Context

In order to avoid misunderstanding of some of what I write, you might want to know a little about my background.

1. I am the Pastor of a Southern Baptist church. I occasionally make references to Deacons. In SBC churches, Deacons function as a governing board. In some denominations they might refer to them as "Elders."

2. As I am male, and virtually all of the other Pastors that I have regular contact with are men, I refer to Pastors in the masculine. I am not trying to slight any woman pastor or minister, it is simply force of habit.

3. I am originally from Georgia, while my wife is from Louisiana. This makes for interesting game days when UGA and LSU are playing, or when the Falcons and the Saints are playing.

4. I base my theology on a literal interpretation of the Bible, within its original context. I have no real preference for translations, except that I use the New American Standard the most.