When the nurse buckles your firstborn child into the backseat and then just walks away, fatherhood crashes down pretty hard! Never before or since have I driven as slowly and carefully as I did with my wife and son counting on me from the backseat. Fatherhood was no longer hypothetical. Fathers are fathered. Whether through […]
What I’m learning from students
I’m looking forward to school starting again in August. I anticipate my return to the position I accepted last year as Spiritual Life Director at Rockford Christian School, overseeing weekly chapels and spiritual growth activities for our students. I’ve learned some important lessons from my students this year. 1. Teens are confused about the gospel. […]
The right we don’t have
When did American Christianity decide it had the right to be angry? We enjoy plenty of rights in this nation to worship freely, but sometimes it’s valuable to remember what we don’t have the right to do. We don’t have the right to love selectively. We don’t have the right to withhold forgiveness. And we […]
IBSA President on abuse response: From difficulties to determination
A 288-page report on any subject is daunting, but as a Southern Baptist, pastor, and president of IBSA, I felt a responsibility to keep the report open all last week and slowly read through it. I made notes and wrote down personal thoughts, and as I reviewed them afterwards, I was surprised to discover a […]
Building the cheerful giver
You know God’s in the middle of something when your church experiences both its lowest year of attendance and highest year of giving at the same time. This was our experience in 2020, and the realization caused me to take stock of how he brought us here. Truly, I believe God is the great provider […]