Mark 13 is our sermon text today. Passages like this always raise questions about the end times. I get asked about these issues a lot, especially by visitors. Here is a transcript of how many of those conversations go (it’s fake, but frankly, it could be real.) (Bold...

The simple answer is that OT saints were saved the exact same way that we are today: by grace, through faith, (in Christ.) How is that possible? What does that mean? And why did you put “in Christ” in parenthesis? Let me explain.   No one has ever been redeemed...

Have you ever dreaded a conversation? I have. Many times. It needs to happen. You know that. But you dread it. You daydream about it but in the bad kind of nightmarish way. While you shower or drive, you get lost in thought rehearsing what you will say to them. You...

Each year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I read the Charles Dicken’s short story, A Christmas Carol. For more than a decade now, I’ve enjoyed this classic as part of my holiday tradition. Its familiar phrases, quaint scenes, and uplifting seasonal message get me...

This last Sunday, we had the joy of celebrating the ordinance of baptism together. Despite what some think, baptism is not “just about the person being baptized.” It is an ordinance for all of us to see, affirm, celebrate, and even applaud. It builds the church and...

I have fallen in love. I don’t know how else to explain it. I could use the words enjoy or relish. But nothing captures how I feel like that four-letter word: love. And what am I in love with? Running. Yes. As odd as it sounds, I’m here to confess: “My name is Tyler....

I do not read Latin. I’ve never studied it or had a course in it. But I do know that this language has shaped and formed Christianity down the ages. Believe it or not, this dead language still plays a significant role in our living faith. And it is helpful, for all of...

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...