By Joe McKeever “Now, team, this is a football!”  (Said to have been an opening statement from legendary coach Vince Lombardi after his team’s devastating loss the previous day.) Coach Dabo Sweeney sits in the catbird seat.  As his team, the Clemson University Tigers, sits atop the latest football poll–making them number one in the nation–they are preparing to face the tough Miami Hurricanes this weekend.  Survive that, as they probably will, and Clemson will be set for the championship playoff, two games to decide the final ranking of the 2017 season. This morning on ESPN’s “Golic and Wingo,” Sweeney was asked how he gets players not long out of high school ready to face these tough challenges.  He said two things worth our consideration: “I start over every year.”  “I try to get buy-in.” A college coach trains his leadership just the way he wants them.  Finally, about the time they are functioning at peak level, they graduate.  A new group of freshmen comes in and the coach has to start over. A coach does, however, have a sizeable cluster of sophomores and juniors who have heard all this before. Presumably, they are already on board with the coach’s lessons and will need little prepping. But “I start over … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he concluded his letter by asking the church at Philippi to greet all the saints in his name. He also passed along the greetings from the saints in Rome and especially those from the household of Caesar. You find the same situation in the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Except in Romans 16, Paul gave greeting after greeting including the names of many people who would be known by the church at Rome. Why were these greetings so important to Paul? First, it shows how much we need fellowship and encouragement. Paul thrived on that fellowship. So do we. We must make it a priority in our lives. Everywhere Paul went, he first looked for the fellowship of the believers. We all desperately need to know there are Christians around the world worshiping at the same time as we are each week. Second, these greetings show us the power of God and the world wide reach of the kingdom of God. Those believers in Rome and Philippi give us encouragement about the future and show us the power and work of God in the world.  The fact that there were believers in “Caesars household“ shows the reach of the Gospel. If the gospel could go to the seat of Roman power, … [Read more...]

By Greg Laurie What is integrity? It’s really the same as having character. D.L. Moody defined integrity as what you are in the dark. In other words, integrity is who we are when there is no one around to impress. It’s the real us. Humorist Will Rogers once said, “So live that you would not mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip.” That’s the idea of integrity. Personal character and integrity is something we develop on a daily basis. With every thought we think, with every deed we do, we are either building it up or tearing it down. It’s been said, “Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit; reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” Moses was a man who had integrity, so much so that his influence and personal godliness prevented 2 million-plus Israelites from turning to full-tilt idolatry. As long as Moses was around, his influence was so profound, significant and strong that it kept these people from doing the wrong thing. God had instructed Moses to go to the pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites, who had been in bondage for many years. The pharaoh refused, and his heart grew harder. Miracles were done to convince him, and still he refused. So a series of 10 … [Read more...]

By James Dobson "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." If you want your children to be guided morally when they are beyond your reach and after they are grown, you should begin teaching favorite passages to them when they are young. It is amazing how often a relevant biblical reference zings to the surface just when a situation comes up that requires wisdom and discernment. If those verses have not been "downloaded" to our brains, we will have to figure out what to do based on our own limited understanding. Memorize key Scriptures with your children, make a game out of the process, and reward them for learning these passages. Some of the stored passages will stay with them for a lifetime, and even if the exact words are forgotten, the truths they contain remain alive and will be remembered. Music is a wonderful tool for teaching the Scriptures. Introduce your girls and boys to an array of songs that contain biblical concepts and stories. You can begin with "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong." Being a traditionalist myself, I prefer songs that have endured for many years. Past generations of children have … [Read more...]

By Bill Stevens American Christians yearn for the Holy Spirit of God to move and usher in the next national Revival and Great Awakening, but it may not come. A group of hungry Kingdom seekers prayed and the Holy Spirit of God moved mightily across the colonies in the early 1700’s   … [Read more...]

By James Collins “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” -Hebrews 13:5b Like most of you, I was heartbroken this past Sunday to hear of the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. My wife and I watched the news reports with shock and horror. We were both in tears. However, my tears turned to anger when an ignorant TV talking head made a stupid comment. He said, “Where was God while all these people were being slaughtered?” “Where was God?” you ask. God was there. He was there with Farida Brown. He was there with Farida as she brought comfort to the dying. Farida was shot in both of her legs. But she was able to have the strength to drag herself over to a friend. Farida held her hand, telling her she was heading to Heaven. God was there. He was there with Joann Ward. Joann pushed her nine-year-old daughter Rihanna on the floor and under a church pew. Then she embraced her other three children, using her body as a shield to protect them. God was there. He was there with Noah Holcombe. Being only 17-months-old, Noah couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Noah could only giggle as nail-pierced hands picked him up and carried him Home. God was there. He was there with Dennis Johnson. … [Read more...]

By Gary Ledbetter John’s prologue is my favorite Christmas passage. John shows us in theological outline what happened in Bethlehem’s stable. We know that Jesus is, “the Word,” the light that shines in the darkness, but with somber joy we read that the darkness could not resist or defeat the light. I thought of that passage this week as I considered the darkness manifested November 5 at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church. As I write this, hours after the event, pundits are talking in the background about causes and solutions—“coming together” as a nation, gun laws and our culture of violence. In due respect to those wiser than I, there is no solution by means of inspiration or policy. The darkness hates the light; the darkness hates life; the darkness really hates churches that celebrate the risen Savior. That is not new. And it will not change. But we grieve. My heart lurches within me at the grief of a pastor and his wife who lost their precious daughter to the darkness or the grandparents who never met their unborn grandchild and lost their pregnant daughter. I try to imagine the picture of an entire congregation shot down—wounded or killed. It’s just too horrible. I look ahead to the grief the entire congregation will … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn One month ago, on the Monday morning after the massacre in Las Vegas and the shooting of a police officer in my city, I wrote these words with the title, “No Words.” I try to write a short piece of devotion, message, and reflection daily. As I often remark, “It’s only hard if I don’t have anything to say.” Words are hard to find this morning. The latest information on the Las Vegas massacre is over 50 dead and over 400 injured. Those numbers are staggering. No words. In my own beloved city of Lafayette, we woke to the news that a Lafayette Policeman was killed last night responding to a robbery. There was another murder last night. Friday night a couple was killed in the parking lot of IHOP. No words. Senseless. Evil. Those words, though true, fall short. And, here we are one month later with a horrific mass murder in a church. A First Baptist Church—just like the name of our church. No Words! I just heard a news anchor say, “Thank you for joining us tonight. We are here to tell you everything you need to know regarding the church shooting in Texas.” Really? Everything I need to know? Not hardly. The news anchor might be able to tell me all he knows. He might be telling me the statistics of how many, … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey The apostle Paul famously told many of the churches where he ministered to follow his example. Many modern day Christians are astounded at what Paul said. They are amazed at this command for two reasons. First, they don’t see themselves as a proper example, and they wonder if Paul could be. Second, I often hear Christians who think that Paul may have been somewhat prideful or arrogant to encourage new believers to follow his example. I think an example is the very best way to teach other people. Here’s why. First, being an example shows exactly what you want others to do. Most of us need to see exactly how something looks. For example, when I ask for technology help I don’t want someone to tell me how to do it or to do it for me. I want to let me see how they are doing what I want to be able to do. I learn by what I see others do. Second, examples encourage. When we see others being disciplined, following Christ, and doing things that please God, we are much more encouraged to be faithful and obedient ourselves. That’s what an example does. Paul told the church at Philippi to learn from him and from others who lived as the friends of God. “Join together in following my example, brothers and … [Read more...]