By Waylon Bailey Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area and the Mississippi Gulf Coast twelve years ago yesterday. I thought I would never again see anything as devastating. Hurricane Harvey is making everyone reassess their understanding of the word “catastrophe.” The images and the reports are beyond comprehension. Two nights ago I awakened in the middle of the night thinking of those people in flooded homes–or worse–awaiting rescue. I remembered how three days into Katrina, I began to wonder if water and food would hold out (It did because of people who went above and beyond to take care of others). Now I wonder how those in the Houston area are doing. Yesterday I received a report from the North American Mission Board (NAMB). The mission board along with other Southern Baptists make up the third largest disaster relief organization in the country. This is what NAMB and Southern Baptists have been asked to do. Mobilize churches and volunteers to house and feed more than 4,000 volunteers, provide facilities for 50-60,000 individuals, and serve an anticipated 343,000 meals on a daily basis. Unfortunately, relief workers may not be able to get into the flood zone for several days. This is a daunting … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn Luke recorded in Luke 11 an occasion when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray. The teaching is the result of a question, but they asked the question out of observation. They observed Jesus’ habit. Jesus exemplified a practice to follow. But, then Jesus gave them a pattern to follow. As Max Lucado noted in his book Before the Amen, “When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a prayer. Not a lecture on prayer. Not the doctrine of prayer. He gave them a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer.” Let’s observe the prayer and so observe the pattern. We approach God out of relationship but also out of reverence. He is accessible out of this tender relationship, but we keep that relationship reverent, because He is unequaled and unrivaled. And when it comes to prayer, we need both. We need a God who is relational, but we need a God who is capable to do all things beyond what we might ask or think. We acknowledge His coming Kingdom. Our temporal requests make more sense in the context of His eternal will. Acknowledging His coming Kingdom ought to bring a perspective to our requests. We ask God about both the physical and the spiritual. God meets our physical … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey Very few things in life are more important than being blessed. When Jacob stole the blessing from Esau, Esau’s pain was deep and intense. As Esau came to his father and realized that Isaac had given Esau’s blessing to his brother Jacob, he cried out in pain “bless me also my father!” The blessing had real significance. We all need to be blessed. What can you do to bless the people around you? First, catch them doing something right and commend them for it. That’s exactly what Paul did when he wrote his letter to the church at Philippi. When the the people at the church at Philippi heard Paul had been imprisioned, they received an offering for Paul and send it to him. They wanted to help Paul in his need. They even sent their pastor to stay with Paul and minister to him as he waited in prison for a verdict about his life or death. Though Paul was in prison, he saw the need to “bless” the people of the church at Philippi. He wrote to commend them and to thank them for their ministry. We are blessing others when we commend them for their good actions. Second, pray for people and their needs and let them know that you are praying. Paul told the church “I thank my God every time I remember … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn When I was a kid a popular weekend show was the Superstars. (I’ve seen a little bit of a comeback of this show this summer with actors, but these are a watered down version of what I remember as kid.) It was an ongoing competition of athletes from various sports who competed against one another in select sports. The final competition would always be the obstacle course. This series of jumps over walls, and hurdles, and water sometimes humbled the greatest of athletes. It was exciting at least in part because it made these great athletes seem human. On certain occasions the competitors would have such trouble with a particular obstacle that they would simply just go around that particular element of the race. They took their time penalty and simply went around the obstacle. Obstacles are like that. They trip us. They make us fall. At times, we even look at the obstacle and simply say “There’s no use.” It’s impossible. We even transfer the idea of impossibility to God. But, we are reminded in the Bible in several places, including Jeremiah 32, that nothing is impossible for God. What do we do when we face the impossible? We do what Jeremiah did. We talk to God about our problem and our … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey Recently, I wrote about “Once Upon A Time” and living “happily ever after.” The whole point was to make us conscious of God’s desire to bless us and for us to live obediently to Him. We can’t expect God’s blessings without following His plan for how the world works. It’s not luck or our effort or smarts; it’s God’s goodness. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. But there’s another side to this. We all know what that side is. A number of our reading community pointed it out yesterday. It’s the whole issue that Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Job, and Jeremiah faced (and a host of other faithful people as well). What do you when “the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls?” This was the dilemma of the prophet Habakkuk. He looked for God to work, but he could not see God at work even though God assured Him that He would indeed do what He had promised. This is the way Habakkuk came out: “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the … [Read more...]

Being a father and a Type A personality myself, I look back on my parenting experiences and recall instances where I could have done a better job. I wish I could relive some of those busy days at a slower pace. Unfortunately, none of us is allowed do-overs or mulligans. … [Read more...]