Throughout December, I’ll feature stories and information about First Baptist’s adopted Strategic Plan. Today, we take a look at the “Snapshot Survey.” Jenny Wilhelm, Gale Neal, and Josh Hall administered and interpreted the survey results. Their findings are reported below. In September, FBCTLH surveyed members, regular attendees, and occasional guests ages 12 and above. The […]
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“Come Home for Christmas.” What a great invitation. When offered at a manger in Bethlehem, our world suddenly changes. Our lives are disrupted. The routine stops. God has offered us salvation. We leave behind what we’re doing and join the shepherds kneeling in a cave. This year, I invite you to worship Christ the newborn […]
Read More »“He is able to bring low those who walk in pride.” The mystic Catherine of Genoa once remarked that pride is like gazing at the sun too long. Just as staring at the sun’s rays can cause permanent blindness, so does someone who gazes at his own life too much. By looking to our own […]
Read More »Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. We have come to the end of our “Think, Act, Be” devotions. Thank you for reading and reflecting with me throughout this series. I’ve […]
Read More »“You will never wash my feet.” Only slaves washed feet in the ancient world. So when Jesus started washing his disciples’ feet, Peter was embarrassed, ashamed, and worried about his reputation. The last person Peter ever imagined he would be following is a slave. Rarely do slaves ever become monarchs. But Jesus became a servant […]
Read More »But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. The stereotype of Paul is that of the finger-waving apostle chastising a church. Not so in Thessalonica. He’s a tender, vulnerable missionary pleading for help. What he faced in Thessalonica, he had never faced before. He’s in the uncharted territory, […]
Read More »In your light we see light. When the Pilgrims set sail from Holland on the Mayflower, John Robinson offered a farewell speech. He encouraged them to seek more light from the Word of God by reminding them of their church covenant: “Whereby wee promise and covenant with God and one with another, to receive whatsoever […]
Read More »Write them on the tablet of your heart. Scribes in the ancient world wrote on wax tablets to preserve the message. Many people thought the human heart was also made of wax to preserve memories. That same metaphor is used here in this passage. In order to keep our commitments, Proverbs tells us to engrave […]
Read More »The humble, poor, and disabled can teach us so much about grace. Jesus calls us to sit in the cheap seats and to invite people to our parties with no ability to return the favor. Why? So we can learn what it’s like to simply enjoy the party with people who couldn’t earn or buy […]
Read More »Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. In autumn, falling leaves remind us of the hope for loved ones who have died in Jesus. They are like seeds planted in the ground […]
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