Coming Attractions

Greetings all and welcome to a new week!

I feel as though I have a bit of explaining to do. No, you did not miss a post, I simply just didn’t post one last week. I would like to say that it was because I was out of town and just simply didn’t get around to it, but quite frankly that wasn’t it. I would also like to “blame” it on the fact that my wife went to Disney with her mom and sister last week, but that would be a bad excuse as well. I would also like to say that I was taking a week off just to take a week off, but again, that wouldn’t suffice.

Simply put, I just didn’t post last week. Now, to make it sound like I am the best husband on the planet, I did tell my lovely bride that it was because she wasn’t at home, and therefore my desire to do anything productive was simply gone. And while it is true that she does inspire me and she does give me a reason to be better on a daily basis, I honestly just couldn’t make myself write last week. Every time I sat down at the computer to be productive (other than sermon prep), my brain just shut down.

As I noted in one of my very early posts, I have a bad habit of starting blogs and then letting them fizzle out after a time. However, the truth is, I have been better at keeing this blog than any other in the past. In fact, I actually bought the domain name – partly to just give me a reason to write so that I “get my money’s worth.” That has helped and worked quite well for the most part, and I imagine it will continue to do so.

So, since I didn’t write last week, what exactly did I do? Well, I did put together a Bob Ross puzzle. I even picked up a little painting after being inspired by Bob in one of his videos I watched. I also did some reading, watched through the Harry Potter movies (one an evening), mowed the lawn, and even did a little cooking. Here are a few photos, just for your enjoyment!

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Now, in my defense, this was just a first attempt at doing these paintings, so… don’t judge me TOO harshly!

Anyway, painting and puzzles and photos aren’t the reason that you come to this blog, nor is it the point of this post. I thought, just to get us all back into the swing of things here at the STP, I’d give you a “peak behind the curtain” if you will and let you in on what we’ll be looking at in the coming weeks.

5 Solas Series

First, in the 5 Solas series, I am hoping to look at both Sola Fide (Faith Alone) and Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) as we continue to make our way closer and closer to Reformation Day in October. My intention is to make a post later this week on Sola Fide, just so we can keep on track. So, be on the look out for that later in the week.

Imago Dei Series

Second, I want us to pick back up with our Imago Dei series. I’m hoping to not only look at how we image the Trinune Godhead in marriage, but also how gender and sexuality come into this discussion. How do we image God in our gender and in our sexual desires? Is this even an area that should be considered?

I think that both of these “subtopics” in the Imago Dei series that we have been doing are vital for our times, specifically in our current cultural shifts. While I have other topics within this series to consider, I’m hoping that we will look at these as the summer progresses.

Book Reviews

I decided to take the summer off from seminary, so I have been trying to read a little more for pleasure. To that end, I do have a few books that I’m planning to review for us all here on the STP before the fall semester kicks off in August. Specifically, I have been reading Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldridge. This wonderful book was loaned to me by a friend and fellow partner in ministry at Christ Community Church, where I am one of the pastors.

I am also reading through Voddie Bauchum’s amazing new work Fault Lines which approaches Critical Race Theory, not only from a Christian worldview, but also from the position of an black Christian and black theologian and black pastor speaking into this issue. So far, I have really enjoyed hearing Voddie’s perspective on this issue and look forward to finishing it and giving you my thoughts.

While I am reading various other books this summer, I do plan on reviewing these two, so keep an eye out for those, with Beautiful Outlaw coming this next week.

Guest Posts

Something else I’m thinking of doing is having a few friends who are pastors to contribute from time to time. While this is personally my blog, I would not be upset if this became a blog for small church pastors. Specifically small church pastors in the American South. I say this, not because I think there is a random niche audience for Southern pastors, but rather because small church pastors don’t get a lot of attention and therefore aren’t asked to speak, write, teach, etc… very often. This is to the detriment of the church, in my personal opinion (and since you’re reading this blog I assume you are curious of my personal opinion).

I make this bold statement, not because small church pastors want or even crave this kind of attention. Rather, small church pastors very often have a unique perspective on theology, ministry, pastoral care, church growth, etc… that the “bigger” guys simply cannot comprehend. As a case in point, my wife and I attended our denomination’s convention in 2019. During that convention she attended a pastor’s wives luncheon where the headline speaker was the wife of a very prominant pastor in our denomination. This wife noted how their church began “small” about a decade prior with a small crowd of 1500 people. Not to disparage anyone, but friends, 1500 people in a church is not small! This is a large church if not mega. This mindset is typical within my denomination, so much so that small church pastors are really left being told that they’re not doing enough to grow their churches, their effectiveness, their outreach. These guys are left to figure out how to minister from a different perspective, often feeling as though they are alone or even failures. This should not be.

So, while there are some great men already working toward giving more attention to small church pastors (such as Karl Vaters), I want to help be part of that process. Because, and let’s be clear on this – small churches are not a bad thing. The average local church (and not just in my denomination) is small. These churches average 70-85 people on Sunday mornings. Meaning that many are smaller and some are barely bigger. While I love and adore many of the works of other pastors, and while they are great writers and contributing much to the world of pastoral ministry and theology, they’re not the average… they’re the exception. And just because they are the exception, does not make them exceptional. No servant is greater than his master, and there are many servants helping to shepherd the flocks of God, and a lot of them are small flocks.

Therefore, I want to give some of these friends and fellow shepherds a voice and a place to write their thoughts on theology, ministry, church history, or whatever. We’ll all see how this goes as this builds.

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I’m curious to hear your thoughts, though. What would you like to read about on this blog? What are some things that you’re curious about? Let me know in the comments!