One of the fun things about living in a college town is that I’m always reminded of the adventure of faith. People change their plans because God speaks, and they follow. A college student changes majors, changes universities, or goes a totally different direction in life because they are disciples. During Advent, one of our […]
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Faith is an adventure of relationships, and sometimes the first step in a relationship is the hardest one to take. This past year, we’ve embarked on a wonderful journey together. Where will the people take us in 2014? If the Holy Spirit’s work is any indicator, no one ever really knows. God opens doors, and […]
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On Tuesday, I wanted to have a little fun with our orange and blue neighbors to the North. Recognizing that we have a few Auburn faithful at First Baptist, I thought it might be interesting to see how FBC Auburn was preparing for Monday night. Little did I know that a few other people might […]
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Resolutions are so much fun this time of year. We know we’re not going to complete them, but it sure is fun talking about them. Why do we break them? Dan and Chip Heath’s studies have shown that resolutions are made for defeat. They’re designed to make us feel good about setting them but do […]
Read More »One of our family traditions each Christmas has been to see a living nativity pageant, a dramatic reenactment in biblical costume of Christ’s birth. For Drake’s first Christmas, Parker and I went to see the pageant; Drake and Kelly stayed home. Parker’s buddy Zeb, who is four years older than Parker, played the significant role […]
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Hurricane Ivan struck Pensacola with a vengeance in 2004. While I was moving to a new house, my mother and extended family in Florida were riding out the storm in her house. They discovered quickly they were right in the middle of the storm’s path. My heart wanted to be with them through the storm, […]
Read More »Advent collides with our Hallmark sense of timing. Just when we’ve finished the Thanksgiving turkey, headed out the door for the Black Friday sales, or checked another score from the never-ending series of games, suddenly the church starts talking about Jesus’ return. We sing, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” while everyone else sings, “Deck the […]
Read More »This week, we gather around tables and televisions to remember the things, people and country for which we are thankful. Thursday, however, could be more than a sentimental journey through the Norman Rockwell moments of life. This day we should be grateful for gratitude. Robert Emmons has studied gratefulness in his book “Thanks!: How the […]
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You just never know who might show up in your neighborhood. As I was walking through ours on Halloween night, I passed another family who lives down the street. Their daughter was dressed in full costume. They looked as American as the next person, but they didn’t speak English to each other. At the end […]
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This Sunday, we begin a new series called “A Resilient Faith.” When I first learned about faith, I thought of it as an unshakeable confidence. With God, I could do anything. But that’s just one dimension. Faith is a gift from God when we feel isolated, lonely, afraid, and weary. The book of Hebrews describes […]
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