Willie McLaurin

As far as I can remember, family reunions were a priority in our family. Being a North Carolina native, I remember the many road trips to Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, and Washington D.C. Those gatherings involved travel by automobile, on-the-go lunches prepared by my mother, and the backseat games my siblings and I played during the multi-hour drive.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. This is a month set aside to honor and show appreciation to those who serve as pastors and ministers in the local church. As a child, I fervently remember the adults in our local congregation making sure they honored the pastor daily and not only one month out of the year. Yes, there was a yearly Pastor Appreciation observation, but the congregation of believers who I observed demonstrated respect and honor toward the pastor year-round.

El Eclesiastés, uno de los grandes libros sapienciales del Antiguo Testamento, contiene un conocido pasaje en el que se atribuyen tiempos para todo y estaciones para toda actividad bajo el cielo.

Ecclesiastes, one of the great wisdom books in the Old Testament, contains a familiar passage ascribing times for everything and seasons for every activity under the heavens.

The Advent season puts a laser-sharp focus on the themes of peace, hope, love, and joy. Those themes are solid biblical principles that provide anchors for our faith. Yet, all of those themes are dependent upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In many ways, Jesus does not simply give peace, hope, love, and joy---He is all of those. Our hearts break over the tragedy that has taken place from the storms of the early morning hour. Many of our state conventions partners and Southern Baptist ministries are on the front lines providing immediate response to their harvest fields.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Sixty-five years ago this week on Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks – a 42-year-old seamstress and NAACP member – refused to give up her seat on a crowded city bus to make room for white passengers. She was arrested and jailed.

We cannot be silent about racism, Willie McLaurin says. We cannot be silent about injustice, and we cannot be silent about the Gospel that teaches that all racism is a sin.

No matter the size of the congregation, every church has a responsibility to do its part in fulfilling the Great Commission, Willie McLaurin says.

In most crises, we are accustomed to being inconvenienced for a few days or a few weeks, Willie McLaurin says. The real test of social distancing is now upon us. How do we maintain our sanity after Easter?

The coronavirus did not catch God by surprise, Willie McLaurin says. He lays out specific ways pastors can use this unusual time to "shape our lives for His glory."