Blog Archives

If theism (God exists.) is a blue pair of glasses, atheism (There is no God.) is a red pair, and […]

It’s funny. I’m asked (as a pastor) at least once a month, “So, like, what do pastors do when it’s not Sunday?” […]

You ought to go to church. You ought to read your Bible, eat right, quit smoking, pay your tithes, and be a better mom […]

“Holy Desperation” has been defined as when a congregation humbles themselves before God and realizes they can no longer keep […]

I had a conversation with a friend this week about tattoos. It got me thinking. She said… “I really want […]

(Originally published as an editorial in the Central Baptist College student newspaper Tower Times) More than a thousand years ago, […]

We’ve all done it. Stayed up late folding laundry or baking cookies or otherwise serving our kids.   We’ve also not done it. We’ve been […]

Heather Pantoja has recently accepted a position in which to serve at the BMA’s Global Ministry in Conway, Arkansas. I […]

Disagreement usually sparks hatred. But when did disagreeing equate to hating? We, as a whole, have forgotten how to respectfully disagree. […]

It’s a subject no one really wants to talk about. We whisper about it. We know it exists, but no […]

In school you are taught that there are four seasons in every year. However, for the Swart household, there are […]

“Why do you believe in Jesus,” says the unbeliever, maybe a friend or a coworker who knows you go to […]

Neglecting the Bible is nothing new in this world. But what we’re facing today in the West involves proclaiming Christians moving away […]

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Jesus in Matthew 24:35 NLT) The Christian Bible […]

Be weird. Be random. Be who you are. Because you never know who would love the person you hide. ~ […]

It was probably there inside me just waiting to get out, something about myself I didn’t know was possible. When […]

Video games offer a world for your kids where they are the ones with power. The lure is easy to […]

A father took his family on a vacation to Washington, D.C. so that his two children would have the opportunity […]

“Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God […]

Everyone likes a pat on the back or for someone to say, “Great Job!”  The reality is that pride is […]

If you’ve done much reading through the Gospels, you know that Jesus has a long history of picking the most […]

John 2:1-10 chronologically records the first miracle recorded in the Bible that Jesus performed: Turning water into wine at a […]

Why has it taken me so long to “get it”? It’s been 45 years, and I still don’t understand that […]

One Sunday morning a small boy was sitting by his mother during the morning worship service. Like most small children, […]

I recently wrote that Augustine, though raised by his Christian mother to love Jesus, was not a Christian for a […]

Through my seminary studies, I recently read about the conversion of Augustine, one of the giants of Christian leadership and thought […]

Shaping our boys is a daunting challenge. It’s one that lies heavy on every parent’s heart. I know it burdens […]

I have a love/hate relationship with my morning routine. There are things I absolutely LOVE! There are things I absolutely hate! […]

My whole life changed when I realized something as a young mama: Church was not enough. I know, I know […]

Why should you study the Bible? It’s old. It’s long. There are a lot of weird names in it. And […]

Last year two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks after the white manager contacted police. When a video […]

Sadness wrenched through my heart like a knife stabbing into my chest. A lump swelled in my throat and I […]

Have you ever wished for a “Redo” button? Have you ever had a day that started off so completely on […]

Around 9:00 every night, my dog Duke stares longingly up at the cabinet above my husband’s recliner. He knows exactly […]

FOMO (the fear of missing out) ain’t dead is it? Like, here I am age 28 and I still scroll […]

At one point in my life, I wanted to be an archeologist. I thought it would be amazing to dig […]

In some ways, discipling Gen Z (those born anywhere from 1999-2015) is no different from any other generation preceding it. […]

(Originally published March 2016) I haven’t weighed in much on the current political environment. Don’t get me wrong I believe this […]

In an article in the New Yorkermagazine, author Malcolm Gladwell writes that vicious dogs are often not inherently vicious, but are […]

When I was a kid, I was not motivated to learn how to ride a bike. It just wasn’t something […]

Divorce.  In American society, it has become the norm. In fact, the United States has the sixth highest divorce rate […]

It was one year ago today that my baby girl stepped out of this world and into eternity. “For to […]

Church planting is relational because the gospel is relational. When Jesus commissioned the disciples to “go and make disciples,” it […]

Divorce.  It’s an ugly word, isn’t it?  And yet in American society, it has become the norm. In fact, the […]

In 1972 the rapture movie A Thief in the Night was released, but I didn’t see it in a theater. I saw […]

The Bible Confirms Our Struggle The author of Ecclesiastes says that life is “meaningless” almost forty times over the twelve […]

Is it possible to have a thriving relationship with God even in the middle of a culture gone crazy? Absolutely! And […]

My daughter Meredith has always had a very tender heart.  When she was little, she could cry the largest tears […]

On March 3, 2003 (3/3/3), my cousin Kevin and his wife Beth became parents for the first time when their […]

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, gave us a pathway to happiness called the beatitudes. God blesses those who are […]