How do you learn contentment like Paul discusses in Philippians 4:10-13? Jeremiah Burroughs suggest that the first step is learning where not to look. He writes... “My brethren, the reason why you have not got contentment in the things of the world is not because you have not got enough of them. That is not the... Continue Reading →
Posture is often symbolic. When a young man wants to propose, he gets down on one knee. When he has messed up royally and needs to apologize, its two knees. If someone points a gun at you, your raise your hands in surrender. If your children want you to hold them, they raise their arms. We... Continue Reading →
Over the past few days, our Baptism devotionals have considered the “why” and “what” of baptism. Today, we’d like to discuss the “who?” When I ask “who?” in regards to baptism in our individual-centric culture, the question that likely comes to mind is “who should be baptized?” And that is an important question. As Pastor... Continue Reading →
The first two parts of our devotions on baptism considered the question, "why do we baptize?" In this next one, Pastor Josh addresses the question, "what is baptism?" What is baptism? A good answer starts by recognizing the Greek word baptizo. Because our English word is a letter-for-letter transliteration of the Greek word, we gain help in determining its... Continue Reading →
These are the first two in a series of devotionals written for our congregation as we prepare this week for several baptisms. Written by Pastor Josh, they consider the question, "why do we baptize?" After seeing the baptisms on Easter Sunday, I know that my kids are going to ask me to baptize them the next time we... Continue Reading →
At our last Elder's meeting, we sought the Scriptures for biblical examples on how to see our missionaries better cared for. This year, we will be blessed to receive two missionary families into our care. Typically, churches and mission agencies focus on the sending, not the receiving. Being "well sent" includes theological training, support raising,... Continue Reading →
Last Sunday, FCBC celebrated the 5 year anniversary of our church-plant Harvest Bible. Pastor Nate organized three addresses to encourage the church with what God is doing in New England (Sam Huggard), what God did at FCBC to launch Harvest (Josh Owens), and how to grow a church (Nate Pickowicz). I had the privilege to... Continue Reading →
On Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, Jesus taught us from Mark 12:28-34 that our love for God must have a chain reaction to a love for our neighbors. Augustine's sermon on “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” expresses the connection between the first and second greatest commandments beautifully. "Now you love yourself suitably when you love God... Continue Reading →
I remember hearing a story of a father whose little daughter wanted to play while he worked in the driveway. "Dad," she asked, "can I run up and down the sidewalk?" "OK, Honey," Dad replied. "Just stay on our street and don't go past the corner." Sure enough, the little girl ran straight down the... Continue Reading →
