The 2018 annual meeting of North Carolina Baptists carries the theme, “Who is my neighbor?” The question is one of many in the scriptures that captivate my attention.   It was raised in the context of introducing the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.

At the semi-annual meeting of the Biblical Recorder’s board of directors on Mon. , Oct. 1, I shared my plans to retire as editor-president at the end of May 2019. As noted in the cover story of this print edition, I will complete eight years in this place of ministry at that time.

Tues. , Nov. 6 is Election Day. Where will you be? If you plan to attend the annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in Greensboro, you could forfeit your vote. Of course, you can – and should – plan to vote early.

As Hurricane Florence barreled along her predicted course toward North Carolina’s mainland Sept. 13, schools and businesses in its path closed. Residents in high target areas were told to evacuate. Many of our pastors, church staff and directors of missions left their homes to find temporary shelter elsewhere.

Look at the receipt from your recent visit to a grocery store, restaurant, home improvement center or similar business. Near the bottom, you’ll probably see an invitation to take a survey by phone or online. The management wants to know if the company is doing a good job.

Pastor, if you announce an event or a church strategy one time to your church family, everyone gets it; they all leave the service fully informed, right? Wrong! Even after the second announcement, printing it in a worship bulletin, running the information on the display screens, placing it on your website, tweeting and posting it on Facebook, someone will say, “I didn’t know anything about that!” One does not have to be in church ministry long to learn the value of repetition.

In 2016, Oxford Dictionaries declared “post-truth” the international word of the year and added it to their dictionary. The action was prompted by the intense debates surrounding that year’s “Brexit” vote for Great Britain to withdraw from the European Union, the heated presidential election in the United States and controversial social movements worldwide.

An ominous spirit has fallen on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). We have problems that can no longer be ignored or swept under the rug. Gut wrenching honesty is not an optional course to consider. It is the only option.   Pastors, bloggers, lay leaders and entity heads are publicly expressing profound chagrin over our current condition, all the while calling for deeper levels of prayer, fasting and self-examination.

What is the most significant step a Christian can take to live fully for God’s purpose and glory? Some may answer by quoting the great commandment – love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Others will likely talk about the Great Commission – take the gospel to every person on earth.

History has some messages for us. Some very evil people in places of leadership have done great harm. Some very godly people in places of leadership have done great good. Both lessons should not be forgotten.   Auschwitz was a Nazi death camp where nearly a million Jews were slaughtered for one reason – they were Jews.

Through more than 40 years of ministry, I’ve heard the refrain from friends, “Every Christian should visit the Holy Land – especially pastors, teachers and church leaders. ” The Bible will come alive, they say. It’s been on my wish list.

It is fitting that North Carolina Baptists’ news journal, the Biblical Recorder, dedicated the March 10 print edition to the most famous Southern Baptist in history. Billy Graham was a North Carolina native, a life-long resident and an ordained Baptist minister.

It’s time to stop attending church. If you’re shocked at that statement, give me a chance to explain. Have you noticed the shift in the language we use to describe our relationship with a specific church? There was a time when we heard someone say, “I’m a member of Third Baptist Church,” or “I belong to Third Baptist Church.

Communication is the lifeblood of relationships. Families function well and enjoy healthy, happy relationships to the extent that communication remains strong. This is also true in the worlds of business, government and the local church.   People want to know what is going in the world where they live and work.

I began delivering the afternoon newspaper in my rural Charlotte neighborhood as a 9-year-old boy. There were some hazards in that job. Dogs chased me almost every day, and I was the recipient of a few bites from our canine companions.     The weather did not always cooperate with me.