Being a parent is the perfect metaphor of “two steps forward, one step back.” It’s just the way things work in parenting. I thought about that as my youngest son wheeled out of the drive in his ’99 Subaru, loaded to the gills with his belongings to venture from the nest and into the great…
Author: Matt Tullos
Within
ever since the days of yellow buses and rocket shipsthat landed after lunar conquesti have yearned to see beyond this skinthe bold courageous Warriorthat lies within He triumphs over veiled conspiracythe grassy knolls of hostilityflying headlong into the undiscovered creeds of truthand that’s where i am before the thoughts slow downand the angels bring the grace of…
A Thankful-list
G. K. Chesterton once said, “The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.” Well, I am not an atheist. I have Someone to thank. But as I’ve gown older, my gratitude list has become a little unexpected. My gratitude spans over many years, towns, jobs,…
The Unashamed Deacon
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that we live in a time when society is trying its dead-level best to mute the voices of believers. With even greater frequency, we experience a fear of walking boldly with Christ. And what does walking boldly actually mean? Does it mean a fish decal on our car?…
A Crazy Thing Happened on my Way to Damascus
When I think I’ve got it bad, I remember Paul of Tarsus. I’ve had my opportunities to complain, but Paul always had it worse than me. Most theologians and historians agree that He was probably on the upper crust of the economic scale in the first century but then there was that Damascus road experience,…
You Will Never Mock People into Heaven
A friend of mine sent me a video yesterday that, at first, made me smile and then made me wince because I realized what kind of impact that it would have on my spiritually lost friends and family. The church can’t afford to be mockers at the expense of the next generation. There are plenty…
The Overcommitted Deacon
5 Keys to Surviving the Storm It had been an especially difficult year for our church. A number of key long-standing members abruptly left our church in protest to the changes we had incorporated in our schedule in the hopes of reaching new people. At our monthly deacon’s meeting, we were discussing the issue when…
Disaster Relief from the Aftermath of Ian
Yesterday I had an opportunity to go to Wauchula Florida and participate in disaster relief. This was a great opportunity to see faithful Tennessee Baptists serving.
I put my hand over my mouth
It’s something in the core of most people: a desire to find out what or who causes messes. And no one likes to get the blame for a mess. As children we blamed our brother or sister for the broken vase and when we’re older we blame our self-sworn enemies for the broken world. And it…
The Empowered Life Workshop Notes
Todd Proctor, John Harrison and Kathleen Doyle How do we order our lives? It has to be an inner journey. It’s all about adoption. We are not earning a relationship. This is how evangelicals often mis the point. This relationship with the Spirit is not something done to us, but with us. When you grow, you…