Some people think that what Joe Thorn & I did at the 2006 SBC Annual Meeting in Greensboro, NC (scroll down) is unique. But we didn't start the fire.
SBC Annual - 2006
02/27/2012
08/23/2006
07/20/2006
Phriday is for Photos: Special Edition
Every day is Photo Phriday when a picture is this good.
Joe Thorn and I were photographed by Olan Mills at the Southern Baptist Convention. I just received it in the mail and couldn't resist scanning it and putting it up. The photographer thought it was funny, but a few SBC'rs walking by the booth seemed a little freaked out. Imagine trying to take this pic and keep a straight face!
Some of you will be offended by it. When you are offended and choose to tell me, it won't be a surprise. So save your fingers from violently typing your thoughts and laugh with us.
I think it's unbelievably funny and still laugh out loud whenever I see it. It's really the continuation of a running joke. Enjoy!
06/20/2006
06/16/2006
06/14/2006
Bad News
Joe and I left a bit early from the convention today. We had considered leaving early anyway since we couldn't find anything worthwhile on the schedule for Wednesday night. But it was a phone call from my wife that pressed us to leave. My grandmother had a massive stroke Tuesday and isn't expected to live long. So we felt it would be best to head home a little early.
Oh, and here's what I missed. Scott Slayton, my dear friend and fellow blogger, quotes Bobby (BOBBAY!) Welch as saying tonight, "Maybe if we spent less time blogging we would spend more time baptizing."
I guess that means that we won't reach 1 million "Everyone Can" brand baptisms by the fall, and now the bloggers are going to be blamed for it.
I hope by the end of the weekend to have a couple more posts up in response to a few things. We are in a Comfort Inn in Indiana getting ready for bed. Tomorrow my two oldest boys have their first baseball practice and I hope to be there.
SBC 2006: Wednesday & Happy Hour
Joe and I attended the voting on some resolutions this morning. What a pile of waste. If anyone thought we had great changes happening in the SBC, I'm afraid they aren't as great as they might have appeared.
This first post is on a resolution against the "use" of alcohol. Shocking, I know. (UPDATE: Sorry I wasn't clearer. Yes, it passed with an overwhelming majority. A few spoke against it, all but one eloquently. A handful spoke for it.) Here it is thanks to Dorcas, and my very brief responses are in italics.
Whereas, Years of research confirm biblical warnings that alcohol use leads to physical, mental, and emotional damages (e.g., Proverbs 23:29-35); and
This passage is about the abuse, not the use, of alcohol. And this is dishonest by not facing the whole council of God in the Scriptures. There are many positive passages on alcohol, but Pharisees always miss them for their extra-biblical rules and desire to control the consciences of others.
Whereas, Alcohol use has led to countless injuries and deaths on our nation's highways; and
Not use, abuse.
Whereas, The breakup of families and homes can be directly and indirectly attributed to alcohol use by one or more members of a family; and
Not use, abuse.
Whereas, The use of alcohol as a recreational beverage has been shown to lead individuals down a path of addiction to alcohol and toward the use of other kinds of drugs, both legal and illegal; and
What? Yeah, and the use of Q-Tips has led to hearing loss in some too. And the use of cheeseburgers has led to the creation of widows and orphans. And the use of blogs has led to the accountability of SBC leaders (oh wait, that's different). PULEEZE! It's not use, but abuse that is the problem.
Whereas, There are some religious leaders who are now advocating consumption of alcoholic beverages based on a misinterpretation of the doctrine of "our freedom in Christ";
Oh, right. I'm sure "freedom in Christ" actually means to pass resolutions that would eliminate Christ from service in SBC churches. I'm sure that's what it means. Have we no clue?
now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-24, 2006, express our total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages; and be it further
Jesus manufactured, advertised and distributed wine in John 2!
Resolved, [insert amendment from floor urging that potential Trustees and Entity Heads who don't adhere to this resolution not be chosen for service]; and be it further
"And the results for SBC President are in....Jesus receives 0% of the vote,and Johnny Hunt receives 100% of the vote."
Resolved, That we urge Southern Baptists to take an active role in supporting legislation that is intended to curb alcohol use in our commuities and nation; and be it further
Cool. Now Jesus gets SBC'rs actually encouraging Caesar to stop him from making wine, instituting the Lord's Supper, and so on.
