Tyler Tankersley
Tyler Tankersley is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. He is married to Jessica and together they have three young children, Henry, Owen, and Charlotte.
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Thank you (7/20/19)One of my favorite novels is "Life of Pi." It's the story of a teenage boy, Pi, who finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with a wild tiger named Richard Parker. The book recounts how the boy and the tiger begin to form a bond with one another, and they come to rely on each other for survival. ...
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We need women to serve as pastors and leaders (7/6/19)The Houston Chronicle recently featured a heartbreaking series of articles that catalogued decades of abuse and cover-up by Southern Baptist pastors across the country. In the past two decades there have been over 700 instances of sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches. And we have heard stories that have plagued the Roman Catholic church of abusive priests who have been protected by their superiors rather than prosecuted for their crimes...
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Love for our siblings (6/22/19)A few years ago, I was supposed to meet with a family to plan the funeral for their family's elderly patriarch. One of his four children called me and said, "You'll have to meet with us all separately. We cannot even stand to be in the same room together." My mind was reeling over what could possibly be the cause of such a traumatic level of division. ...
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'Evangelical, Sacramental, Pentecostal.' (6/8/19)Recently I ran into a friend from high school in the grocery store. We caught up with one another and each of us told funny stories about the craziness of life with small children. My friend's face suddenly got serious and said, "You're a pastor, right?" I told him that I was. ...
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Our time is like vapor: live wisely (5/25/19)The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2) "Hold on," said Samantha, "I thought the Bible was supposed to be comforting. ...
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Honoring all women on Mother's Day (5/11/19)At a church I previously served I grew to respect and appreciate my friend Carla. She was an active leader in our church: a Deacon, a Sunday school teacher, and a kind soul. Carla always sat in the back pew, on the piano side, right under the balcony. She also very rarely missed a church service. Which was why it was especially noticeable when she was absent one Sunday in May (it happened to have been Mother's Day). I called her the next morning to check on her...
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The unfortunate #churchtoo movement (4/27/19)As our society continues to wrestle with the implications of the #metoo movement, we have become more and more aware of instances of abuse that used to remain hidden. And as the #metoo movement was beginning to grow, there were also another hashtag that began to be posted more and more: #churchtoo. ...
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Multiple interpretations of the cross, crucifixion (4/13/19)As Holy Week begins, Christians around the world will be reflecting upon the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross has become a cultural symbol that is found everywhere: T-shirts, wall hangings, church steeples, and I have even seen cigarette lighters with the cross printed on them. Our oversaturation of the cross in Western society can sometimes breed an overfamiliarity in which we no longer feel the scandal or offense of the cross...
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Psalm 148: Fully alive (3/16/19)When you hear the word "worship," what comes to mind? Most church people will likely automatically think of musical worship or perhaps they may think of a worship service. Some of you might be experiencing some PTSD at remembering the "Worship Wars" that gripped churches in the 1990s and early 2000s...
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Ashes to ashes (3/2/19)I am a Baptist, through and through. I know every verse of "Just As I Am" by heart, I still have my denim Royal Ambassadors vest, and I believe the three main food groups are casseroles, pies, and watered-down Kool-Aid. I am proud to be a Baptist, but I have also grown to love and appreciate the wisdom that is found in the wider palette of the Christian tradition...
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A book of wisdom (2/16/19)Most of are not quite sure what to do with the Book of Proverbs. There doesn't seem to be a common narrative, and it sometimes reads like a collection of fortune-cookie slips that got haphazardly taped together. Many of us have been trained to flip to these wise sayings as a kind of instruction manual for living a good life. It's that easy, right?...
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Of a measles outbreak and expert opinion (2/2/19)The state of Washington is currently experiencing a measles outbreak. Curiously, the disease has mostly been contained to a specific area of the state. Public health officials lay the blame for this outbreak on the fact that this specific area is known as an "anti-vaccination" hotspot. The region has a 78% vaccination rate, which is well below the 94% needed rate to guarantee communal protection against a disease...
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Misusing the Bible (1/19/19)One of the temptations we sometimes have in reading the Bible is to make a direct comparison between our own times and the narratives we find in the pages of scripture. Certainly, there are big-picture ideas and concepts that can help inform how we are to apply scripture, but we should be very careful when we try to cram the stories of the Bible into our 21st century context...
