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On September 10 at 9:00 a.m., I will be installed as the next Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church. Wait … does this mean I haven’t really been the Lead Pastor since March 1? No! I’ve officially been your pastor these past six months. This hasn’t been a trial or probationary period. You’re stuck with […]

BRAGGING WARNING! Friends, as summer winds down and our attention turns to a new school year rhythm, I want to brag on you for a few moments. I mentioned recently in worship some comments I’ve received from individuals visiting our church this summer. The common theme I hear is about the friendliness of this congregation. […]

On my recent trip to Italy with my nephew, a regional train carried us to a small city an hour west of Florence. We had a 10 am tee time on a beautiful Tuscan golf course we were eager to make. Upon arrival at the train station, we were greeted by a concrete platform and […]

June begins the hectic travel season for so many of us. Family vacations, traveling sports teams, summer camps, missions trips, and more. Summer is a season of memories and adventures! I’m a big fan of traveling, often reflecting on Mark Twain’s wise words, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our […]

May is a hectic month for families as they wrap up busy school years and celebrate graduates of all ages. For the first time, I’m on the other end of the craziness as the aunt of a graduating high school senior. There are endless deadlines, celebrations, events, and emotions, too. On Sunday, May 7, we […]

The most common response when I ask someone how they came to First Baptist Church is this: “So-and-so invited me.” Maybe this is your story. Research shows a personal invitation from a friend, family member, or coworker is the number one reason people begin attending a church. Nothing else comes close, not even free coffee […]

Dear Church,   Author and activist Parker Palmer wrote, “I will wax romantic about spring and its splendors in a moment, but first, there is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck. I have walked in the early spring through fields that will […]

Dear friends, We live in a noisy world. Even when alone, we’re bombarded with texts, emails, and social media messages. Even when we turn the noise off, our inner dialogue can be deafening. How do we better listen to God when the noise is loud and chronic, not just for our own good but for […]

To some, January 1st is simply another date on the calendar. To others, it is a brand-new journal, full of blank pages pregnant with possibility and potential.   I’ve always loved the turning of one year into the next. On the shadow side of the Christmas hustle and bustle, I carve out space to sit with […]

Sometimes Advent sneaks up on me. You would think stores putting out Christmas displays in early October would be a clue, yet its arrival still surprises me when the Thanksgiving turkey is still warm.  Advent means “arrival” or “coming.” It is a season of expectation and hope. Believers worldwide spend the four weeks leading up […]