by Brent McDougal | Nov 28, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
A young minister was nervously preaching his first sermon as pastor in a tiny country church. His anxiety showed as he tried to tell what happened in the text. ”The Master fed the multitude,” he said, his voice quivering, “with 5,000 loaves and 2,000 fish.” An...
by Brent McDougal | Nov 21, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
Dear First Baptist Family, The autumn of East Tennessee is nearly over. The colors have been spectacular in spite of the dry weather. The cold is coming to stay for a while, but that means Christmas isn’t far off. Sometimes I see the sunrise or sunset over the...
by Brent McDougal | Nov 15, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
Dear First Baptist Family, I woke up this Monday morning to learn the news that South Carolina Senator Tim Scott made the surprising announcement to drop out of the presidential race. Regardless of your political leanings (Republican, Democrat, or otherwise), most...
by Brent McDougal | Nov 6, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
Dear First Baptist Family, Yesterday I preached on that beautiful verse in Ephesians 5 that encourages us to speak to one another “with psalms, hymns, and songs of the Spirit” (5:19, NIV). I then thought of one of the greatest hymn writers in the history of...
by Brent McDougal | Oct 31, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s a good time to count your blessings. Most people, however, wait until the week of Thanksgiving to think about reasons to be thankful. Why not have a season of gratitude from now until November 23rd? Robert Emmons is the...
by Brent McDougal | Oct 3, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
My friend Wanda developed a friendship over several years with a professional massage therapist. Wanda said that she is a delightful person, but a bit fragile. They have told one another their life stories, including the journey of faith for each of them. Wanda’s...