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Remember your baptism (1/5/19)The Protestant Reformer Martin Luther was famous for his bombastic declarations, strong opinions and acid wit. However, behind all of that dynamism, Luther also suffered from severe depression. There were days on end in which he could not muster the emotional strength to crawl out of bed. He was once asked what it was that gave him the strength to emerge from the fog. He replied, "I remember my baptism."...
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O Little Town of Bethlehem (12/22/18)I have never been to Israel, but one of my best friends has been on numerous occasions. He was telling me recently that it's an interesting experience partly because it makes you realize that there is nothing magical about those locations. Specifically, he mentioned Bethlehem. I was surprised to learn that for all of its notoriety, Bethlehem has a population that is somewhere between Jackson's and Cape's (about 25,000). Yet from this little town came the hope of all humanity...
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Shalom (12/8/18)During the second week of Advent, we are to reflect upon the virtue of peace. When most of us hear the word "peace" we probably think of peace treaties or peace signs. My sister used to decorate her bedroom with tie-dyed peace signs. My brother and I would walk by her bedroom door, roll our eyes, and mutter, "What a hippie."...
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The hidden king (11/24/18)Recently on Facebook, I saw a video that warmed my heart. It was of a teenage boy who had been born color blind. His family had surprised him with EnChroma glasses (they allow folks who are color blind to see colors). When they handed him the glasses, he nervously opened the package and then placed the glasses on his eyes. He immediately gasped and looked all around. As tears rolled down his cheeks, he turned to his Mom and asked, "Is this how the world looks? It's beautiful."...
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The kingdom question (11/10/18)I hope everyone else spent part of Tuesday doing their version of what I did: standing in line at my voting location (La Croix Church) and casting a ballot for candidates and issues that I care about. As I write this column, I have just finished this all-important civic duty...
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How to pray for a president (10/27/18)Recently the world was captured by a powerful moment in the White House. Pastor Andrew Brunson was freed from a Turkish prison. While in the Oval Office, he asked President Trump if he could offer a prayer on behalf of the President. The President agreed, and the Rev. Brunson knelt down and prayed for the President of the United States...
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Psalm 22: When it feels like God has forsaken us (10/13/18)Most people are at least somewhat familiar with Psalm 23. Its pastoral and tranquil images of God as our shepherd easily captures our attention. Psalm 23 brings us comfort and assurance. The psalm placed directly before Psalm 23 is vastly different...
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Trust in the waves (9/29/18)My family recently took a trip to Destin, Florida, for some vacation time. My sons and I built multiple sand castles, we enjoyed walking along the beach, and we searched for wandering hermit crabs. My eldest son Henry took to the water like a fish; we could hardly keep him from swimming out to sea and sprouting gills. However, my younger son Owen (who tends to be the more rambunctious of the two) was surprisingly hesitant, cautious, and afraid of the water...
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Word to the Wise (9/15/18)Psychologists tell us that words hold an immense amount of power over our mental and emotional health. Words can be used for either creative or destructive ends. Words have the power to either build us up or tear us down. Anybody who has ever been on the receiving end of either blistering criticism or intentional encouragement knows this...
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Ora et labora: prayer and work (9/1/18)At least once a year, I spend time at a Benedictine monastery. It's not the destination of choice for many Baptist pastors, but I find the rhythmic prayer and serene settings to be spiritual oxygen to my sometimes stifled soul. But one of the most life-giving aspects of the experience is always spending time with the monastic brothers who have devoted themselves to living completely sold-out for their faith...
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Benediction (8/18/18)I do not think we know how to end things very well. Many parents will be driving their teenagers to college for the first time this week. There will be an awkward moment in which the parents feel that it's time to leave; their child will look at them and they will know the time has arrived to say "goodbye." Eyes will be filled with tears and hearts will ache. For most people, it will be a moment that will be equal parts painful, joyous and awkward. We don't do well with goodbyes...
