By Joshua Franks Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton Focal Passage: Mark 5:22-24, 35-43 We live in a world full of heartbreak and tragedy. Every time we turn on the news it seems as if another calamity has befallen the world. School shootings have become normal. Mass murders have become routine. Terrorist attacks have become commonplace. 

By Joshua Franks Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton Focal Passage: Luke 2:4-20 As a pastor, whenever I hear the word “tradition” it immediately makes me cringe a little bit. I hear voices in my head loudly proclaiming “We’ve never done it that way before!” Tradition can be the corpse of wisdom. 

By Joshua Franks Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton Focal Passage: Mark 4:35-41 Eight years ago my wife was pregnant with our first son. In the days leading up to his birth our house seemed like a swirling mass of chaos. Nurseries had to be painted. Cribs had to be assembled. The house had to be babyproofed. Then, the day arrived. We rushed to the hospital. Anxious relatives assembled. My wife

By Joshua Franks Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton Focal Passage: Mark 4:1-9 I’ve always wanted to be a gardener. I have a romantic notion in my mind about the fresh air, the feeling of accomplishment, and enjoying vegetables with my family as we sit around the dinner table. Maybe it’s a silly idea. It doesn’t really matter because God didn’t gift me with a green thumb. In fact, I’m pretty sure

By Joshua Franks Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton Focal Passage: Mark 1:14-20 I’m the proud father of two awesome little boys who are, of course, always into mischief. Most of the time I feel like a drill sergeant barking commands. These commands are usually met with a myriad of excuses as to why they can’t comply. “Clean up your room before dinner,” I’ll decree. Immediately the protest begins. The promise

By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: John 1:35-42; 12:20-26 We who know Jesus bear the responsibility of connecting others to Him. We will either connect people to Jesus or we won’t. There are no passive witnesses — a witness who never witnesses is not a witness. Therefore, we must be about the work of giving witness to Christ actively throughout our daily comings and goings. It takes

By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 17-18, 26-28; 2:1-3 Prayer conquers stress. We have no lack of stress, and therefore no lack of need for prayer. Hannah was a woman who knew this (I Samuel 1). She had a good, God-given desire (to have children), and yet was troubled in spirit (1:15) and filled with anxiety (1:16) because her desire went so long unfulfilled.

By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: John 1:26-34; 3:26-30 John had one job — to go ahead of Jesus and prepare the way for Him to preach and teach, and minister. Isaiah had prophesied that one would do just that (Isaiah 40:3), and John identified himself as that one (John 1:23). But John’s job was to work himself right out of a job — sort of like

By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Acts 4:36-37; 9:26-27; 11:19-26 Courage is slippery. It’s not something that is cemented in someone once for all time. Like any one of the number of feelings we have, it can wax and wane, come and go. In this way, we are not like God. He is immutable, unchanging — the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). However, we do

By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Ruth 1:8-17 Everyone loves a good story of redemption. To watch tragedy befall someone, see them endure the hard road set before them, and rejoice when the patience pays off and hope is restored is wonderfully pleasing to us. However, in the middle of the story — after tragedy and before redemption — there is tremendous heartache and doubt. Will this