Scripture speaks with remarkable consistency about the danger of trusting in human wisdom apart from God. From the prophets to the apostles, the message is the same: the wisdom of the world is not wisdom at all, and those who trust in it walk a path that leads only to deception, pride, and ruin.Proverbs warns […]
During my time in preaching school in Tennessee — sometime between 2002 and 2004 — I learned a lesson about grace in one of the strangest ways imaginable.Classes had wrapped up for the day, and a few of us went to the library to study. Hope was at work down the road at First Tennessee […]
Every year as October approaches, many Christians begin asking familiar questions about Halloween. What do we do with it? How should we think about it? Is it harmless fun, or something to avoid? These questions are not new, and they deserve thoughtful, biblical reflection rather than fear, rumor, or reaction.The first thing we must do […]
When my family began working with a congregation back in 2009, I was in my early thirties—young enough to still believe I was fast, agile, and maybe even a little invincible. Vacation Bible School rolled around that July, and with it came a tradition I dreaded: the annual water balloon battle for the middle school […]
It was the last day of school at Parkersburg South in 1994. Just two more classes after lunch, and I would officially be a senior…though that was the last thought in my mind at the time. There were video games to be played, sleeping in to be done, and the sweet freedom of summer waiting […]
In 2015, actress Jennifer Garner came back to her home state of West Virginia as part of the PBS documentary series A Path Appears. The series focused on poverty, early childhood education, and community resilience. She partnered with Save the Children, visiting schools, homes, and community centers across the state — including Mason County, where […]
Friendship is one of God’s quiet gifts—so ordinary that we sometimes overlook its holiness, yet so powerful that Scripture returns to it again and again. As we celebrate our congregation’s annual Friends & Family Day today, it is worth pausing to consider what the Bible actually says about friends, and why God uses friendship as […]
In every age, God’s people have lived in a world filled with diverse voices. Some speak truth, some speak error, and some speak outright deception. The Word of God never treats this lightly. It warns us that the difference between wisdom and folly often comes down to one simple habit: the wise test, and the […]
Most of us hear the word dynamite and immediately think of force — an explosion, a blast, something that shatters rock and reshapes landscapes. But long before Alfred Nobel named his invention, there was another word, an older, richer word: dýnamis. It is the Greek word for power, and it appears all throughout the New […]
There are a handful of trees in Scripture that carry more weight than their branches could ever hold, and one of the most significant is the Tree of Life. Scripture introduces it quietly in the center of Eden, yet its roots run through the entire biblical story. Adam and Eve were invited to eat from […]