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One Lord. One Faith. One Baptism. (8/4/18)Five years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Romania. I was there to teach a class to pastors and we were attending worship at the Providence Baptist Church in the heart of Bucharest. It was a lovely congregation full of energy and vitality. At the front of the sanctuary were these words: "Un Domn, O Credinta, Un Botez." Those words are Romanian for: "One Lord. ...
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Take a walk (7/21/18)Recently, I was feeling overwhelmed. It seemed that my plate was overflowing and I was having a hard time keeping up with everything was being asked of me. I felt myself growing short and curt with those who interacted with me, and I knew that I was not operating at my best...
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The separation of Church and State (7/7/18)On Jan. 1, 1802, then president-elect Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. In the letter he wrote, "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."...
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Unexpected storms and faith (6/23/18)Once when I was a youth minister, I had taken a group of 20 students on a wilderness backpacking trip in the Rocky Mountains. On our second day of hiking, the plan was to have the students spend four hours in solitary silence. I prayed for the students and sent them on their way. ...
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Bathsheba too (6/9/18)When I was a teenager, a speaker at a youth camp once told us the story of David and Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11). The speaker described that David was standing on his roof and Bathsheba was bathing on her roof. He told us that Bathsheba tempted David with her lustful nakedness to the point where David could not longer resist this temptation. The speaker addressed the girls at the camp to tell them that their job is to dress in ways and act in ways that do not tempt their "brothers in Christ."...
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Biblical prophecy isn't about knowing details (5/26/18)Recently I was driving across the state of Missouri and there was a huge megachurch along the interstate. On a gaudy, electronic sign it read, "We Stand With Israel! Thank You President Trump!" It was no doubt in reference to the recent decision by the United States to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move was celebrated with great fanfare by White House officials and two prominent evangelical pastors...
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Mama bear and the image of God (5/12/18)A friend of mine was recently hiking in the Rocky Mountains. He rounded a bend and nearly came upon two twin Grizzly cubs. Luckily for my friend they were far enough away that he was able to turn and run before they saw him. When he was telling this story, he leaned close and said, "I wasn't running from the cubs. I was running from Mama! Beware of Mama!"...
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Fruit of the vine (4/28/18)I do not have a green thumb. Anytime I try to either grow a garden or even care for a houseplant, I do not seem to have much work in keeping those plants alive. I have no clue whether Jesus was a good gardener or not, but I do know that he often used agrarian metaphors and language to describe his message. He was speaking to a first-century context in which his listeners were far more connected to the earth than I am...
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Child of God (4/14/18)Some of my favorite movies are the "Toy Story" films. In fact, if you ever sit down and watch "Toy Story 3" with me, just know that as the movie ends I will transform into a crying, blubbering mess. I don't know how they do it, but somehow Pixar has created seemingly simple movies about living toys, but the film's plots are actually about belonging, community and identity...
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Practice resurrection (3/31/18)One of my favorite writers is Flannery O'Connor. Her disturbing, Southern Gothic stories tend to include characters who offer pure, unfiltered, and often disturbing truth. In one of her stories, titled "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," O'Connor presents a character called the Misfit. ...
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A funny Bible (3/17/18)I was at Starbucks working on an upcoming sermon. An acquaintance of mine stopped me to say hello. We chatted for a while and then he said, "I saw recently that you were doing an online Bible Study on Jonah." I said, "Yeah! Were you able to join us?" The man looked uncomfortable and said, "Well...I...I just could not get past the fact that you said that we should read Jonah as humor. That felt disrespectful to me. I don't think we're supposed to treat the Bible as humorous."...
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The foolishness of God (3/3/18)Recently, on an episode of The View, Joy Behar caused quite a stir. Vice President Mike Pence had made the comment that when he makes consequential decisions he talks to Jesus and he also said that he sometimes hears responses from Christ. Behar mocked Pence and likened hearing from Jesus to "mental illness."...
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The fear of God (2/17/18)I recently had coffee with a man who has been visiting our church. We each held our hands around our mugs and shared with one another the way we had been raised and how it helped shape our views of God. At one point I asked him, "Did you ever hear someone tell you that God loves you?" His eyes darted away from mine, their corners filled with tears, and he said, "Never. ...
