By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 12:38-42, NKJV Lucy, Linus, and Charlie Brown were lying on a hill looking at the clouds. Lucy asked Linus what he saw in the clouds to which he replied, “I see what looks like Honduras and that one is the profile of a famous painter and sculptor and that group makes me think of the stoning of Stephen
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:33-42 It is often said that how we react to life is one of the most important things in life! When a follower of Christ walks through a situation the world around us often watches us go through whatever is happening. When they are watching us they may or may not remember all the details but one thing
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 11:20-30, NKJV During the course of our lives we will receive several invitations to do a variety of things. Sometimes the invitation is very specific, other times it is open ended. When an invitation is given the one issuing the invitation usually, if not every time, will expect a response as to whether the invitee will or will
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:27-32 What does being distinct in our relationships look like? We are now living in a world where the relationships of believers have very little differences from the relationships of non-believers. There was once a time when our churches and our families taught us that we have a biblical mandate to live a different life from that of
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 9:35-38; 10:1-8 (NKJV) I think all of us at some point in time have a desire to be like someone else. If you are a Peanuts cartoon junky like I am you no doubt have noticed how many characters Snoopy thinks he is — a famous fighter pilot in World War I, or a famous attorney, or an
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:21-26 Conflict is a word that most of us do not like hearing, but for some they enjoy being in the middle of it. Conflict is something that keeps me up at night. I do not like having it anywhere around me! As a believer in Christ there are people all around us watching to see how we
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 8:5-13, NKJV One of my all time favorite cartoon strips is “Peanuts” by the late Charles Schulz. The other day I ran across one that I felt fit this lesson. Linus had built a small army of snowmen and he walked in front of them and said, “I am your leader, if you will follow me, you will
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:13-20 Influence, we all have it, but some of us need to use it in a better more godly way! As humans we are easily influenced. Why do you think that companies will spend millions of dollars next week on commercials during the Super Bowl? We want to look and act like others! We have to have the
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:1-12 When someone looks at you, what do they see. Do they see a person who has walked through life leaning on and trusting in God? Or do they see a person that has tried to walk through life all alone? A person looking at us should see God in us, and that is hard for some believers.
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 7:13-21, 24-27 Robert Frost wrote a poem about two roads converging in the woods. One had been much traveled and the other not so much. He chose the one less traveled and was a better man for it. Several years ago as I was beginning my full-time ministry in another state I was befriended by a group of
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 12:38-42, NKJV Lucy, Linus, and Charlie Brown were lying on a hill looking
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:33-42 It is often said that how we react to life is one
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 11:20-30, NKJV During the course of our lives we will receive several invitations
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:27-32 What does being distinct in our relationships look like? We are now
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 9:35-38; 10:1-8 (NKJV) I think all of us at some point in time
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:21-26 Conflict is a word that most of us do not like hearing,
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 8:5-13, NKJV One of my all time favorite cartoon strips is “Peanuts” by
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:13-20 Influence, we all have it, but some of us need to use
By Michael Crandall Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg Focal Passage: Matthew 5:1-12 When someone looks at you, what do they see. Do they see
By Ray Luck Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Athens Focal Passage: Matthew 7:13-21, 24-27 Robert Frost wrote a poem about two roads converging in the
