Rustlings (April 1, 2019)
There are a few things in this life we just ‘can’t get enough of.’ Years ago, Lays potato chips released an incredibly successful advertising campaign on the idea – you can’t eat just one. They were right. It’s hard to eat just one potato chip. There is something about the crunchy, satisfying, saltiness that makes […]
Rustlings (March 25, 2019)
One month ago, I had a left-side, open, inguinal hernia repair. While much of life returned to normal fairly quickly, some of life was put on hold. It took only hours for me to re-engage the television, the internet, and my books. It took a few days to feel comfortable lifting a guitar to my […]
Rustlings (March 18, 2019)
I spent this past weekend in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Like most cities, this ‘city of brotherly love’ cannot be boiled down to any one particular identity. She holds national treasures like Independence Hall (site of the 2nd Continental Congress and signing of the Declaration of Independence). She holds The Liberty Bell…beautiful and marred. She is the […]
Rustlings (March 11, 2019)
God’s generous nature has been evident since Genesis 1 – giving light, breath, presence, law, prophets, teachings, healings, sunshine, rain and a host of other daily blessings; but in the person of Jesus, God goes above and beyond God’s daily generosity. It is an extreme gift of love. With the blessing of our Finance Committee […]
Rustlings (March 4, 2019)
For the last several Wednesday MidWeek Fellowship services, we have walked through the valley of the shadow of addiction together. We explored the twelve steps of recovery, told our stories, listened with laughter and tears, surveyed the terrain of our family and friends, and attempted to set a course toward sobriety and serenity. It’s been […]
Rustlings (February 25, 2019)
Weekly, the church office often receives numerous thank you notes from persons recovered from an illness. Long or short, we’re asked to print them in The Branch as an expression of gratitude for the prayers and care of the church. Because of the number of notes we receive and the limited space and program purpose […]
Rustlings (February 19, 2019)
In a world filled with division and derision, I’m proud to be a member of First Baptist Greenville. I delight in our willingness to listen to, learn from, work with and respect those who differ from us. We have discovered that we can be distinctively who we are, while appreciating the beautiful diversity of God’s […]
Rustlings (February 11, 2019)
It has been said ‘the devil is in the details.’ I would hate for the devil to receive all the accolades for the important ministry of administrative detail! Giving credit where credit is due, I’d like to thank our church’s Retreat Committee and our Church Operations Coordinator – Jenna Manning – for paying close attention […]
Rustlings (February 4, 2019)
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….well, a long time ago…LPs were the dominant musical medium. LP (long playing) records spun on a record player at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute (rpm) and contained multiple songs on each side. Single song records spun on the record player at 45 revolutions per minute […]
Rustlings (January 22, 2019)
It’s probably on your back burner. Maybe you’ve set the idea aside because you truly believe you do not need it. Maybe you’ve set it aside because you’re not sure it’s worth the cost. Maybe it just got lost in the shuffle of a hundred other things you are presently doing and a hundred more […]