I’m writing to call you to a special season of prayer for one of our families.  Andy and Patty Grove have been going through an awful ordeal that has hit them physically, emotionally, mentally, and certainly spiritually. Catherine, the Grove’s daughter, disappeared from Fayetteville on July 2, 2013.  She left everything and found her way … Continue reading Pray for Catherine

Baptism ≠ Discipleship Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV) Without … Continue reading Making Disciples on the Go

I've only attended 4 Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings in my lifetime.  The first time was in the 80's as a youth in Dallas.  Next, came New Orleans in 1990 when the conservative resurgence was really gaining traction and succeeding.  The third time was a motorcycle ride from Memphis to Nashville in 2005, where I … Continue reading Reflections on SBC ’13

Language is at the center of culture. Certainly the most basic language groups identify with one another (i.e. English used in America). However, when it comes to affinity and community, our language has to become even more specific with an understanding of vernacular, dialects, and defined terms. The church, a local gathering of baptized believers, … Continue reading Communication in post- and pre-Christian cultures

Yesterday after the Easter Sunday service, I had a confrontation with a young woman who was visibly upset over a statement I made that God does not love everyone.  I talked her through what I meant to say, affirming God's show of love for mankind in the death of His son, and the fact that … Continue reading Clarification on God’s Love

There's lots of talk about the gospel and culture / contextualization.  Sometimes the discussion is lost on me, particularly when it sounds like we're just outsmarting ourselves and (seemingly) over-complicating, therefore diluting, the gospel message.  That said, understanding the culture that we're in is quite crucial for effective ministry. Each of our cities and towns … Continue reading When does Post-Christian become Pre-Christian?

In my previous post, I wrote a bit about the nature of love...the basics.  In this post I'd like to address one of the first implications of understanding what it means to say, "God is love." If God is love, and He is, and love is defined in God by His atoning work on behalf … Continue reading Loving What God Loves

The title of this post just sends the mind humming along with Foreigner's epic question put to classic rock-ballad tune back in 1984.  "Love" is the most sung about, and written about, subject known to man (no data, just guessing here).  Whether coming from the perspective of a hyper-sexualized segment of society, or the ultra-conservative … Continue reading I want to know what love is…

In a recent membership class (Discovery Class), I was sharing about UBC's vision to reach college students with particular enthusiasm for the construction I see out my window daily of a fairly significant student housing project. In my enthusiasm, I channeled the ole hood I grew up in and said, "We've got students all up … Continue reading All up in our Missional Grill