Resolved, That we urge Southern Baptists to be actively involved in educating students and adults concerning the destructive nature of alcoholic beverages; and be it finally
"Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14
Resolved, That we commend organizations and ministries that treat alcohol-related problems from a biblical perspective and promote abstinence and encourage local churces to begin and/or support such biblically-based ministries."
Yes, let's help those who are alcohol abusers. We must help. And there are certainly times some
need to abstain (as I did for many years after abusing in college). But let's promote the Bible and not our abstinence rules.
06/13/2006
SBC 2006: Monday-Tuesday
Monday was a heck of a day. Final day of the Pastor's Conference and day of the Younger Leaders/Missional Network meeting.
Rather than regurgitating the day, let me interact with some good stuff that happened.
Some good conversation with many several bloggers and pastors on Monday. I can't list all of them, though I will talk about their blogs and links from time to time (like this one). Good stuff. Also met with friends: Tim Ellsworth, Scott Lamb, Jason Gray, Spencer Nix, and one of the first people I ever met after moving to Denver years ago, Duane Arledge. I'm sure I've left people out.
You know, I've had some who have talked to me about blogging and questioned whether blogging is a fad or whether blogs will last. All I know for sure is that the connections (networking) that have resulted from blogging are significant. I'm blessed to know a bunch of great young and not so young guys.
The morning on Monday was full of seminars (all were standing room only as best I could tell). I only attended the Mohler-Patterson talk on election, which was more a talk on Calvinism and Calvinism caricatures than election. And it was really was more debate-ish than I expected. Mohler, after emergency eye surgery was stellar. Seriously, he was fantastic. Patterson started with all too common criticisms (and some less helpful ones), and Mohler responded with Gospel and Gospel again. Brilliant, winsome.
Afternoon, Erwin McManus and Nelson Searcy were both great. Exactly what I needed. Reminded me of the powerful work of God in difficult areas. Joe Thorn and I both were not only impressed, but very encouraged for our own contexts. Simple, direct, convicting stuff. I met Nelson back when in seminary (he came and spoke to our class when he was in planting mode). Was great to hear him preach and meet him again briefly. If I buy any CD's here, it will be these two.
By the way, Shane and Shane were here and they were amazing. I've loved their music for some time, but live was incredible.
Monday night Joe and I spend some time with other bloggers and that was good. Sharing stories and learning new things. Answering a few good questions too. And to answer everyone's most asked question, no, Joe is not Tele Savalas' 'mini-me.'
We also had some time to talk with Greg Thornbury (Union University Dean), Ray Van Neste (Union University Prof), Greg Wills (SBTS Church History Prof), Tom Nettles (SBTS Church History Prof), and the incomparable Mark Devine of Midwestern. Mark was a great guy to meet (I'm just starting into his Bonhoeffer book). A passionate guy with a deep love for theology and the Church.
Then we hit the Younger Leaders meeting which was basically a gospel-centered meeting from Ed Stetzer who is promoting the NAMB Missional Network. We were able to meet some great guys at the meeting, some we knew by name only before Monday.
Tuesday, tons of motions and discussion and laughter. Also serious stuff about Wade Burleson. He handled himself with much grace and eloquence. For details, see the 74 other bloggers. :) Mark Dever almost made First VP, but almost didn't cut it. Too bad I think. Speaking of Dever, Joe and I were able to talk with him for a while on Monday about several things. It was hard to find time to talk with his 17 interns and associates around. Man, I wish I had that problem. If you haven't checked out his 9Marks ministry yet, it's a very helpful place.
Lunch with Todd and Paul Littleton and their wives, as well a pastor in LA named Steve Somethingerother. Steve, if you stop by, remind me of your last name. Too many Steves around, not that there's anything wrong with that.
You know what, a bunch of other stuff happened too. I wish I could do so much more for my readers. But we came to network and we are in a big way. It's been the best convention in terms of what it's doing for me and my ministry. I miss my family. Sheesh. It's honkin' late and I'm tired. Nighty nite. Pictures of the SBC stuff here.
06/11/2006
SBC 2006: Sunday
We are through Sunday and enjoying the evening. We found out the Marriott has wi-fi which we can access from the downstairs bar. Very nice.
