Road Trip: Hope & El Dorado, Arkansas

A road trip to LA. “Lower Arkansas,” that is! God is doing marvelous things at Garrett Memorial Baptist Church in Hope, AR. Pastor Clif Johnson is a wonderful leader with a shepherd’s heart. I had the opportunity to visit Sunday Morning, January 26 and was encouraged by their emphasis on missions -both local and foreign. …

Road Trip: Shady Grove & Soso Mississippi

I enjoyed another exciting road trip to visit Baptist Missionary Association churches: It was my first visit to Soso Mississippi -and it was anything but (you got it) so-so! Berean Baptist Church welcomed me with incredible hospitality.  Their congregation is a warm loving family. Their pastor, Bryson Haden has a law enforcement background. He explains …

Is Your Church Being a Good Steward of Leadership?

As a former pastor of a small church, I can relate to church leaders who wish they could get more help without adding another expense to the budget. Many pastors have wished they could clone themselves. That way, one of them could visit members, another could write sermons, another could develop new mission initiatives, while …

The Power of “Finished”

I have always enjoyed mowing yards. It is satisfying to walk around a fresh-cut lawn after the sidewalk has been swept and enjoy a job well done. But I never understood why until my dad made a comment to me one hot summer day. I was in Jr. High and mowing neighborhood yards was my …

Road Trip: Ward & Searcy Arkansas

One of the best parts of my job at DiscipleGuide Church Resources is spending time with pastors in the Baptist Missionary Association of America (BMA). I’m always excited to hear how God uses leaders with different skill sets, gifts, and talents in the church. Here are a couple of examples from a recent road trip: …

Game-Changing Church Leadership

In the sports world, there are no perfect teams. Every roster has a weak link. Everyone loves to see a coach transform a group of athletes into a team of winners. That’s part of the fascination with sports. Likewise, there are no perfect churches. Yet, in God’s wisdom, He has chosen to accomplish Kingdom work …

Caught in the Middle

Everyone experiences loss at some time in life -from the second grader whose classmate didn’t return to school after suddenly contracting spinal meningitis, to the elderly man whose life-time neighbor dies of natural causes. In between, is a difficult range of scenarios including parents left grieving in the delivery room, children left standing by the …