Moving through a busy week, I have only caught brief glimpses of the news. It seems like it would have been a great week to turn it off altogether because of the overwhelming nature concerning the state of our world. This week, persecution towards Christians and violence has escalated in Iraq, comedian Robin Williams committed suicide, and unarmed teenager Michael …
As I prepare to teach Intro to New Testament at Lander University, there was some confusion about what Bible translation students needed to bring to class. It was assumed by some that the King James Version of the Bible would be the best option. I told them to bring a more accurate translation of the Bible which caught some by …
I can’t say that I really disagree with this church sign. Our congregation is like fudge: sweet with a few nuts.
I mentioned earlier this week that my job has changed. Serving as a Family Pastor has unique challenges. For some people, they may think that I am going to provide specific help in family situations. For others, they think that I will be overseeing all children’s and student ministries at the church. Some people may think I will provide the …
I woke up at my normal time today. I walked into the same office. But I have a very different job. Today, I started my job as Family and Worship Pastor at North Side Baptist Church in Greenwood, SC. We made the announcement yesterday of some major changes in the coming days with our church. One of those was concerning …
Before God goes any further with His people, He makes sure that they understand how He sees their relationship. God’s relationship with Israel then defines His relationship with the church today. We started the service by singing “Declare Your Praise,” “Awesome God,” and “Humble Yourselves.” This set was meant to show how we are called out to be a kingdom …
My sons hear me say lots of things. They have gotten very accustomed to my voice. I was amazed at how even last night, all three of my children sat through an entire worship service on the front row where Daddy preached. They stayed quiet and content the whole time. I was so proud of them! While my sons at …
This week’s church sign: Devil worshipers welcome. Well, I…mean…that’s good I suppose. There must be a story here somewhere.
Parenting a 2-year-old is a complicated endeavor. There is a unique complexity concerning my daughter’s unrivaled cuteness accompanied by her escalating rebellion. As of late, Gloria has developed this new strategy when I discipline her (I know, I know, “What could a child this cute ever do wrong?” Trust me — there’s original sin under all that pink [Ps. 51:5]). Whenever my daughter is called out …
God’s people are most at peace when they live according to His word and His wisdom. Making sure there is an effective way to get God’s word to His people is the focus of our time today (Exodus 18:1-27). After missing last Sunday due to Family Camp, it was great to be back at North Side! I was thankful that the …
Family Camp 2014 was incredible! I will be sharing some stories later, but for right now, enjoy our end-of-the-week recap!
Here’s a quick video recap from Day 1 Family Camp! It’s been an amazing week so far!
This week’s church sign states: Our worship leader was contemporary when Chris Tomlin was in Jr. High. So, is there an award for this or something? Congratulations, guys!
There is a big difference between trusting God and testing God. Testing God is a sin and one that is committed when we grumble about our circumstances. God wants us to know that He will always provide what His children need. I was away at Family Camp today, but I hated being away from our church family! Watch Online Worship …
In this edition of Short-Sermon Saturday, Matt Chandler talks about the beauty of the gospel in light of how distorted we often present it. This “Jesus Wants the Rose” clip is a powerful less than 4 minute watch. Enjoy!
We have some summer goals for our family. One of those goals was to take the swimmies off for our boys and get them swimming on their own. I am happy to say that they have passed swimming tests and are excited about the water. Mom, on the other hand, is a nervous wreck! It has caused us to keep constant …
I wonder who put this sign up and wonder what type of feedback he or she got!
