My Mouth and My Heart

In Psalm 19:14, David prays, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." This connection between our mouth and our heart is important, so important that Jesus says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil....For what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the he

Forward to Normal

We often live much of our lives trying to get "back to normal" but the truth is that we can only ever move "forward to normal." This doesn't mean we have to leave everything in the past or leave behind helpful traditions. We can't go back. We are moving forward. The Book of Psalms brings us into this movement forward but does so while still acknowledging the pain, disorder, and difficulty of walking through this world. 

Getting "back to normal" is our response to difficulty

Songs for the Soul

Songs have a way of capturing our attention but they also have a way of expressing our true affection. As Christmas approaches, what songs are you listening to? What songs express the yearning of your heart and soul?There are silly Christmas songs. There are sentimental Christmas songs. There are secular Christmas songs. These songs may be fun and feel festive but they lack the depth to minister to us deeply. There are songs that sound sweet to our ears but we need songs t

A Day in Our Life or a Way of Life?

As we draw near to the Thanksgiving Holiday, I think it is helpful for us to remember that thanksgiving is a way of life for believers and not just a day in our life. Giving thanks to the Lord and rejoicing in the Lord are evidences of God's saving grace in a person's life.Believers are called to a lifestyle of giving thanks and rejoicing that doesn't make sense to unbelievers. Believers are called to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18) and to rejoice in the Lor

The Decline of a Biblical Worldview in the Pulpit and Pew

Recently, I read a disturbing statistic about pastors of Christian churches in America. Dr. George Barna writes, "A new nationwide survey among a representative sample of America's Christian pastors shows that a large majority of those pastors do not possess a biblical worldview. In fact, just slightly more than a third (37%) have a biblical worldview and the majority (62%) possess a hybrid worldview known as Syncretism." Syncretism is the mixing of ideas from two or more

Heal us, Emmanuel, hear our prayer!

For our prayer of repentance of faith this past Sunday (May 22), I read the lyrics from a William Cowper hymn, Heal Us, Emmanuel. I want to share it with you for your edification:

1. Heal us, Emmanuel, hear our prayer;

we wait to feel Thy touch;

deep-wounded souls to Thee repair,

and Savior, we are such.

2. Our faith is feeble, we confess

we faintly trust Thy Word;

but wilt Thou pity us the less?

Be that far from Thee, Lord!

3-Remember him who once applied

with trembling for relief;

Easter: A Day in our life or the Life in all our days?

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday so now we are back to just another ordinary Sunday, or are we? Although we celebrated the resurrection of Christ last Sunday in a special way, the resurrection of Christ isn't something we should only think about on Easter Sunday. The death and resurrection of Christ is the basis of the New Testament Church and thus the Christian life. Consider Paul's rehearsal of the gospel he preached to the Corinthians, "For I delivered to you as of first i

COVID and Vaccines

As we prepare for Sunday, I would like to say a few things about COVID. First, there is an uptick in cases around our area so if you have some symptoms please join us online for a Sunday. Second, I want to say something about the vaccines. I have heard some extreme statements regarding the vaccines. One pastor I heard declared that if you get vaccinated then you have denied the faith. Yet another pastor I read declared that if you do not get vaccinated then you have no lov

Many Members, One Body

Dear Faith Baptist Family, 

Good afternoon! I pray that the Lord has given you straight paths as you acknowledge him in all your ways. Let us continue to trust in the Lord with all our heart rather than leaning on our own understanding and feelings (see Proverbs 3:5-6).

It is so important for us to think rightly about church but it is so easy to think incorrectly. Let us be careful not to lean on our own understanding when it comes to the church. Paul identifies two faulty w

He Lives, He Lives!

Dear Faith Baptist Family, 

Good afternoon! The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!

Easter is behind us if we think of it only as a day but it is not behind us if we understand it as a new reality ushered in by Jesus Christ who is the resurrection and the life (see John 11:25-26). Jesus says, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (Rev 1:17b-18). Paul writes, "We know

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Good afternoon! I pray that that the God of hope will fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Rom 15:13).

As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week what should we think about? What was Jesus thinking about as he approached Jerusalem? Most of us think of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday as days of joy and celebration. Was Jesus celebrating as he approached Jerusalem? Jesus wept over Jerusalem as he drew near (

Face to Face

Dear Faith Baptist Family, Good afternoon! I pray that that the God of hope will fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Rom 15:13).A year ago we were preparing for our first of what would be six online only Sunday services. Although I am appreciative of the technology we have to live stream our services and the technology to hold zoom meetings, it is still a poor substitute for face to face fellowship.

All Things New

Another Christmas has come and gone. The presents were opened with much anticipation and delight, but truth be told, some of the newness and excitement has already worn off. I think we all enjoy getting something new, but truth be told, new things become old things pretty quickly.

The new things of this world have an incredibly short shelf life. There are storage units full of things that used to be new. There are garages full of things that used to be new. There are h

Habakkuk's Hallelujah

How thankful am I? How deep is my gratitude? As Thanksgiving rushes upon me, I ponder the depth of my gratitude and the sincerity of my thankfulness. How much could God take away without me grumbling and complaining? Is my gratitude based upon temporary or eternal possessions? Is my gratitude toward God deep enough to handle the losses and difficulties of life?

As I pondered these questions and others I was reminded of a passage in Habakkuk (of all places). Habakkuk w

Church Isn't Making Me Happy

Right now church is not making me happy! The programs aren't making me happy! The preaching (and I am the one preaching) isn't making me happy! The people of the church are not making me happy! The day to day operations are not making me happy! The events are not making me happy! The other staff are not making me happy!

At first reading you may get the impression that I am not a very happy person but I did not state that I am not happy but that the things I listed wer