September - Blog of the Month

And the Blog of the Month goes to............
Wes Cooper with his Cooperstown blog. I have known Wes for many years, he grew up being friends with my brother. What can I say this guys is amazing: student, movie star, all around great guy. I am so proud even though I didn't have a thing to do with his growing up. You will enjoy his blog because he his extremely funny, especially if you have lived in Lexington or have gone to Porter Memorial Baptist Church or are a UK fan. And if you have all this in your past like me, then it is hilarious. Check him out and be prepared to laugh.

Take a bow Wes and accept your fake award. (Standing Ovation of 1)

Young Leaders Summit - Indiana

Last week I attended one of the young leaders meetings that Dr. Jimmy Draper is conducting all over the country. The purpose of these meetings are to dialogue about issues young leaders are facing in the wake of an ever aging convention. I was glad to be able to attend this meeting and to report on it. Below I have listed some of the major questions asked by different people (names not recorded) and a summary of Dr. Draper's answer and the subsequent discussion. (These are not exact quotes; all the following text is from notes and my memory)

Question 1: Dr. Draper was asked to give a summary of the problem as he sees it.
Answer: JD - As we see the convention age we realize that younger leaders are not becoming a part of the convention. The purpose of these meetings is to discover what is important to the younger leaders and how the SBC can meet needs and incorporate younger leaders.
Discussion: Two main questions were asked by others, “Are we stuck in the past?" and "I really didn't get anything out of the convention this year, why should I continue to go?"
Answer: JD -We need to re-focus the convention. The convention meeting itself is a business meeting and not intended to be inspirational. That is the job of the Pastor's Conference. This year the president of the pastor's conference sent out a survey to all young leaders on the email list to try and incorporate more of your ideas.

Question 2: Why can't the convention be more training and less business?
Answer: JD - LifeWay did do some training on Wednesday and Thursday, but no one stayed around to take advantage of it. They are planning to do more training, possibly rearranging the schedule of the convention to allow for more training during the first part of the week.

Question 3: Why was the vote to study a name change in Indianapolis not passed?
Answer: JD - I don't know, I am always in favor of a study? A study can never hurt.

Question 4: How can we connect with older leaders like you?
Answer: JD - Well the older leaders must be willing to build the relationship. The future of the SBC lies in relationship. We must continue to build them, network. Young with young, young with old, old with old, etc.

Question 5: The convention meeting did not feel young. Someone said they attended an Ed Young, Jr. conference and it felt young.
Answer: JD - We have to try and meet everyone's needs both young and old. It all starts with the associations, young leaders need to get involved at the association and state level first. Then as they move up they can help shape the national convention. Their must be a better connection between the association and the church led by younger leaders.
Discussion: Someone felt that the speakers at the convention and especially the pastor's conference were very negative.
Answer: JD - He commented that some of the older pastors are looking for the next big battle. That is were the younger generation can help in bringing balance to protecting our theology, but being willing to change our methodology. Dr. Draper commented that sometimes he is tired of hearing always from his friends (older pastors); he would like to hear from younger leaders sometime. That is why the president of the pastor's conference sent out the survey to get some names of good speakers that may not be heard from often.

Question 6: Someone asks, "I want to get involved and serve, but don't know how to get going. What can I do to get involved?"
Answer: JD - “Get involved in your local association” Basically he told us to work where we are at and help make a difference locally first.

Question 7: Why are only big name guys (big churches) in positions of power? (Pastor’s conference president, vice-president, etc.)
Answer: JD – They are able to handle the expense. Over the past few years the president’s church has had to absorb some of the cost. A smaller church would not be able to handle these expenses. Also they are known and people tend to gravitate to people they know. They have exposure.
Discussion: Who are some of the upcoming leaders that are younger?
Answer: JD – Brian Wright, Keith Moore, Jimmy Scroggins, Steve Gaines. There are many guys that are working behind the scenes that are godly men that will be the next generation of SBC leaders.

Dr. Draper’s concluding thoughts: We must continue to communicate old and young. Dialogue is key to the future of the SBC

My Thoughts: I was not so impressed with our discussion; we basically asked questions about the logistics of the conference. I personally was more interested in discussing how we can get involved and serve the convention. I am tried of this “what can you do for me” attitude. Would I like more worship at the convention and younger speakers? Of course, but the fact is that many people in the convention are over 40 (or at least the people that attend the convention). Instead of complaining about what we want, lets work together, learn from the older leaders, and work locally first. Dr. Draper started his involvement in his local association. Even if you in a lame association, we must get involved. Let’s not ask what they can do for us, but how can we serve.

Check out the Younger Leader's Website.