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No greater love (2/3/18)As I write this column, I am sitting on a CRJ700 jet flying to Baltimore to be present at John Hopkins Hospital. The reason for the trip is that my best friend since middle school, Phillip, is donating a third of his liver to a cousin in need of a life-saving transplant...
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Servant leaders (1/20/18)If you grow up in a Baptist church, you often will hear about a group of selected congregants called "deacons." To me, they often were a mysterious group of men, holding occasional meetings and in charge of taking the offering plates. As a kid, I could not tell you what their responsibilities were; I just knew it was a big deal to be a deacon in a Baptist church...
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Star of wonder (1/6/18)One of the last classes I had to take in college was an astronomy course. I was excited because I thought it was going to consist of engaging in some actual star-gazing. Instead, it was just about calculating the density of Jupiter and the average number of days in a year on Neptune. It was just a stupid old math class!...
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Love came down at Christmas (12/23/17)When I was a kid, my brother and I would fight a lot. They would begin verbally, but we generally would end up on the floor tussling and trying to hit one another. If my father caught us in the midst of one of these brouhahas, he would pull us apart and say, "Hey. You're brothers. Act like it." Dad never had to define for us what it meant to be a brother; we just knew we weren't acting like brothers...
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Prince of peace (12/9/17)During this season, I like to listen to Handel's Messiah at least once. It's a stirring collection of melodious messages, my favorite of which is "For Unto Us a Child Is Born." Its words are based on Isaiah 9:6 in which four titles are given to the anticipated Messiah: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace...
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A new hope (11/26/17)Today is the first Sunday of the season of Advent. In a world that is obsessed with immediate gratification, Advent invites us to enter into a time of waiting. We join with the ancient Israelites in waiting for the coming Messiah, and we continue to wait for the Second Coming of Christ. During Advent, we focus on four virtues: hope, peace, joy and love. Today's focus is on hope...
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Thoughts, prayers and actions (11/12/17)It is an all too frequent occurrence: The news is filled with details regarding yet another mass shooting in our country. I am so tired of these stories. My heart is broken by the idea that my three little children will grow up with the phrase "mass shooting" being part of their cultural lexicon...
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Bearing false witness (10/29/17)Former heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson once said, "You can hit me and I won't think very much of it, but you can say something to me and hurt me very much." We usually do not think a loud-mouthed, bragging boxer would acknowledge the hurt that can come from words. It is fascinating to hear someone whose career was steeped in athletic violence attesting to the power of words...
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The Lord is my Shepherd (10/15/17)If you grow up in a Baptist church, the first piece of Scripture you are asked to memorize is John 3:16, but the second has to be Psalm 23. Like a lot of the psalter, Psalm 23 has a rhythmic quality, and its tranquil images provide us with a message of comfort, peace, and security...
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Mourning with those who mourn (10/1/17)Charlie and Loretta were in deep, deep mourning. They had just found out that their daughter had died by suicide. I was serving as the youth pastor at their church and was asked to be present when their two teenage granddaughters were told about their mother. ...
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Caught up in the clouds (9/17/17)Once, I was walking in the Jackson City Park with some friends when suddenly, the sound of a trumpet filled the air. I didn't want to give myself away, but my heart skipped a beat as I expected that my friends (who I supposedly assumed would not be raptured with me) would be left staring at my pile of clothes after my body had disappeared as I was being called up to heaven...
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Laboring for God (9/3/17)In 1894, President Grover Cleveland declared the first Monday of September as a day to honor the role of labor in American life. He issued this decree six days after the end of the Pullman Strike in Chicago in which railroad workers were lobbying for better work conditions...
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Bread and wine (8/20/17)A few years ago my wife and I were serving as leaders for a Christian retreat for college students. Along with our American students, we also had a number of Chinese students who had just landed in the United States. Many of them had electronic translators with them so they could hone their conversational English. ...
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Giving 10 percent (8/6/17)When I was a kid, my allowance was $10 a week. I had to complete a series of chores in order to earn the money. My parents told me one of the ways we show love to God is by giving at least 10 percent of our resources to support God's ministry in the world...
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The dark night (7/23/17)My sons, Henry and Owen, amaze me. They share a bedroom and sleep on a bunk bed. There is no nightlight in their room, and they have never once expressed a fear of the dark. That has shocked me as I've watched them grow. I was a kid who was terrified of the dark and required a plugged-in nightlight to make it through bedtime without screaming...
