If This Happened in America...

This scares me to death. Read this article. Pay special attention to the person named at the end.

Another Chilling Precedent -- A Court Undermines a Parent

Jesus and Buddha

I thought you might find this interesting. I did.

Jesus and Buddha on Happiness

There's Nothing More

"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Colossians 2:6).

Have you ever wanted a deeper relationship with Christ? I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people wish they a "deeper" walk with Jesus. I have heard sermons about it, read books on it, and even talked about it myself.

The truth is that there is no such thing as a deeper relationship with Jesus. I know that sounds odd, but it is true. Once you are saved, you have experienced Jesus. There isn't some hidden level of intimacy lurking underneath a rock or in a shadowy corner. Everything is out in the open.

There isn't a deeper walk; there is a more consistent walk. Colossians 2:6 says, "Therefore, as you have received Christ." This is speaking of our initial conversion, the time of your salvation. "So walk in Him." Simply put, keep receiving Christ. I once heard a preacher speaking on this text say, "There's nothing more. All you get is Jesus. But, there is more Jesus."

The road to a "deeper" walk with Jesus is misleading. There's nothing else. There is a road to a more consistent walk with Jesus. This is the road that is traveled only by continually and endlessly seeking the face of Christ in prayer and in the Word. Apart from this, there's nothing more.

Fatherhood and Conservatives

I mentioned this article in my sermon Sunday. I thought some of you may want to read the whole thing. It is well worth the time.

Fatherhood and the Future of Civilization

God is Shown to Be Glorious by the Good Deeds of Christians

Think about what that means for believers. If God is indeed made glorious or shown to be glorious by our deeds, then the way we act becomes very important. Read this excerpt from John Piper's book, "The Passion of Jesus Christ."

When God's forgiveness and acceptance have freed us from fear and pride and greed, we are filled with zeal to love others the way we have been loved. We risk our possessions and our lives because we are secure in Christ. When we love others like this, our behavior is contrary to human self-enhancement and self-preservation. Attention is thus drawn to our life-transforming Treasure and Security, namely, God.

When people see us living out the gospel in Christ in our daily lives. They are pointed to Jesus. They see that there is more. Jesus becomes our treasure, and people can always see our treasures.

Day Two - Last Day of the Pastor's Conference

Today I was privileged to listen to sermons practically all day long. Some great, Some okay, some too long (if you know what I mean). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the messages of Pastor's in many different walks of Life. It has been very encouraging.

Tomorrow begins the actual Southern Baptist Convention. Technically speaking, the Southern Baptist Convention only exists for two days every year. The rest of the year is solely about the individual churches fulfilling their purpose in their communities.

Over the next two days, pray that God would speak to the hearts of the messengers to make the right decisions for the coming year. We are electing a new President and that can always make or break the direction of the Convention.

At the Convention

We have finally arrived at the Southern Baptist Convention. The first two days (Sunday and Monday) are the Pastor's Conference. This is the part that I am excited about. I get to listen to several preachers from across the nation.

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. We really enjoyed it. It is a museum that teaches literal six-day creationism. It is worth checking out some day.

Leaving for the Convention

Anna and I set out this afternoon for the annual South Baptist Convention. I'm really excited about getting to go this year. I haven't been to the convention since 2000 in Orlando. That was an interesting year because we adopted the new Baptist Faith & Message. I don't think there is anything 'big' taking place this year.

Frank Page (the current SBC president) will finish his term and we will have to elect a new president. I'm not exactly sure who is in the running. I believe I have heard that Johnny Hunt is one of the Candidates. Al Mohler (president of Southern Seminary) was going to be nominated, but due to other circumstances he turned it down. He would have definitely had my vote.

Don't forget to keep us in your prayers as we travel. We will be spending several hours on the road. I'm taking my computer with me, so I should be able to stay regular on the blog while we are there.

A good friend of mine will be filling the pulpit Sunday for both services. You'll miss a good message if you're not there.

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ - John Piper

One of my favorite parables that Jesus told was the one about the merchant and the pearl. It's found in Matthew's Gospel (13:45-46). It goes something like this. A merchant (a fancy salesman) is looking for pearls. Apparently he finds them and sells them or else their is absolutely no reason to tell us that he is a merchant. So, his daily activities would be finding stuff of value (i.e. pearls) and selling it for a profit. That would be how he put food on the table. On one particular occasion he finds a pearl that is of "great" value. Jesus says that he sold everything that he had to get that pearl. End of story. Read More...

Nine Marks of a Heatlthy Church - Mark Dever

There are tons of books on the market on how to get a church to grow. Many deal with marketing strategies and ways we can Christianize fast food marketing techniques. "If only you will do these seven things at your church, it will be the next mega church." Some talk about the charismatic visionary leadership skills you just have to have or you will get nowhere. But are we seeking an end when the Bible is screaming for a means. Read more...

A Second Blog Page

I've created a second blog page where I will post things that are longer that what you find here. I have titled if "Pastor Bryan's Article's."

Check it out. I will be posting some more stuff soon.

God's Image Bearers

This is an excellent read about our uniqueness.

Are Humans Unique? -- The Question Secular Science Can't Answer

Insights from Andrew Murray

I was reading Andrew Murray's classic work, "With Christ in the School of Prayer," this morning when I came across something rather interesting. The chapter I was reading dealt with prayer and forgiveness. Seemingly an odd pair, but Jesus often put the two together in His sermons. For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' insistence that we forgive others is in the prayer section of the sermon, as though there is some innate connection between forgiveness and prayer.

Murray offers the idea that many of our prayers may go unanswered because we are not living in a state of forgiveness. Our lives are not according to God's will, and neither are our prayers. Offering advice on how to fight our unforgiving attitudes, Murray states, "In the little annoyances of daily life, never excuse a hasty temper, a sharp word, or a quick judgment with the thought that we mean no harm, or that it is too much to expect feeble human nature to really forgive the way God and Christ do." Perhaps our real problem is that we do not take God's call as serious as we ought. We down play his commands and try to generalize their meanings to allow more elbow room for our unforgiving hearts.

Later in the chapter, applying this to prayer for the lost, Murray states, "View each wretched one, however unlovable he is, in the light of the tender love of Jesus the Shepherd searching for the Lost." If we had this attitude towards the lost when we prayed for them, not only would we see more people saved, we would find our hearts very different by the end of the day.