SBC Slogans

Over at the SBC Outpost, Marty Duren, has addressed the fact that is hard to describe the SBC’s mission in a sentence. I agree that we have to get our act together and have a unified mission that explains who we are and what we are about. Here are the top ten slogans that I could come up with. (Note: Most of these are meant to be funny, so before you get all hot and bothered, chill out. Us SBCer’s need to have a sense of humor and laugh at ourselves.)

1. SBC, The Place For Me!!!

2. We’re old school and we don’t give a crap!!!

3. SBC, On Our Knees!!!

4. The new SBC, we’re contemporary, relevant and we don’t beat our women.

5. SBC, Making a difference in a world that doesn’t care.

6. Delivering the Great Commission with Great Passion.

7. No Sunday School, No Hymns, No Problem.

8. Look, we don’t even care about the length of your hair anymore!!!

9. The New SBC, We’re Missional!!! (Whatever that means)

10. Preaching The Word even if no one is listening.

I hope you enjoyed the humor in most of those slogans. Please add a comment with anymore that you can come up with. Really when looking for a slogan we should go back to the Bible. Jesus told us our purpose as Christians in Matthew 22: 37-39,

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.

How about this for our new SBC slogan, “The SBC, Loving God and His People”. Catchy, right?

Abandon Ship!

I really love old movies, especially Alfred Hitchcock. The movie Abandon Ship (1957) is also one of my favorites and it raises some very important ethical questions.
The premise of the movie is very simple. A large luxury liner is destroyed after an old mine collides with it. Only about 30 people survive. They are crammed into a lifeboat, with some holding onto the side floating in the ocean. The captain dies from injures sustained during the blast and the next in line Alec Holmes (Tyrone Power) assumes command. After a series of events, they realize they have little chance of survival with the boat so weighted down. Captain Holmes then orders the people that are sick or injured to be thrown overboard, so the strong can survive. The remaining passengers row for the nearest continent 1500 miles away. They eventually survive a storm and praise the captain for his bold leadership which enabled the strong to survive (the boat would have most likely sank if all the people including the weak remained during the storm). Just as they are praising him for his decision they see a ship in the distance and realize they are saved. They then began to turn on Homles and leave him with the sole responsibility. As they near the ship they realize that all the people thrown overboard are alive and have been rescued.
As they climb the ladder to the deck of the ship a voice over tells us that this was a true story and the real Holmes was found guilty for attempted murder and was given only six months in prison because of the extremely unusual circumstances. Then the question is posed, "How would you find Captain Holmes, guilty or innocent?"
This is great story about human emotion and suffering, but even more than that a story about ethics. In a similar situation, what would you have done? Would you have subscribed to the survival of fittest and thrown the weaker ones overboard? Or would you have remained moral and possibly cost all the people their lives? I hope in that situation I would have remained moral, but I can't say with complete certainty I would have not done what Captain Holmes did. What would you have done?

XXX Church Blog

If you haven't checked out XXX Church yet, you need to. These guys are helping people everywhere kick the porn habit through Jesus. Also check out their blog, especially the article on Rob Thomas, formerly of Matchbox Twenty, and his love of porn. The XXX Church guys are cutting edge, but they are making a difference in a cutting edge world.

Palmeiro Busted!!!

Is this really a surprise? Did you really believe him when he went before Congress and swore he never used performance enhancing drugs? I bet he is really sorry now that he got caught and it may keep him out of the hall of fame. This just goes to show you that lying never does anyone any good. I hope the MLB has a harsh penalty for him. Also this just goes to show you that almost everyone in the league cheats, except for my beloved Cubs.... ah awkward silence...... You guys don't happen to remember a guy named Sammy Sosa, Mr. Corked Bat. Oh, well as the old saying goes, if your not cheating your not trying, right, right, anyone!!! Palmeiro story here.

Goodbye Daisy...

Today is a very sad day for Kristi and me. As you may already know we took in a stray cat that had a litter of kittens. I had to take Cindy, the mother, to the vet today and I decided to take one of the kittens, Daisy, with me. Daisy was the first born and did not have a tail. I wanted to get her checked out because she did not see to have all the right equipment. My suspicions were confirmed by the vet, she did not have a way to expel her solid waste from her body. This birth defect would cause an infection and eventually cause a painful death. The only humane option was to have her put down. This was very sad for Kristi and me because we have become very attached to the kittens over the past two weeks. So, I guess as a way of coping with the event I am writing about it. You may think I am over-reacting since it was after all only a cat, but our pets sometimes become more than pets and often times we view them as family members. All I can say now is goodbye Daisy, we will not forget you.