Fleeing youthful lusts isn’t enough. I use to think it was. In college, I wanted to live a pure life, so I found some verses to memorize. One verse I always heard people reference was 2 Tim. 2:22: “Now flee from youthful lusts…” And so I tried to do that. Lust can mean a host of things. While it is …
God doesn’t always lead his people down the easiest path. When following the Lord becomes difficult, we can certainly depend on God to fight for us, but we have to keep moving forward by faith. After watching a Shake-n-Shine recap video, Ben recognized Dylan Bailey who was award the Blackmon Scholarship. You can read his powerful essay here. We then …
Just a reminder today: always be ready to tell anyone where your hope comes from. but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect… -1 Peter 3:15 This song is from our 1 …
We are just a little over a month from Lander University being back in session and I am so excited to be able to teach Intro to the New Testament this coming semester. This will be my first time teaching this course. In the past, I have taught World Religions, Sacred Texts & Ideas, and Intro to the Old Testament. …
The Complex Spiritual Nature of Our World His name was Yohei. It was the year 2000 in Tokyo, Japan. He told our mission team that Jesus, Allah, or anybody else who claimed to be God was probably correct. They all led to the same place, and we had everything inside of us that we needed to reach God. Upon questioning …
My dialogue with some Jehovah’s Witnesses has continued as of late. After a couple of encounters, I sent my new friends an email with some questions and asked for their leaders to help me understand some discrepancies within the New World Translation. When they showed up back at the house last week, they said they didn’t have adequate time to talk about …
A picture says a thousand words. A simple snapshot is able to archive a moment, capture an emotion, or recall a memory. It’s an amazing feat. Take the arena of basketball. I can show you a picture of a player in an event and it will cause you possibly to remember the moment and recall your personal feelings about that …
So, like the actual personification of death wrote that? The Grim Reaper, itself?! Would that be the scariest person to write that message on that sign? Oh, I think not. Look at the name of the church. This is Dwarf Baptist Church! It’s either Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Gimli, Thorin Oakenshield, Larry, Curly, or one of those dwarves who wrote it. …
Knee-deep in the Passover today. God showed his power among the Israelites and the Egyptians with the plagues, and yet, in his final plague, he also showed his great mercy as he passed over the people who were covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. We began today’s services by singing “Pass Me Not” and “Agnus Dei.” Someone stated …
On Sunday, we are singing a song during communion entitled “Mercy.” The entire service is focusing on the Passover, and we are using as an eclectic amount of music genres that I believe is possible. This song will conclude our services. Matt Redman wrote this song. It is on his latest album and on the latest Passion 2014 album. There …
Over a week ago, I had the privilege of attending the Montgomery’s Center graduation for doctors in residence with the Self Regional Healthcare network. It was my first time attending this ceremony, and I was excited to be there because over half of those graduating had been a part of North Side while they were in Greenwood. I promised not to “Cousin …
I must admit: I don’t necessarily disagree entirely with the theology on this one. I don’t think you “try Jesus,” but I do have to admit that life is pretty cray cray. And I do believe Jesus is the way…way.
I would appreciate your prayers today as I travel to Perry Correctional Institute which is a level 3 security prison for men. The movie Courageous has been used in the prison and had an impact on many of inmates. A group of the inmates are about to go through The Resolution for Men Bible Study which I had the privilege of …
Thursday, Jeff and I had lunch with a dear friend who is going through some very difficult times. Looking for encouragement and hope, he said, “I’m coming to North Side on Sunday. You better have an encouraging word for me! What are you preaching on?” Jeff and I looked at each other and immediately started laughing. “We are focusing on …
“Living Hope” is the first song from our “Stand Firm” project where we wrote worship songs through the Book of 1 Peter. We are using this song this Sunday morning, so check out the video to warm up your vocal chords and get ready to worship with us. Lyrics VERSE 1 We have endured these fleeting trialsNo matter what, we …
Mondays for ministers are often unpredictable. You really don’t have adequate time to process what God did among your church on Sunday before a whole new set of challenges are waiting for you on Monday. My Monday mornings usually consist of addressing anything that needed to be addressed from yesterday, sending out thank you’s to those who served, scheduling my calendar …
When I was asked to preach at a camp at Columbia International University, I quickly said yes. I was excited to be with them for many reasons, but one reason was that I finally got to walk around a path that was legendary for me. I had never been to that school. I have friends associated with CIU and have …
If you press pause on your DVR, you realize why USA remained in the fight as long as we did. Tim Howard is a legend. Great run, USA.
Happy Birthday, Amanda! With every passing year, you grow in grace and beauty. You stole my heart when I was 16, and yet you somehow manage to take more of it day by day. I often say to others that I “outkicked my coverage” when I married you. I am simply way out of my league. And one day, you …
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