It’s not easy growing up Adventist. That sentence generally irritates those who either came in late or those who left early….and often. It’s hard enough “resting” when others are playing, watching antelope documentaries instead of Saturday morning cartoons, and being warned about the evil of M&Ms….caffiene. But then there are the holidays. We don’t like to be confused with Jehovah’s Witnesses, but Adventists can be their kissing cousins when it comes to holidays. Christmas? No! Thanksgiving? No thanks. Halloween? Are your insane! It can be a confusing kill joy for young ..read more

Every Adventist should be disturbed by the article in Christianity Today yesterday. They reported the results of a massive Adventist “ health message” survey conducted by Dr. Duane McBride and other sociologists from Andrews University. The research spanned 2 years, over 60 languages, and 63,756 responses world -wide. The research found that the health message had a clearly positive impact on Adventist members. But they also found this. “ Over 47%, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, reported the belief that if they kept the health message completely, they would be assured of salvation, though ..read more

Intro: Things have changed. It has been exactly one year since the Covid crisis officially became a pandemic. One year since the masks went on and the Lysol sold out. In 12 months 10 million people have lost their jobs and half a million have lost their lives. Things have changed. But not only have things changed in the world, things have changed in the church. Worship services moved from in person to online. It was immediately clear that some were more prepared than others. Some churches struggled financially, others didn’t. Some churches looked right at home in the online world, others….didn ..read more

No disrespect, but I’m sick of that speech. It has been caricatured almost as much as King himself. It’s quoted by everyone from Tucker Carlson to Sean Hannity. Racists who danced on Kings grave have now turned him into Mr. Rogers in black-face. The only thing missing is that dumb sweater. His life and writings have been sanitized and air-brushed almost beyond recognition. No mention of his sharp criticism of white racists, white moderates, and white Christians from the Birmingham jail. No mention of his scathing attacks on the evils of capitalism. No mention of his blistering rebuke of the V ..read more

 Let’s establish something from the outset. I am Not an Alabama football fan. I live in Alabama, but the only Alabama team I support outside of Oakwood University is Alabama A&M University. And yes, we do play football at Oakwood….well, it’s intramural football, but who asked you. I’m not a fan of Alabama football, but I am a fan of leadership excellence. And for that reason, I do have a deep respect for the Alabama program. And it occurred to me that the church could learn a lot from coach Nick Saban and Alabama. Let’s look at a few things we can learn from this championship program ..read more

In 2017, the Barna Institute conducted an important study that revealed that 2/3 of Christians report they’ve experienced doubt….I assume the other 1/3 were either lying or misunderstood the question. Because if you are seriously pursuing God, and you never run into doubt, as my former teachers would say, “you might not be applying yourself!” Doubt is no respecter of Christians. It shows up in the lives of new believers and mature believers alike. Don’t believe me? Come with me to a going away party at Galilee. 11 disciples were there. Peter was there. So were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The ..read more

In early 2019, a buzz was building in the music industry about Kanye West’s new gospel choir.  The choir was the center attraction of the rap icon’s “Sunday Services.”  I heard so many rave reviews about the choir and its “unique sound,” that I went to You Tube to hear for myself. I had barely pushed play before I recognized the “unique sound.” I heard it for years at Bishop Carlton Pearson’s Azusa conventions and on Sunday mornings at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles. The director of the Sunday Services choir is Jason White, the former minister of music at Wes ..read more

Sharpton. He’s a polarizing figure. The Floyd funerals have proved it again. From his earliest days as a New York activist to his current leadership of the National Action Network, few figures have been more polarizing. Sharpton’s supporters hail him as a champion for the oppressed. Sharpton’s detractors blame him for deteriorating race relations in America. But issues like police misconduct, civil rights, and civil rights leaders look different depending on who you are and where you are. As Nelson Mandela was fond of saying, “where you stand depends on where you sit.” And in early 1999, Al Sh ..read more

If you listen closely, you’ll hear an interesting war of words on the internet these days. It’s a battle between two passionate groups. I call them the workers and the shirkers. The workers seem to be obsessed with using this Covid-19 down time “productively.”  So they haven’t slept in a couple weeks. They are too busy learning a new language, writing a new book, starting a new podcast……. or lying about their new language, book, or podcast. The shirkers love to take shots at the workers. They can sound a bit defensive at times. They criticize the workers for not resting and reflectin ..read more

I’m not a San Antonio Spurs fan. Most people who know me, know that…especially Spurs fans. Maybe it’s that poker face of Tim Duncan as he destroyed folk, or that annoyingly polite David Robinson. But I met Coach Greg Popovich when I was pastoring in California, and I think he’s a genius. Coach Pop attributed the Spurs success to something interesting. “Appropriate fear.” Of course, he acknowledged his draft success and the talent of his players. But he explained that he never allowed his squad to overestimate themselves or underestimate the power of the opponent. They were always prepared ..read more