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Weekly Update: Suffering and Rejoicing in the Body of Christ Pt. 2

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  This is the second part of my two-part article describing our fellowship of suffering and rejoicing. In Chapter 12 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he talks about spiritual gifts and how we should use them for the building up of the body of Christ (:7). Paul also describes how the Holy Spirit, the bestower of these gifts, unites the Church, who function like a human body. Each believer is a part of the body and has something unique and important to offer the other believers in the church body. This teaching applies to each local church, but I think it also applies to the Universal Church (all born-again believers everywhere on the planet). Later in the chapter, Paul writes something important that I think we should remember. He writes, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it ,” (1 Corinthians 12:26). This text teaches us two important things that are especially important during this seas...
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Weekly Update: Suffering and Rejoicing in the Body of Christ Pt. 1

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  In Chapter 12 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he talks about spiritual gifts and how we should use them for the building up of the body of Christ (:7). Paul also describes how the Holy Spirit, the bestower of these gifts, unites the Church, who function like a human body. Each believer is a part of the body and has something unique and important to offer the other believers in the church body. This teaching applies to each local church, but I think it also applies to the Universal Church (all born-again believers everywhere on the planet). Later in the chapter, Paul writes something important that I think we should remember. He writes, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it,” (1 Corinthians 12:26). This text teaches us two important things that are especially important during this season of ministry. This week, I discuss suffering. Next week, I will discuss rejoicing. First, we should ...
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Weekly Update | September 1st

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  Starting and maintaining a thriving men’s ministry is a difficult task. Men (myself included) are not always eager to get together with others at the end of a long workday, after kids’ sports practices/games, amidst duties at home, and whatever else requires their attention. We tend to believe that we don’t really need relationships with other guys and a ministry designed specifically for our spiritual growth. We are wrong. Let me tell you why. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” God designed us to be in fellowship with others (Gen 2:18). Christian men have a special connection through the indwelling Holy Spirit and their specific roles as men in the church. It is good for them to study the Word together because this activity helps them grow in the Lord in unique ways unavailable in other ministries. We could all use some encouragement these days! While writing this article, I opened the website of a national news agency. The featured articles/...
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Weekly Update | August 25

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Weekly Update | August 18

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Weekly Update: A New Normal and Things That Never Change

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  You’ve probably heard the phrase “new normal” many times over the past few weeks. A lot of things have changed recently, and this prompted our culture to use that phrase to describe the permanency (or semi-permanency) of those changes. The way our public-school system educates children has changed. On August 19 th the kids will start school, but they will do so online. Sporting events have been cancelled. Even the Lobster Mini-Season was restricted in Monroe County through the closure of boat ramps. One of the biggest changes during the pandemic has been the addition of a face covering to our attire. I remember when our kids were younger, Darlene and I had a hard time keeping shoes on their feet. They are Florida girls and they love being barefoot. We had to turn around and go home more than once because they didn’t have their shoes. Now, every time we leave the house we have to ask, “Do you have your facemask?” While we were out of town last week, I had to walk several blocks b...
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Location: Key West, FL 33040, USA
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Update from Vacation

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Hello Church,   I am writing this update to you all from the Lifeway Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. They have a special program for pastors and their families to get away and enjoy the mountains. It is such a blessing for us to have the opportunity to take some time to rest and recharge this week. The girls are having a blast and are excited to do some hiking, rock climbing, and exploring tomorrow.   I will keep my update short this week so that I can remain focused on our family time together. This evening while the girls were playing in a nearby creek, I leaned back against the bench, took a deep breath of mountain air, and felt a wonderful peace from the Lord. This inspired me to write this letter to you.   In times such as these, we need to remember that Jesus desires and provides a way for us to experience peace through our fellowship with Him and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The great news is that you don’t need to come up to North Caro...
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