We drove our last 2 1/2 hours this morning through the smokey mountains, which was beautiful. Look for pictures from Joe since I was driving and he was free to take some shots. We arrived too early to check in, so we ate at Bruegger's Bagels (diced chicken fajita on an everything bagel, which included jalapeno cream cheese) and figured out how to get around Greensboro.
We checked in at around 2pm and completed our convention registration around 4pm. Then we had dinner with Chris Turner of LifeWay and a couple of guys he had with him. The conversation was reformed theology. Joe Thorn kept trying to give me a chance to speak (which I did a little), but if Joe has a chance to help someone understand reformed theology then you just let him speak. It was really encouraging, especially since I haven't talked through the Doctrines of Grace (et al) for a while.
Then we headed to the convention in order to catch Johnny Hunt's Acts 17 message (at one point the lights totally went out due to a powerful thunderstorm). He said some good stuff about character and holiness and how much that matters in ministry. If you are a person of integrity you can be bold and not worry about someone digging up stuff on you. Very cool. Of course, that good point was mixed with a bunch of fairly angry preaching, nostril flares, an anti-Calvinism dig or two and a highly offensive tan.
Point of Privilege: At one point in his message Johnny Hunt had the opportunity in a room full of pastors to either 1) drop laws and harsh words against struggling pastors who are not doing their job well, or 2) encourage struggling pastors to be strong in the grace that is in Christ (2 Tim 2:1) with gracious words. Guess which he chose. Sometimes we feel like truth-centered, prophetic preaching must be wielding the sword of law and guilt, but law without grace is a killer. Sure speak to the problems, but point to Jesus. Sure share stats, but then point to grace.
Then we waited for Rick Warren's talk, only to find out that Rick decided to skip out for a round of golf (well, I'm not really sure what he's doing but he isn't here). So they said they were going to show him preaching on video which was a strong argument for us to leave. So we did. Look, we didn't drive to North Carolina to see a Purpose Driven VHS tape.
Note to those here in Greensboro...
For those wanting to meet up, we are mostly free Monday evening since we are skipping the evening session of the pastor's conference but will be at the Missional Network (younger leaders) meeting later on. Joe and I will probably be in the exhibit hall from 7pm-10pm or so. On one side is the LifeWay store and the other side are the exhibits. On the exhibit side there are a bunch of round tables; we will try to snag one. Ideally you may want to call in case something comes up, but we hope to be around.
One last thing. This news from Tom Ascol's blog, "I just heard that Dr. Al Mohler had emergency eye surgery today at the Duke Medical complex. He has had eye difficulties for years and I do not know the nature of this procedure. He is still scheduled to speak at the pastors' conference on Monday." Please pray for Dr. Mohler.
06/10/2006
Charleston, WV
Left my house at 7:30am to pick up Joe Thorn
on our way to the Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro, NC. It
rained until we got a bit South of Indianapolis, but God delivered us
from the deluge.
Along the way, somewhere in Indiana, we stopped at Burger King for a couple of kids' meals (well, we weren't all that hungry but needed a shot of something before getting to Louisville, plus we got cool G.I. Joe toys!). We stopped in Louisville for a staple of mine, Stevens & Stevens Deli (the Woody Allen-pastrami, garlic roasted potatoes, cole slaw, Sobe Energy). We also hit my second staple, ear X-tacy, the world's coolest indie music store. I picked up the new Espers, Beirut, Alexi Murdoch, and Constantines. All very good, but the first two had us dropping our jaws. Fantastic. Much more fantastic than needing to stop every 6 miles for Joe's atom-sized bladder.
We made it out of Louisville, through Lexington, and onto Charleston, WV where we are now comfortably enjoying the night in a Country Inn & Suites. Sharon is behind the desk and has been very friendly and helpful. By the way, I had to break my rule to stay here (my rule states that I can't eat or sleep in a place with the word "country" or "famous" in the name, and Famous Dave's gets a pass). They have free wi-fi, which is sufficiently fast, and smoking rooms that smell like, well, smoke. There out of the fresh smelling kind.
We walked across the parking lot for a very late dinner at the Texas Steakhouse & Saloon. It was very good, we both had sirloin. And Brooke was a very fun and conversational waitress, though a little slow getting our checks taken care of. But she didn't charge us for our drinks so, we forgive you Brooke!
Now we are writing on our blogs and still fielding emails from some of you who want to meet up while in Greensboro. It's been a long but very good day. God has given us strength and kept our families in order while we are away.
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