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'Song of Songs' (7/9/17)When I was a kid, I sat through some very boring sermons. I did not grow up in churches that spoiled children by simply removing them from worship; I just had to sit there. There were a variety of strategies to get through tedious sermons without going mad: I would doodle on offering envelopes, squint at the hanging lights to make them look like lasers, and I would even try to sneak action figures in my socks if my mother made me wear long pants that day...
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The perfect wedding (6/25/17)Last Wednesday, my wife and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. We were married in my parents' backyard under a beautiful, colorful summer sunset. We were joined by a small crowd of friends and family. Our wedding playlist included The Beatles, Sufjan Stevens and Boston. It was a perfect evening filled with holy, sacred moments. It seemed like everything went just according to plan...
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The Lord's name in vein (6/11/17)I have a confession to make: Recently I was doing some work in my backyard and was using a hammer. Instead of bringing the hammer down on the head of a nail, I fully brought it down on my thumb. I grabbed my finger and began spewing forth a torrent of obscenities that would have been embarrassing for anyone to hear. I am pretty sure that God's name was spoken once or twice, but it was definitely not in the context of a prayer!...
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Remembrance (5/28/17)My Grandpa Simmons had a large flagpole in his front yard. It was planted in a bed of red and gray gravel. Every morning (as he was able) he would walk out of his front door with a properly folded flag. Partnering with whatever grandkid was available, Grandpa would unfold the flag, hook it to the pole, and hoist to fly high on his Bollinger County property...
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Honor thy father and mother (5/14/17)The relationship we have with our parents can be complicated. Some people are raised in wonderful homes with loving parents, others were born into situations in which their parents are not sources of comfort, and some people have never even met their parents...
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Soul friend (4/30/17)When I was in high school, I had lots and lots of friends. Friendship was fairly easy when your schedule artificially placed you in close proximity to your peers. Each day, I had at least one friend in each of my seven classes; I had friends at my extracurricular activities; I had friends in my church youth group; and I had friends who with I would spend my weekends...
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Interfaith dialogue (4/16/17)Interfaith dialogue I grew up in Southeast Missouri and proudly graduated from Jackson High School. Our area of the country is full of heart, commitment and grace. However, there is one thing that I did not experience much of during my childhood: diversity. The only real diversity I can remember from my upbringing was between Protestants and Catholics...
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'Can these bones live?' (4/2/17)Surely one of the weirdest texts in the Hebrew Bible has to be the prophetic book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is full of odd imagery and strange visions. Ezekiel sees wheels within wheels in the sky; he eats a scroll; he eats bread cooked over dung; he lies on his left side for 390 days just to prove a point!...
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Living water (3/19/17)In the Gospel of John there is a story in which Jesus takes a rest at a well in the land of Samaria. We are told that it was noon, the hottest part of the day, when a woman approaches the well to draw water. Jesus, no doubt parched from the Middle-Eastern sun, says to the woman, "Give me a drink."...
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Finding the right church (3/5/17)When I was a teenager, I watched my church tear itself apart. This church was the place where I was loved, cared for and taught about the Gospel. However, because of some disagreements regarding the future direction of the church, I was now watching my sisters and brothers scream at each other at a business meeting. ...
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For Charlotte (2/19/17)We've made some vast improvements as a society in regard to women's equality. More and more women are being educated, empowered and encouraged to make significant contributions to furthering goodness in our communities. However, there is one arena in which we are still lacking: ministry...
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Reconciling religion, science (2/5/17)I have always loved dinosaurs. When I was 4 years old, I could tell you how heavy a brachiosaurus was (35 metric tons), how many spikes a stegosaurus had on its tail (four) and all kinds of other random dinosaur trivia. My mom would take me to the Riverside Library in Jackson, and I devoured every book on dinosaurs. I began to search for more and more resources...
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Faith and food (1/22/17)A friend recently gave me the gift of a pound of coffee beans. This is a sure-fire way to win my exception, but this bag of beans was especially meaningful. They were beans brewed in Guatamala, and attached to the bag was a picture of the farmer who brewed my coffee beans. ...
