First Thoughts

I give you full permission to mock me, but one of my favorite songs growing up was “Friends” by Michael W. Smith. It had good lyrics and a great tune, and I was fascinated by the idea of having friends forever “if the Lord’s the Lord of them.” I came to know this song right about the time a close friend moved away, and this brought me comfort as I grew in my understanding of the body of Christ and the eternal relationships that Christians will experience. Friends are definitely a blessing from…

What Does Not Happen When You Die? There are so many future realities Christians are looking forward to in the afterlife, such as every tear being wiped away (Revelation 21:4), all sin and death being done away with (1 Corinthians 15:26), receiving our new bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-55), and seeing Jesus face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 22:4). Christians are right to put their hope in Christ and eagerly await all of those glorious future realities that God has promised will come t…

Does the Trinity really matter? This is a question that many people struggle to answer. Some say that the Trinity doesn’t matter because the word “Trinity” isn’t in the Bible. Others say the Trinity can’t matter because it is too difficult to understand. They’ll say, “If God really wanted the Trinity to matter in my life, he wouldn’t have made it so confusing! It feels like I have to solve an impossible riddle just to be an orthodox Christian!” Still, others say the Trinity doesn’t matter becau…

The 2024 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is in the books. Messengers approved many resolutions, elected a number of officers, listened to sermons, made countless motions, and referred the work of the Abuse Reform and Implementation Task Force (ARITF) to the executive committee. A lot happened, but I want to summarize the 2024 convention with three developments of tremendous significance. The President One of the most significant actions of the convention was to elect Clint Pressley a…

It is our mission to reach all of Jacksonville with all of Jesus for all of life. How much does Scripture address the issues related to “all of life”? All the wisdom we need for all of life can be found in Jesus Christ. All the wisdom needed for the Christian life is found in Jesus Christ alone, and it is him, his gospel, and his Word that we proclaim. Consider Colossians 1:28, which shows how the Christian has “all” wisdom in Christ. “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone wit…

Introduction: The Problem of Processed Food This week, I walked into a local grocery store and saw a brochure on the stand next to the sliding doors. The brochure had three medals on the front and one in the middle engraved with “USDA ORGANIC.” The flyer read, “You can feel better about buying… we don’t take these designations lightly.” This grocery store wants to put its customers at ease by using a trustworthy stamp of approval. The food they are selling is real, healthy food – authentically…

.embedtool {position: relative;height: 0;padding-top: 56%;overflow: hidden;max-width: 100%;} .embedtool iframe, .embedtool object, .embedtool embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } .embedtool .fluid-vids {position: initial !important} I’ve never met Mike Law or even had a conversation with him, but I do support his amendment to the constitution of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) that messengers will consider at our meeting in Indianapolis this June. The…

  Hope is powerful; so powerful it can radically alter the course of life, just like it did for Steven.[1] Currently in his sixties, Steven lived with anxiety and depression ever since his teen years. Over the decades, he has interacted with numerous doctors who prescribed him numerous medications that seemed to work for a little while, but he soon found himself battling the same feelings of sadness and worry. Although Steven claimed to be a believer, church was not much of a priority for…

A Gracious Invitation In 1909, The First Baptist Church of Jacksonville founded Riverside Baptist Church as one of dozens of churches it was planting around the city. A lot has changed in those 115 years. For starters, the church is now called Riverside Church at Park and King. More significantly, the church now openly affirms every manifestation of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. The gay-affirming stance of Riverside Church places it at odds with the traditional understanding of biblical sexual ethics h…

  Movements and Misunderstandings Steve sat in my office spewing accusations like sparks from a flame. He was furious as he charged that his wife, Lisa, didn’t love him, was unhappy in their marriage, and was in love with another man. As she listened to the barrage of accusations, Lisa broke down in tears. Through sobs, she was adamant that none of it was true, she loved her husband, her home, their kids, and their life together. She could not grasp why she was so misunderstood by the ma…