Last week, I blogged about the homework of Holy Week. This week, it’s time to enjoy the liturgy, literally “public work,” of Holy Week. The word used most often by mainline Protestant and traditional churches to describe worship “liturgy” comes from an old Latin word liturgia. Originally,” liturgy” referred to things that we call today […]
Read More »Thursday before Palm Sunday is the day my pastoral homework is usually due. Holy Week is like final exams. No more time for studying. It’s time to proclaim what you know. So usually the Thursday before Palm Sunday I finish the homework to be ready for the worship work. So let me share with you […]
Read More »One of the greatest opportunities we have to share the gospel is often the most overlooked—Easter Sunday. More people—including the unchurched—want to go to church on this day than any other. On April 5, we will proclaim that we have seen the crucified and risen Jesus Christ in Tallahassee. Help us get ready for this […]
Read More »The hardest word in the English language to teach ourselves to use is “No.” That’s why we have lent. For 40 days before Easter, we pause to deprive ourselves of something so that we can focus on following Jesus. We learn to do what he told us to do: deny ourselves, take up our cross […]
Read More »Before most people start their day, our Weekday staff welcomes bleary-eyed children and parents for another day of education. They teach the love of Christ and lay a foundation that some children share with others for years to come. We hear frequently from families how much they love their experience at First Baptist. One child […]
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Mark 14:50-52 features the second eyewitness in my sermon series in Lent: a fugitive. Unlike the faithful woman with an alabaster box, this eyewitness reflects a realistic picture of a disciple. He’s the young man running away naked when Jesus is arrested. Our word “fugitive” comes from the Greek word used here: “fuego” or “to […]
Read More » This morning, we began a new series: Eyewitness. So many people were watching Jesus, but few were following. Today we noticed an unnamed woman from Mark 14:1-9 who knew more about Jesus than those closest to him. She walked in to a banquet, anointed his head, and “performed a beautiful service” for him (Mark 14:6). […]
Read More »What would it look like for the gospel to be unleashed in your life? Over Disciple Now Weekend, our students learned how to let God’s word change their lives. By following Paul’s example in 2 Timothy 4, they have given their lives to Jesus and recommitted to “fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and […]
Read More »Over the weekend, reports surfaced that 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded in Libya. Our thoughts and prayers are with these families and churches. The word martyr is a Greek word that means “witness.” Some witness in life, others in their death. Christians are not alone, of course. Depending on what part of the world you […]
Read More »I’ve been blessed to be a tither for as long as I can remember. Admittedly, I’m weird compared to most people. I was taught by parents, church, and school to give 10% of everything to the church because that’s what they said to do. When Kelly and I married, we just built tithing into our […]
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