Hope in the Recession

Join me this coming Thursday evening at ClearView for Town Hall for Hope with Dave Ramsey as our host. Get more information on the event here. Then join us here. Check out this promo video.

Wake Up Call for Southern Baptists

This past Thursday Dr. Danny Akin delivered a bold message concerning what he believes must happen for the Southern Baptist Convention to be viable moving forward. Dr. Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Seminary in North Carolina and the message was delivered in chapel at that seminary.

To say the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting is aging is an understatement. And for good reason. The purpose of this blog is not to write negative opinions and thoughts about anyone or any institution. For that reason and others, I will not share any negative thoughts I may have about the SBC. Instead I wish to AMEN! Dr. Akin's message. If this were baseball, I would say, "Touch them all Danny! You hit a homerun!".

I would only add: I have had the privilege spending time with Dr. Akin. He is one of those men you can sense from the moment you meet him, he is the real deal.

If you care to read his manuscript, you can find it here.

If you would rather listen, you can find it here.

Evangelism with Easter coming

The graph just below is from a recent study released by LifeWay Research and referenced by Ed Stetzer. Just over a year ago I posted a blog related to evangelism at ClearView. When I mention red apples in the post, the graph demonstrates visually what I am talking about. We cross the paths of people all the time that are at those times in their lives when they are more open to the gospel / matters of faith. Please note Easter in the graph as we are only a couple of weeks out. Persons without Christ are more open to the gospel than we think.

Accountability: Working with a net

To do life without some people you are accountable to is like walking a high wire without a net. I recently had someone ask me about the accountability group I meet with regularly and make a few suggestions here on the blog.

When I came to ClearView as pastor I asked the males on the Search Team to stay on to serve as an accountability group with whom I could meet once a month. I am so grateful to these men. They probably didn't expect to still be meeting with me monthly almost 2 years later, but they have remained faithful to do so.

This accountability group is not typical in that it is not technically mutual accountability. I am accountable to them, not vice versa. I ask them to feel free to ask me about any area of my life, personal or professional. They ask and I answer. Because of the wisdom and leadership of this group, I also take advantage of them as a sounding board. If I am wrestling with especially heavy decisions or decisions with widespread impact, these men are some of the first to hear and give me sound and honest feedback. We always end the meetings with them praying for my family, our church, and me personally.

I will say it again: To live life without making yourself accountable to a group of same gender peers is like walking a high wire with no safety net. Men, this is especially true for us. Satan's arsonal is too large and we are too vulnerable without it.

Suggestions:

1. The group should be no larger than 5. If the group is larger than 5, the depth of the relationships will not be what they need to be to develop the trust level needed.

2. Commit to long term. Trust takes time to develop. You will find the conversations don't begin to get below the surface until the group has been together for at least a year.

3. Please choose godly and spiritually mature group members. Don't cheat yourself here.

4. Be real. Be transparent. Be honest. Or don't waste your time. If you are not going to be forthright and truthful, it's all a game.

Upcoming Workshop

I do not typically "promote" specific ClearView programs or ministries, but these are exceptional times and what I want to mention here will be a great help to all who attend. It is an understatement to say many have lost jobs or find themselves under employed ... or have seen dramatic downturns in their compensation. Maybe you are re-entering the workforce or simply wanting to upgrade your employment.

The Career Transitions ministry of ClearView is offering a free workshop for those that find themselves in this situation. The workshop is this coming Friday evening at ClearView. You can find more information on the workshop here and register here.