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Continue reading →: Holy Week counters the “overprotective church”
In a recent article, author Hanna Rosin claims that our culture is being so overprotective with children that we are hindering them from growing up. She wrote, “One common concern of parents these days is that children grow up too fast. But sometimes it seems as if children don’t get the space…
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Continue reading →: Review of Jonathan Merritt’s “Jesus is Better Than You Imagined”
Just hot off the press, the latest book by Religion News Service senior writer, Jonathon Merritt, entitled Jesus is Better than You Imagined is worth a read because it is a profound take on one young person’s journey through the trials and triumphs that make for a vibrant Christian life. Unlike what the…
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Continue reading →: “One Like Us:” Discovering God’s True Love for Us
Text: Hebrews 2 I. Did anyone catch the season finale of the reality show, The Bachelor, last week? I’ll fill you in on the premise: Basically, a bachelor spends two months with two dozen women contestants to find the love of his life. During the show, he eliminates a woman…
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Continue reading →: New ways to measure church success and growth
There is an old adage that the best way to measure church growth is by assessing the “Three Big Bs”: butts-in-pews, budgets, and buildings. According to Kevin Ezell of the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board, this adage is antiquated and may have to change. In a board meeting…
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Continue reading →: Television: Mirror of immoral reality or harbinger of moral transformation?
My wife and I are what you might call “television late bloomers,” which means that we always catch the good shows years after they air. Some of that has to do with the fact that we don’t have cable. Also, we do not watch television every week, so it is…
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Continue reading →: Ashes, Ashes
Originally posted on Talk with the Preacher: Blessed Ash Wednesday, all. Today is one of those days that weighs heavy on many. I see people in church on this day whom I don’t see the entire rest of the year. Every year, I think about why. I think is has…
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Continue reading →: Transfiguration Sunday and “Pastor Stunts”
By Joe LaGuardia I’ve been trying to think of a stunt to pull. I’m still not sure if it will be a stunt to raise money, draw attention to my church, or advocate for a cause. There has to be something out there for me to do. That’s the “in…
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Continue reading →: Triennial Convention reminds us of God’s work in the world
This May marks the bicentennial anniversary of the first Baptist Triennial Convention, a meeting of like-minded Baptists passionate about missions. It was the summer of 1814 in Philadelphia. More than 30 delegates pooled resources to support missionaries. It came after a century of revolution and war, but also of explosive…
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Continue reading →: The White Trillium and the Beauty of the Trinity
By Rev. Orrin Morris King Solomon gave us a beautiful description of spring when he wrote, “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle dove…
Engaging Heart, Mind, and Soul
Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia
Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia is a pastor, writer, and chaplain residing in Florida. He is author of three books and regular contributor to Smyth & Helwys’ Formations Series. His articles have appeared in USA Today, Baptist News Global, Christian Ethics Today, TCPalm, and Rockdale Citizen.
Baptist Spirituality explores the intersection of faith and culture incorporating biblical scholarship, culture and the arts, politics, science, and theology.
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