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There is a reason they are called disciplines (1/8/17)For most people, the beginning weeks of a new year are a time of reassessment as we begin to take stock of our lives. Some of us have committed to lose weight, run a half-marathon, eat less sweets, drink less alcohol, give up smoking or read more books. Scores of commitments are made and it's almost become commonplace knowledge that those resolutions barely make it past the month of January...
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A not-so-silent night (12/25/16)This is a special Christmas for my family and me. My wife is currently expecting our third child (a baby girl) that is due in the early days of January. Advent and Christmastide have taken on special significance as we have sung about the coming Christ child...
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I'm pretty sure it's joy (12/11/16)During the season of Advent, we focus on four virtues of the life of faith: hope, peace, joy and love. On this third Sunday of Advent, we spend time meditating on the presence of joy in our lives. If I am being honest, however, this is the Advent virtue with which I most struggle...
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Advent waiting (11/27/16)Today marks the first day of the season of Advent. This particular liturgical season is still new to me; in the church I grew up in, we did not acknowledge Advent. We went straight from Thanksgiving to four weeks of jubilant Christmas celebration. While in seminary, I worked at a church that did not jump immediately into "Joy to the World" as soon as Thanksgiving had passed. Instead, we spent an intentional time of four weeks in which we waited for the coming Christ child...
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All things new (11/13/16)Most biblical scholars agree the prophet Isaiah is divided into three sections: Isaiah 1-39 was written before the Israelites were sent into the Babylonian Exile and Isaiah 40-55 was written while the people were in the midst of their captivity. The final third of Isaiah (chapters 56-66) is a series of prophetic oracles written as the people are returning to Jerusalem from the exile...
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My grandpa's mug (10/30/16)Sometimes when I am in a group of new people there is an icebreaker question asked of us all. Recently someone asked, "What is the holiest place on earth for you?" One person shared about a mountain climbing experience and another about a moment when they were standing on the beach. ...
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Nag, nag, nag (10/16/16)In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a fascinating little parable (see Luke 18:1-18) that causes more questions than answers. In the story, Jesus says an unjust judge refuses to hear the case of a helpless widow. The hardhearted judge turns the widow away. ...
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Here I raise my Ebenezer (10/2/16)On the first Sunday in June, members of my extended family gather at McGee Chapel in Grassy, Missouri. It's a small sanctuary with an attached park pavilion out in the wilds of Bollinger County. Before we gather for worship, there are buckets of fried chicken, various species of pie and all variety of casseroles placed in the pavilion awaiting our arrival after a (hopefully) short service...
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You always have the poor with you (9/18/16)In the Gospel of Matthew, there is a story in which a woman comes to Jesus and anoints his feet with precious, expensive oil. Some of Jesus' disciples scoff at this act and see it as a waste of resources. They say to Jesus, "Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor." The disciples bring up a good point. ...
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The benefit of the doubt (9/4/16)There is a story from the Gospel of Mark in which a man comes to Jesus and asks him to heal the man's son. Jesus says to the man, "If you believe, all things are possible." The man does not respond with some canned, cliche platitude you might find slapped on a mug in a Christian store. Instead, the man gives an honest and complex answer: He begins to weep and cries, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-25)...
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'I see in you ...' (8/7/16)This morning at First Baptist Church, we will engage in an ancient Christian ritual: ordination. As a community of faith, we will be ordaining Matthew Porter to the gospel ministry. Matt has been a member and served our church for the past four years in various roles. This summer, he has been serving as a short-term missionary working with inner-city populations in Canada. This fall he will begin classes at Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas...
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The power of '&' (7/24/16)I think our culture is becoming increasingly "either/or." It seems like we are continually moving toward a more polemical rhetoric. I am sure there are a variety of factors that contribute to that, but it is increasingly clear that we are being made to choose between two options: either Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter, you are either a liberal or a conservative, either Republican or Democrat...
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Neighborly eyes (7/10/16)Jesus was a prolific teacher. He was constantly telling little yarns that would make people step back and reassess the way they viewed the world, themselves and God. One of his more popular stories is commonly called "The Good Samaritan," but that title does not do it justice. I think a better title would be "What it Means to Be a Neighbor."...