Growing in the Word

Thomas Gouge was a 17th century Puritan pastor known for his charitable work in England as well as the author of numerous books .  Below is an excerpt from his book A Word to Sinners and a Word to Saints where he reminds his readers of the simple, yet powerful, solution for hearts that need […]

What is a membership covenant?  Why should I sign such a document when I’m already a longstanding member of the church?  Will requiring new members to attend a class keep people from joining?  These are some of the questions commonly asked about the concept of covenant membership. Since the beginning of the year, our church […]

In the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI sits a huge steam locomotive known as an “Allegheny Locomotive.”  It was an H-8 class built by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, OH specifically designed with big horsepower to haul heavy loads of coal through the Allegheny Mountains.  It weighed 771,000 pounds and was 125 feet […]

What are the things that cause us to be disgruntled at church?  Take a moment and think about this question.  What has frustrated you about church in the past?  What are the top things that disgruntle people in general?  Yes, the church is far from perfect and there are indeed times when our criticisms and […]

I have many people ask me how many weeks and how much running it takes to train for a marathon.  Most training plans are around 18 weeks in duration.  The assumption to this is that you can run for 30 minutes without stopping before starting a training plan.  Below is my training schedule for the […]

Along with Scripture memory, reading the entire Bible through in one year is a fantastic discipline for spiritual growth.  As the new year is about to begin, why not choose a Bible reading plan and commit to read the Bible from Gen. 1 to Rev. 22 this coming year?  Yes, it can be a challenge […]

Why is it important and what are the benefits of memorizing Scripture?  Scripture memory is a powerful tool in growing deeper in your walk with Christ. The Benefits of Memorizing Scripture Dallas Willard- “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation.  If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I […]

Morning service from Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, OK from December 29th, 2013. Special presentation.

Morning service from Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, OK from December 22nd, 2013. “Change of Plans.” Matthew 1:18-25.

The controversy surrounding the suspension of Phil Robertson by A&E over his comments opposing homosexuality has undoubtedly crowded the newsfeed of just about everyone’s choice of social media.  Sadly, it appears to have brought out the worst of some people on both sides of the controversy. More than the issue of free speech or the […]