Another semester is here. Young men and women from across the globe have descended on the Burg for another nine months. Most of us locals love what you students do to our economy while resenting what you do to our traffic (especially on Wards Road!) I, for one,...

It was the great philosopher Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, “I’ll be back.” In July, I made that same promise (without the Austrian accent). Now it’s come true. Like it or not, I’m back! Back at FBC. Back in the pulpit. And back for another season of ministry. (For...

In March 2011, I was the pastor of FBC. I was an exhausted, frazzled, and worn out pastor. The demands of ministry had taken a toll. I even had fleeting thoughts of a “normal” 9-5 job. Instead, I came to our church leadership and requested a sabbatical. The...

This morning our sermon text is Mark 10:1-12. Jesus speaks on marriage and divorce. To complement the message, I want to share some practical resources that every married couple can benefit from. Whether you’ve been together for 50 years or 50 days, we can all use a...

Twelve days ago, the Scarlett Nation packed up our belongings and headed west. Sure, it was only 5.9 miles west, but it was west, nonetheless. Fifteen years after we bought it (almost to the day), we said goodbye to our Perrowville abode and migrated to The Fields on...

Last September, I had my first physical in five years. Like a lot of guys who don’t have beach bods, I didn’t particularly want to go. I knew I should. But I didn’t want to. And so, the obvious thing happened: my wife made the appointment for me. As the old Chinese...

Last Sunday, The Houston Chronicle published a lengthy report about a horrifying crisis within the Southern Baptist Convention of churches: sexual abuse and misconduct. The story was shocking. It was heartbreaking, disgusting, and horrifying. The more I read it, the...

My wife collects nativity scenes. She owns all kinds: fragile family heirlooms, exotic ones from other countries, some that are hand-carved, plastic, wooden, expensive, and cheap. They all look different. And yet, each one also looks the same. There is Joseph, Mary,...

School is back in. That means early morning alarm clocks, big yellow buses, #2 pencils, complicated syllabi, Friday night football, report cards, PTA, faculty meetings, ridiculous traffic in front of my house on Perrowville Road (AHHHH!!), and so much more.   ...

It was 277 years ago, that Jonathan Edwards ascended the pulpit of a Northampton church in Connecticut. The Great Awakening, a revival movement in America, was sweeping across the colonies.  It was there, on that providential day, that he changed the course of church...