Insights from in and around the association
UBA Voices
4 Ways to Guard Your Heart Online
How does social media affect us? And how can we set appropriate boundaries to protect ourselves?
Dear Church, You are Influencers Too
What does it mean to be an influencer, and how can Christians use the influence they have well?
Let's Play a Game! Where have you seen "Better Together" lately?
In a year like 2020, many people adopted the slogan “Better Together.” And honestly, we’re not sad about it. Where have you seen “Better Together” lately?
Who Holds You Accountable Online?
Christian accountability is an important part of discipleship. We often hold our Christian brothers and sisters accountable for inappropriate words or acts, but we might neglect one place where we spend a lot of social time.
6 Dangerous Social Media Habits Pastors Should Avoid
“… And he’s a pastor!” I hear this phrase almost every week about a pastor’s online activity—namely, their treatment toward another human being through harsh speech. It’s almost as if we get behind a keyboard or touchscreen and forget our calling as heralds of God’s Word, shepherds of God’s people.
Reaching Your Cross-Cultural Neighbors from a Social Distance
Thanks to COVID-19, many Christians might feel at a loss for how to live out the Great Commission call in day-to-day life. How could we possibly go and make disciples of all nations when simply engaging with friends, family, and our church community seems so difficult? However, you can find creative ways to reach the nations near you—even in a global pandemic.
2020's Most Surprisingly Relevant Worship Song
Most of what we experienced this year echos a sense of loss—the fading music and the constant erosion of things we took for granted. I know I'm not alone in feeling the strain. Fortunately for me, however, God's grace in 2020 has reminded me of the things that are most important—and all the things that are not.
How Different is Too Different?
Personal conviction and church autonomy have long been distinctives defining who we are as Baptists. That means each church is going to have its own flavor, and that's (usually) a good thing—much like the mouth-watering diversity found in Houston. When we're bound together by the truth of the gospel, our different perspectives and approaches can help us innovate well. But how different is too different? Does unity in the church have to come at the cost of good decision-making or orthodoxy?
Wit and Wisdom
I once saw a comment by Jon Tyson—pastor of Trinity Grace Church in Manhattan—regarding the prodigious creative output of our culture. His words struck me as truthful. "So much content; so little wisdom."
Most Americans, it strikes me, are content with cleverness and snark. And, in our ever-increasing desire to appear more nonchalant and funny, something is lost. That something, it seems to me, is wisdom.
Leveraging Our Differences
"More divided than ever." It's a cringe-worthy phrase I hear way more often than I'd like lately—because it seems to be true. Though our culture increasingly rejects labels, it's also become a place where loyalty to one group means a complete rejection of and distance from those outside that group. But is it possible to challenge someone's position while keeping a larger sense of unity? How can leveraging our differences make us better?