I received another good questions this week on a Connection Card. Are there still prophets today? This was submitted by someone with many friends who are Mormons, who call their leaders Prophets. It is a good question that requires some thinking and definition of terms. In general terms, a prophet...
I received a good question regarding my sermon on October 26 on prayer. The series of questions on prayer included, “Can prayer change God’s mind?” and “If we pray for someone’s salvation or a revival of the nation, don’t people still have free will?” The questions concluded with the...
The very first amendment of the United States Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government...
Our staff has been busy thinking, studying, and praying about how to reach the unchurched. As part of that study, we read the book, “The Rise of the Nones,” by James Emory White, which stimulated my thinking and contributed to these thoughts, as did a conference by Lifeway Researcher Ed...
FSBCA is in a neighborhood of increasing poverty. Sometimes, people are poor due to circumstances totally beyond their control. Sickness or injury hits and destroys earning potential. Medical bills destroy savings and lead to debt. Layoffs hit and new jobs are hard to come by. But many times (maybe even...
I received another good question in the offering plate this week, “Who do we pray to? Do we pray to the Heavenly Father, to God, or to Jesus? Or does it matter, because of the trinity? I’ve noticed Christians vary in their prayers.” My answer starts with the Lord’s...
It’s old-fashioned. Most people wouldn’t consider it exciting. We don’t serve food. The chairs aren’t the softest. The music is old-style, right out of the hymnal, with only piano accompaniment. Interested in attending? I’m talking about our Wednesday evening prayer meeting. We don’t put a lot of advance effort into...
It’s not unusual for me to set goals. I set them all the time. They help me think through what I should be accomplishing. They help me know where I’m going. And they help me devise strategies to meet those goals. But this goal is a little unusual. My goal...
Common courtesy is no longer common. We were taught it. Or at least I was. I was taught to treat people—all people—with a basic level of respect. They didn’t have to earn it, because it wasn’t about them. It was about me and my character. Common courtesy was to be...
Last year, I blogged about a young man living in our dumpster behind the church. He had a host of issues that led him to our dumpster. He had major family issues. He didn’t know his biological family and his foster family was unable and unwilling to care for him...
