Dear First Baptist Family, As most of you know, the subject of prayer has been very important to me in the last few years. My fascination with prayer — how it works, what we can expect, how to pray effectively — has grown out of my own sense of a lack of understanding and...
When I was a child, I remember hearing the story of Joni Erickson Tada. She had a terrible swimming accident that left her a quadriplegic. In spite of her physical limitations, Joni became an accomplished author and artist. Her story of faith is inspiring. On her wedding day, Joni...
I so enjoyed celebrating communion with the family of faith yesterday. We’ve just begun to pass the plates again in the 11:00 am service. While I love the image of approaching the altar, as we do in the First Community early service, I also love the image of serving one another down the...
A pastor of a small church would occasionally call on a gentleman to pray, and every time this one particular man would pray, he would end with the strangest statement: “And, oh Lord, prop us up on our leaning side.” One day after hearing this phrase over and over, the...
For the last few weeks I have been sharing messages about our core values. The first and most essential value is that Jesus is Lord. The word is kyrie is the word for Lord in the New Testament. It means master, boss, or the one who has...
There are good reasons why America remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. on this day. He left a legacy of lifting up the poor and marginalized. He demonstrated the power of the gospel in tangible ways. And he continues to challenge us, even 55 years after his death, on how we should live...
Last Monday evening, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin had a heart attack and collapsed in the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a moving sight to see dozens of players kneeling around him and praying as medical personnel worked to restart his heart on the field...
Dear First Baptist Family, One of the most poignant moments for me during the footsteps of Paul trip happened by the creek in ancient Philippi. Paul and his companions arrived in the medium-sized city to first share the gospel in the synagogue, but as...
(7 minute read) “Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! (Psalm 116:2, NLT).” On this day, we remember the day when Jesus rested in the earth. If Jesus lived thirty-three years, taking fifteen breaths per minute, over his earthly life, He would...
(7 minute read) “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, NIV). One of the lowest points of my life happened about seventeen years ago. My father had died after a prolonged illness. I had just taken a new ministry position. Within a few weeks of starting the job...