Jeff Brawner: Baptizing in the Mississippi

Island Community Church has a membership of less than 100, but is a church with the potential to impact the world through its congregation of primarily medical students, graduate students, and young professionals from all over the globe. Dr. Jeff Brawner, the newest facility member at MABTS, pastors this body of believers that is not only unique because its members, but also in the fact that the baptismal waters are the Mississippi river. Click here to listen to more about this fascinating church and Dr. Brawner's desire to bring people to Christ.

Bryan Loritts and Ricky Jenkins: Moving past the racial barrier.

“We must face the sad fact that at 11 o’clock on Sunday morning, when we stand to sing… we stand in the most segregated hour in America.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The idea of a multicultural church appeals to me on so many levels, but I have found very few churches that can truly say they are multicultural. One local body in Memphis holds this distinction: Fellowship Memphis. This summer Bryan Loritts, lead pastor and son of Crawford Loritts, and Ricky Jenkins, pastor of Fellowship Downtown and MABTS Student, sat down with me to discuss how they lead a fellowship of believers from different races and with roots in various Christian traditions.

The interview with Ricky and Bryan can be found here on Itunes.

Ryan Bush returns . . . sort of.

The truth is we recorded two interviews with Ryan back to back in one day, but the best way to keep people at your house for hours on end is to promise a delectable dessert and not serve it until three hours after the original meal. If you doubt me try it sometime. Instead of asking, "Would you like dessert now, or would you like to wait?" say, "I made a tremendous trifle with chocolate, caramel, and walnuts that we will eat later." I am sure your guests will stay in anticipation no matter how lame your jokes are. I must add, this may not work if the guests mentioned above have had your trifle and it was neither delectable nor tremendous. So, never promise an untremendous trifle as a tremendous trifle to anyone who has already tried the trifle.

Well, listening to Ryan and I talk about mission work and fun times at seminary housing may not be a trifle, but thanks for staying for dessert.

Part 2 of Rick Melick

Dr. Rick Melick from Golden Gate Baptist Seminary did a second interview with me while he was here on campus. I enjoyed hearing stories about his working along side his son at a church plant in North Califorina. The podcast can be heard here.

Ryan Bush

Missiology student Ryan Bush and I had a conversation last week about his experience planting a Hispanic church in the Memphis area.

Ryan and I worked on staff at a church together in Little Rock before he and his wife Amanda served in Peru as ISC missionaries with the International Mission Board. He is one of the most genuine men you will ever meet. I believe you will enjoy hearing him tell about his experiences on the podcast which can be found here.

Dr. Rick Melick

Last week Dr. Rick Melick from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary delivered the Scholar's Lectures here at MABTS. I had the opportunity to interview him about his role in the translation of the Holman Christian Standard Bible and his thoughts on translation theory. He also briefly discussed his new book coming out Teaching That Transforms.
You can hear the podcast here http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=82464467

Video of Interview with Dr. Spradlin

Here is the video footage from my interview with Dr. Spradlin back in February.

Junior Hill

During the Reconnect conference on the campus of MABTS, evangelist Junior Hill came by the studio for an excellent interview. We talked about the role of the vocational evangelist, the need for revivals in the church, and encouragement for local pastors who may not see a lot of "fruit" in their congregation for several years.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=81570101

Second Interview with Dr. Stan May

We recently did a second interview with Dr. Stan May. In this interview one of the things we discussed is the trend of churches sending more volunteer teams and less money to fund organizations like the IMB.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=81057533

Below is a time lapse video we filmed the day Dr. May was in studio.

A good interview with Chuck Herring

Last week Dr. Chuck Herring the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Collierville, Tennessee was on campus for the annual week of revival. He sat down with me to talk about his call to ministry and his vision for where to lead his church. We also discussed his role as a trustee with the North American Mission Board. Along with serving as a trustee, Dr. Herring is on the search committee to find the next president of NAMB.

The interview can be heard here http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=80855662

Missions with Dr. May

Last week I visited with Dr. Stan May, Department Chair of Missions at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, in the Live By the Word Studios. We had an interesting conversation about the distinction of the Mission program at MABTS, and some specific advice he gives every person who feels called to the mission field. He also discussed ways that missionaries can continue to keep a close walk with the Lord even though they are not planted in a strong community of believers.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=80672044

A Conversation with Dr. Mike Spradlin

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Mike Spradlin the president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He told me about starting the Live By the Word broadcast and his vision for that program. We also talked about trends in theological education and opportunities for prospective students to study in a more non-traditional manner including online and distance learning. We also discussed the major differences in the student body from when he became president in the late 1990’s until now.

Live By the Word with Mike Spradlin can be heard on WCRV in the Memphis area on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and can be heard as a podcast at http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/live-by-word-mike-spradlin/id280096116

A Minute in the Word can also be heard across much of the Bott Radio Network at 4:00 p.m. Monday – Friday.

Reconnect: A Special Conference on Revival and Evangelism

On March 1-2, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary will be hosting Reconnect: A Special Conference on Revival and Evangelism. The conference will feature notable speakers such as Junior Hill and Ken Weathersby. Dr. Jere Phillips joined me in the studio to share what he believes will be some of the highlights of the conference. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=79353520
For more information about Reconnect, check out the Mid-America website at mabts.edu or call the Dr. Phillips at (901) 751-3035.

Theology with Dr. John Mahony

Dr. John Mahony, the chairman of the Department of Theology and History at MABTS, stopped by the studio to discuss theological trends among incoming students and the seeming sway to move away from orthodox evangelical theology in the local church. I also asked him to give an opinion on the impact of the resurgence of reformed theology in the Southern Baptist Convention. As always, Dr. Mahony provided a good conversation.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=79353521

Talking with Gary Redding about the role of donors

A few months ago I sat down with Dr. Gary Redding the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Mid-America Baptist Seminary to discuss the role donors play in the education of a seminary student. We talked about the fact that nearly 70% of each student’s tuition is paid by people who choose to give to Mid-America. In other words, each student’s education is mostly financed by individuals who faithfully give to the ministry of MABTS.

As we talked about the importance of “faith financers” of the seminary, he outlined a few ways people can give to help further the work of educating men and women who are called to minister in the local church and as missionaries throughout the world.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=79290902

Interview with Dr. Jim Whitmire

I recently had the opportunity to interview Jim Whitmire who is the Executive Pastor of Worship at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Jim Whitmire is probably best known for being the music minister at Bellevue Baptist Church while Adrian Rogers was the senior pastor.
While in the studio Dr. Whitmire and I discussed the importance of theological training for music ministers and his appreciation Handel’s Messiah. I believe you will find this to be an engaging interview. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minutes-with/id347345024?i=79257719