With updates on Coast Guard, Steve Lemke, Rodney Hammer, and Jack Allen.

Today, I lectured at NOBTS and their partnered colleges.

It was a nice mix of students and faculty. I presented on the emerging church and then three faculty members critiqued my presentation. Much more on that later...

Right now I am at a St. Louis hotel.

Tomorrow, I am speaking to the leadership of "General Association of General Baptists." Some of you may not know that there are a whole bunch of Baptist denominations.

Wikipedia describes this group as:

General Association of General Baptists - a group of Baptists holding the general atonement (that Christ died for all persons), located mostly in the Midwestern United States.

This body has grown and developed until it now embraces about 60 associations, 816 churches and more than 73,000 members. The denominational headquarters are located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where they operate Stinson Press. The official denominational publication is The General Baptist Messenger.

The General Association oversees publication of Sunday School literature, a home mission board, a foreign mission board, and the Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. The General Association is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals and the Baptist World Alliance.

Last month, I wrote about my time with friends at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The school has a unique place in the Great Commission Resurgence that is needed across my denomination and the church in general.

After Katrina hit, the school had its big chance to get out of what most people would consider a bad neighborhood (New Orleans' 9th Ward) and move to greener pastures (like their new "hubs" in Orlando and Atlanta). But, they didn't. They upgraded their centers, but their stayed in the city. And, I think it is great that they did.

Yes, New Orleans Seminary is not in a "nice" area... and isn't it good that Christians can go to places that are not nice? When I visited, I saw that the neighborhoods are still in disarray... but not the seminary. They are working hard, hosting volunteers to serve and reach the city, and being on mission in a hard place. And, I respect Chuck Kelley (and the trustees) for deciding to stay.

In January, I was blessed to preach at the Wesleyan National "Gathering" in Orlando, FL.

I made some new friends there and they invited me to teach at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN. The school is quite impressive. (They tell me it is the fastest growing Christian university in the country.) They call themselves "warm hearted evangelicals," and I have found them to be that very thing.

We have a good group of passionate leaders from 5 different denominations in class.

Below is the course description. It is very similar to the course I taught at Reformed Seminary earlier this month and somewhat similar to a course I co-taught at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in May.

Please be sure to note the use of the new boss' book, Simple Church. It is the greatest book ever written. (I am not sure he reads the blog, but better to be safe than sorry.)

And, of course, all biblical references will come from Lifeway's HCSB, my new favorite Bible translation.

:-)

The course lasts one week and ends on Friday.