Did you know there are approximately 500 verses in the Bible about prayer, fewer than 500 verses about faith, and more than 2,350 verses about money? What’s more, besides the Kingdom of God, Jesus said more words about money than about any other single subject. Join us in September-October at First Baptist as we talk about what it means to be generous with our money, our stuff and our lives.
Gospel for Workaholics- September 4, 2016
Deadly Me-ism - August 28, 2016
"God, heal our desires; tame our appetites; answer our hunger with more of yourself...so that we hunger most for the One who can make us whole. Amen."
Deadly Liberalism- August 21, 2016
"One thing about the gospel, it’s an equal opportunity offender. If you think of yourself as a conservative, the gospel will disturb you; if you think of yourself as a liberal, the gospel will disturb you."
Deadly Conservatism - August 14, 2016
In Jerusalem in C.E. 30, three particular cultural and religious forces contributed to the crucifixion of Jesus. They’re still around today.
Out of Many, One - August 7, 2016
"Let’s show love for our country and fidelity to the words of Jesus by speaking the truth, speaking it in love and respecting the rights of our fellow citizens —whether or not we agree with their politics or their religion."
The Trouble with Snakes - July 31, 2016
The Trouble with Snakes
Unrequited Love - July 24, 2016 - Stan Hastey
Unrequited Love
Finding Balance - July 17, 2016
"Is it possible that serving God sometimes can separate us from God?"
What We Say and What We Do - July 10, 2016
"In worship I can’t sing 'Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine' and ignore the reality that in our nation and world, fear and suspicion of the 'other' are killing us from the inside. What’s more, fear of the other exists also inside of me."
Be Free - July 3, 2016
"Freedom is one of God’s greatest passions. But there’s a kind of security in being a prisoner that can make us afraid of being free."
Life on the Limb: Passing the Baton - June 26, 2016
“In the New Testament, faith is often described in terms of running a race. If anything it’s a relay race, which is often won or lost in the crucial act of passing of the baton.”
Life on the Limb: Facing Depression - June 19,2016
How do we cope when we feel guilty about the past, overwhelmed by the present, and/or anxious about the future?
Life on the Limb: Persisting in Prayer — June 12, 2016
“The resources we need for life are not found in anybody's position, or possessions, or power, or title. All the real resources down here are in the lives of people who know how to kneel and to pray and to wait on God.”
Life on the Limb: Trusting the Promise — June 5, 2016
“Sometimes it’s only when we take one step past prudence and are willing to trade the certain for the uncertain...that we get to discover for ourselves just how vast and deep and unending are the resources of our great God.”
Life on the Limb: Choosing God — May 29, 2016
"Beginning today and during these five weeks—we’re spending time with another truth-teller—one of the most unusual characters in all of Scripture—the prophet Elijah. Elijah is something of a legend—we always talk about him with a kind of reverence—but he was also wonderfully human. James in the New Testament tells us that Elijah was—quote—“a man just like us.” He was human—sometimes he was lonely—sometimes he was angry—depressed—afraid . . . But he ALSO had this huge capacity for trusting GOD."
To Live in Awe — May 22, 2016
“We will never be awe-struck by anything under our own management. Maybe that's why Psalm 8 invites us to look to the stars which are so completely beyond our control…”
Choosing Life — May 15, 2016
"…if a church and a parish go out into the world, then once outside they might suffer the same fate as anybody else who goes out—they might have an accident. Well, in that case, between a sick church, closed in on itself, and a bruised church—I prefer the bruised, because at least it went into the street." (Pope Francis)
Easter People: Practicing Generosity — May 8, 2016
“Easter people don’t clench—our hands, our lives or our love. Easter people pour it out. Why? Because the Christ we belong to, who healed and taught and had kids hanging off of him like possums; the same Christ who ate with outcasts and said to sinners, ‘I don’t condemn you’; this same Jesus—when it came to his own life and love—threw them down, gave them away, poured them out.”