Greetings!
I hope your week went well. The following are six timely topics I’d like to share with you.
Doyle’s Half Dozen is my way of offering perspective on issues you may or may not have considered this week. But I hope you were encouraged, inspired, maybe challenged to look at things that are happening from a Christian worldview, and perhaps in some way, directly or indirectly, God is also speaking to you through what is shared in my weekly DHDs.
Let’s get to it!
- Pubbing the SBC
A big conference happened this past week in Louisville, Ky. A bunch of well-known pastors and Christian speaker met at the Together for the Gospel conference (or T4G for all the trendy people).
During the conference, Albert Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, and Mark Dever, pastor of Washington, D.C., Capitol Hill, did some dialoging about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). I wish I could have attended this chat between two Christian deep-thinkers, but I settled for reading an article about it in Baptist Press.
I loved that Dever described the SBC as a “force multiplier.” I loved that Mohler said the removal of denominations would bring far more disunity.
I cheered when I read Dever promoting the Cooperative Program, which is the key factor of why the SBC is important in modern Christianity, and how he encouraged his church to increase its CP giving.
Finally, I appreciated both men presenting attitudes of unity when addressing both candidates for this year’s SBC presidential election, J.D. Greear and Ken Hemphill.
- Wax on ‘A Quiet Place’
I mentioned WordSlingers movie critic Michael Foust’s review last week on newly-released film A Quiet Place. This week, my favorite blogger Trevin Wax gave an analysis about the post-apocalyptic movie and the interpretations of pro-life, pro-family messages the film portrays. Check out “The Irrepressible Realities at the Heart of ‘The Quiet Place.’”
“Contrary to progressive pieties, it is not ‘regressive’ to see a family banding together to preserve peace for themselves in a hostile world. It is not regressive to see men and women leaning on each other in different ways and taking up different tasks. It is not regressive to prioritize your family over the rest of the world, or to take up a rifle and fire at the enemy in front of you out of love for the child behind you.”
By the way, I disagree with Wax’s conclusion of the best Hitchcock movie. I would pick North by Northwest, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder and even Psycho before selecting Vertico.
- Another take of reflection on the 1995 OKC Bombing
I remember discussing with my coworker Hannah a few weeks ago about how many lives were taken on April 19, 1995 at the bombing of Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City. It is common knowledge of the 168 lives lost that dreadful day.
However, Hannah made me aware three women who died were pregnant. Though their babies do not have chairs on the south lawn of the Memorial, their names are listed on their mothers’ chairs.
Check out Hannah’s blog “The Ones that Counted: Three Precious Lives Lost in the OKC Bombing of 1995.”
- Another dreadful April 19 anniversary
Though the OKC bombing happened 23 years ago, another day of human loss happened 25 years ago on April 19. The standoff in Waco, Texas between the Branch Davidians and the FBI concluded with at least 80 followers of the cult dying that day.
I recall the Waco tragedy instigated Timothy McVeigh to plan his attack on the Murrah Building, and he chose to do it on April 19, the second anniversary of Waco, at that time.
Joe Carter offers information about the Branch Davidians and its leader David Koresh.
- Attention Healthcare Missionaries
In this week’s Baptist Messenger, I wrote about the MedAdvance Conference 2018 which meets June 28-30, in Rockville, Va. Hance Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, will be a key speaker during the conference, as well as Clyde Meador, who served the International Mission Board for 41 years.
I got to interview Rebekah Naylor for the story. She is the organizer of the MedAdvance Conference and is quite legendary when it comes to international missions. Naylor is a decorated surgeon and a passionate Godly woman, especially when it comes to sharing the Gospel through the medical field and other healthcare opportunities.
I encourage anyone who is involved in healthcare to consider going to this conference. This should be an enlightening experience as well as a practical opportunity for you to find out how you can share your talents as well as the Gospel internationally, including places that forbids Christianity.
You can register for the conference at regonline.com/MedAdvance.
- A new appreciation for Jake Locker
Former NFL quarterback Jake Locker left the pro game early while he was still healthy and in demand.
Sports Illustrated offers a great journal piece by Greg Bishop who said he was tracking down Locker for a year, and the former Washington Husky finally met with Bishop at a mall food court.
The article is excellent. I loved finding out about Locker being a family man and reading the few glimpses of his Christian faith that Sports Illustrated was willing to share.