Dear First Baptist Family, Our theme for the next several weeks is Better Together. What does this mean for us?First, it means that we are better together when we experience deep and abiding friendshi...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,A man named Andrew needed money and asked his boss for help. His boss decided to test Andrew’s determination and gave him a challenge. If Andrew spent all night on top of a n...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,When I have taken pilgrimage groups to Israel, one of the highlights has been floating in the Dead Sea. The water is extra-salty — about 9 or 10 times saltier than ocean wate...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family, There is a popular hymn that was written in circumstances that should have produced only despair. Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer who had already lost his y...  Read More

Dear Church Family, Sunday was quite a day with four baptisms and a special guest for worship: a (small, very well-behaved) python that was featured during the children’s sermon. It's probably the fir...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,When I was 11 years old, I visited Knoxville with my family for the 1982 World’s Fair. We stayed in the Smoky Mountains and spent time tubing the Little River.  It was a form...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,A few years ago, I began seriously thinking about what gets people through hard times. What makes the difference between someone who not only survives a crisis, but thrives, ...  Read More

Dear Church Family, Sunday we celebrated a blessed Mother's Day. We dedicated four children to the Lord, prayed for those who grieve on Mother's Day, and celebrated the gift and blessing that our moth...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,I started watching the National Basketball Association (NBA) when players such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barclay were hitting their stride. There was also a player named ...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,Many years ago, I pastored a church where I learned a valuable lesson about the importance of valuing every person, no matter who they are or what they look like.A gentleman ...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,I once heard about a bar that opened directly opposite a church. The church didn’t like the idea of a drinking establishment being so close to their place of worship, so they...  Read More

Dear First Baptist Family,My friend David was once driving and talking to his 6-year-old son in the backseat about church. David was saying something about a church event that day and asked if his son...  Read More