leading cause of death in 2017 in the United States was alcohol. More people died from alcohol-related illnesses than died of drug overdoses, including opioids. The death rate from these illnesses has more than doubled...