“I asked a group of over 1,500 pastors: ‘What are the top things people in your congregation have done, or could do, for you to show you appreciation during Pastor Appreciation Month?’ … In addition, I’ll weave in my own ideas and insights from having served as a pastor.”
I recently provided Logos a comprehensive list of my recommended books, from introductory texts to more advanced works and even children’s resources.
Today’s Guided Scripture on YouVersion features a brief reflection I provided on Isaiah 7:14.
Check it out in the app. 👍🏻
“Some describe the Gospels as accounts of Jesus’s death with really long introductions. Statements like this can downplay the bulk of the Gospels’ narratives, as though Jesus’s death were the only point of importance and everything else is just preliminary bonus material.
From another vantage point, however, this statement rightly communicates that nothing within the Gospels can be disconnected or properly understood apart from their climactic event: the death and resurrection of Christ. Everything that precedes leads up to the cross and occurs in its shadow.
But is this the case for the Gospel of Luke?”
“What comes to mind when you hear the word “Baptist”? I asked this question online, and to no great surprise I received an array of answers. Some think of an energetic church choir with colorful robes. Others think of solemn, even stuffy Sunday services where expressions of emotion are frowned upon. Some think of fiery, revivalistic preaching complete with weekly altar calls. Others think of detailed doctrinal expositions. One friend remarked that, in his experience, when some folks try to describe Baptists, they have an easier time listing things some Baptists don’t believe in (alcohol, dancing) than providing what Baptists do believe!
These responses are all quite understandable. Baptists are a diverse bunch.
So who are Baptists? And what do Baptists actually believe? In this article, we seek to answer theses question, giving the reader a basic primer on the Baptist tradition—with a view to using its resources for one’s study of Scripture.”
Kirk E. Miller 