To Mourn or Not to Mourn?

This is a guest post by Heather Teis

“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matt. 5:4

As a child, I thought this verse merely reminded us that we serve the God of all comfort. This is true. He does heal our hurts and bind up our broken hearts, however, there is so much more in this Scripture. It teaches that it is proper and right to mourn over loss. When a loved one dies, it’s good to cry. When an opportunity is lost, it’s right to sorrow. When sin is committed, it’s proper to grieve and mourn.

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adminApril 17, 20132 Comments

Christian Living

Easter in Review

Have you ever been surprised by God? Have you ever been knocked-off-your-feet shocked by God? This is how I felt on Sunday afternoon, March 31st.

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adminApril 17, 201316 Comments

Theology

John Calvin: Pastor or King?

While watching Bill O’Reilly with Jonathan last fall during the presidential election my 9-year-old boy said, “When I grow up, I’m going to be president.” I was proud of my boy and thankful that I live in a country that this dream is actually possible. After assuring him that all things are possible in America and with Christ guiding him he could do anything he desired I asked, “Why do you want to be president?” He responded, “Then I would make everyone believe in Jesus and go to church.”

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adminApril 10, 2013Leave a comment

Featured

No Returns

This is a guest post by Heather Teis.

Right now, I’m taking a break from the midst of scrubbing spots out of outgrown children’s clothes, shining old dress shoes, polishing old toys, steaming and ironing outfits, and pricing and tagging aforementioned items. What am I doing??? Why am I aspiring to be Proverbs 31. Whew! Virtuous Girlfriend gives a lot to live up to!

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adminApril 8, 201313 Comments

History

Baptists: Defenders of Religious Liberty

Of the many things that make this nation exceptional, loyalty to liberty is high on the list. Freedom is something that seems part of the American soul. It would be an easier task to separate a Frenchman from his baguette or an Englishman from his tea than to take the innate desire for freedom out of the heart of an American.

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adminMarch 29, 2013Leave a comment

Prayer, Worship

When God Says No

Our church is growing! We are averaging over 525 every Sunday morning and are starting a 3rd morning service in the fall to accommodate the crowds.

On February 3rd, only 50 days ago, I stood before our church and asked God to do a miracle for us by allowing us to raise $250,000.00 in 7 weeks to begin construction on our new church building – (watch it here: www.nextstepoffering.com/next-step-presentation/). We were very specific, a quarter of a million in 7 weeks. However, by the end of March 24th, we had missed our mark by over $100,000.00.

We actually raised $146,234.00 in cash in 49 days, with additional pledges of $96,476.00, bringing our total to $242,710.00. This is an amazing miracle, and we celebrated as such (here: www.nextstepoffering.com/the-reveal/). But the fact of the matter is, we did not receive what we asked for. We asked God for $250,000.00 in 7 weeks to immediately begin construction on our future facility.

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adminMarch 25, 201335 Comments

Leadership

Who Pastors the Pastor? – Part 2

Who are the pastor’s biggest influences in life? In my previous post I mentioned that I have three answers to that question: #1 – The Holy Spirit, #2 – Your Wife, #3 – Your Mentors. In the previous post I wrote about mentors. Today, I will address the pastor’s greatest human influence, his wife.

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adminMarch 19, 20137 Comments

Music