This week God’s children have groaned in the pain of violence, war, and immigration. The Bible speaks about two kinds of groaning: the “labor pains” of creation longing for freedom and the groaning of believers longing for the adoption to be completed (Romans 8:21-22). This past week, one echoes the other in the voices of […]
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Most ministry involves three kinds of hands. A hand out to those less fortunate. We give food, extend mercy, and love unconditionally. A hand up to those trying to be empowered to make it on their own. We teach someone how to fish, or plan, or work so that they can feed their families. A […]
Read More »Over the past two weeks, I’ve preached about Life Groups. They’re outward-focused small groups in places, phases, and pursuits of life. They’re designed to reach the unreached, unchurched, and uninvolved in our community. In other words, they’re patterned after the groups that formed in Acts 2:41-46. FBC members will host and facilitate the groups, and […]
Read More »Several years ago, a friend of mine went through a terrible car accident. His recovery was slow and difficult. He never regained his full abilities, but he and his wife survived to tell an incredible story. They called it a “slow miracle.” In their testimony, they shared that the process of recovery and partial healing […]
Read More »This year’s VBS has surpassed expectations in attendance and impact. Rhonda Smith and our volunteers dedicated a week of their lives helping kids know that Jesus loves them. Using the template of “Weird Animals,” each child has discovered that they are uniquely created by God. Jesus loves them even though they are alone, don’t understand, or do bad […]
Read More »When Leah Larsen volunteered for “A Full Summer,” she wanted to help people who might “starve to death” this summer without the food. On Saturday, she and 250 other volunteers sacked, rice, beans, and vitamins in just under 2 hours. Our combined efforts provided 50,000 meals for hungry children in Leon County. Leah is a […]
Read More »Pentecost is this Sunday, June 8. Fifty days after Easter, we celebrate the birth of the church through the gift of the Holy Spirit. This Sunday in worship, we have a special treat. Marty Smith, Penny Folsom, and George Feijoo have arranged a special edition of “God is so Good,” to be sung in many […]
Read More »Humans need humor. Christians need to laugh at themselves especially. Any time we can get together with people of faith, we are making room for the movement of the Spirit in our midst. Last week, 34 of our Seniors played together in Branson, Missouri. The time of travel and fellowship was sweetened by the sounds […]
Read More »Last Wednesday, Josh Hall kicked off a two-part series on preventing suicide. This is a tough topic for any church to address, but naming the problem diffuses the pain and encourages people to discuss difficult issues at church. If we can’t talk about these things here, then where else can we discuss them? Often times […]
Read More »Last week at the Weekday graduation reception, I chatted with a couple of parents about their experience with Weekday. As you know, last week 22 students completed the program and are now ready for kindergarten. They’ll spend a few more weeks with us this summer, and then they’ll be off to school. I noticed two […]
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