by Brent McDougal | Sep 26, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
We’ve had some excitement with many baptisms over the last few months. We’ve been down to the Tennessee River and up to the baptistry behind our choir loft. We’ve baptized young adults, men and women, children and youth. This Sunday two more of our youth will enter...
by Brent McDougal | Sep 18, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
One of the first concerts I attended as a youth was Jimmy Buffett. I will never forget the crowd singing fins to the left, fins to the right while holding their arms like a shark fin and swaying left and right. The concert was like a little vacation with Buffett...
by Brent McDougal | Sep 12, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
One of my favorite running routes is to start underneath the bridge between our FBC buildings, cross the river on the Gay Street bridge, follow the river along the One Riverwalk apartments, and then come back on the Henley bridge. Recently I was running along the...
by Brent McDougal | Sep 6, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
In 1978, when I was nine years old, I was baptized at the First Baptist Church of Columbia, South Carolina. Then I “reaffirmed” my baptism in 2017 by being baptized in the Jordan River in Israel. I can remember both experiences vividly — the feel of the water, the...
by Brent McDougal | Aug 29, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
A 1st grade Sunday school teacher once asked the class to think about something important and draw a picture of it. Each child began working on their special picture. The teacher then noticed one little boy who seemed to be more focused than the rest. The others had...
by Brent McDougal | Aug 22, 2023 | FirstLife Blog
I heard recently about an English teacher who asked her class to write an essay on what they’d do if they had a million dollars. When the exercise was completed, a little boy named Alec handed in a blank sheet of paper. “Alec!” yelled the teacher. “You’ve...
