Before I was saved, my life was a lot like Paul’s in Philippians 3:

I was born into a Christian family, raised in Grace Fellowship, followed all the rules, confessed my own sins to my parents, corrected my sister when she did wrong, and was blameless in every law.
 
I knew Jesus was the Savior, and I asked Him to save me when I was seven years old. I don’t know if this was when I was actually saved. I believed Jesus was my Savior, but my heart and mind wrestled with the knowledge that I was saved by grace alone but also was supposed to do good works.

I spent years trying to check off the boxes of a good Christian, using my sisters' wrongs as a foothold to make myself feel better about myself. I wasn’t as bad as her. I stacked her wrongs against me and kept count of each one, and unforgiveness grew in my heart. As a senior in high school, I came to the point that I hated her.

But Jesus used her to open my eyes to the unmerited forgiveness He had given me.

One night I was angry at my sister and turned to her in the car and yelled, “Why don’t you apologize to me for all the things you’ve done to me?”
 
She answered, “Ely, I’ve already forgiven you for all the bad things you’ve ever done to me.”

I was slapped in the face with my own sin. Christ showed me who I truly was. Ephesians 2 says:

Jesus used that night to change my heart to not only believe that He was my Savior, but His salvation didn’t need my works. They were dirty rags.

I forgave my sister, and have never remembered the things she had done to me again. I was baptized soon after, and experienced joy in Christ that had nothing to do with my own work.
 
Since then, Jesus has slowly revealed sins in my life and is sanctifying me from the inside out. As He reveals the sins of judging others, loving myself more than others, using others to make myself feel greater in my head, and many others, He also reveals the patience and deep love He has for me.

My sin does not separate me from the love of God anymore because Jesus died for that sin. Just like I didn’t do anything to earn the forgiveness my sister gave me for all the things I did to her, so I didn’t do anything to earn the forgiveness God gave me for all of my sins against Him. Because of that, any good work I do is only an outpouring of the work He has done in my heart. Ephesians 2:10 says,
 The greatest truth I have learned about God is this: Despite me and any sinful or good works I do, He is good, He loves me, and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

 

1. Prologue & Summary Statement of the Creation of the Cosmos (v. 1:1)

[the heavens (space) and the earth in foundational form from nothing]

2. The State of the Earth in Foundational Form (v. 2)

(“formless and void” – “Unformed” & “Unfilled”)

3. Creation (Completion) – by the Power of God in His Word (vv. 3-31)

• The First Triad – “Forming” to finish the foundational form:

a. Day 1 (vv. 3-5)
i. Light (just “light” – no lights! God is the light source!)
  “Day” and “Night” – time began!

b. Day 2 (vv. 6-8)
i. Sky (“expanse” of atmosphere of separation)
ii. Waters (no land!)

c. Day 3 (vv. 9-13)
i. Dry land (“earth”)
ii. Seas (“gathering of the waters”)
iii. Vegetation (“plants yielding seed” & “trees bearing fruit”)

• The Second Triad – “Filling” to fill the foundational form:

d. Day 4 (vv. 14-19)
i. Lights (in the heavens or space)
  Two great lights – the Sun for day, the Moon for night, the stars
  For signs (constellations?), seasons, days, years
  To give light upon the earth

e. Day 5 (vv. 20-23)
i. Inhabitants – “living creatures”
ii. Birds (why were they first?)
iii. “Swarms” of fish and sea creatures

f. Day 6 (vv. 24-31)
i. “Living Creatures”
ii. Land animals – cattle, beasts, and every creeping thing
iii. Mankind – v. 26 has something new – “Let US!”
   (God begins to shift His creation story from a geocentric view to
   an anthropocentric view! More to come!)

4. Summary Statement on the Completion of Creation (v. 2:1)

“Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.”

5. Epilogue – Sabbath Rest of God – Day 7 (vv. 2:2-3)

6. Man’s Account of the Creation of the Earth and the Heavens (vv. 2:4-25)

Possibly written by Adam – “God” (Elohim) becomes the “LORD God” (YAHWEH Elohim). Perspective shifts from God alone to God and Man.

There are some books you read once and forget, and others that follow you for years. We asked our pastors and staff to share titles that have truly shaped their faith and challenged the way they think. If you’re looking for your next deep dive, these come highly recommended by our team.

______________________________________

Foster the Family – Jamie C. Finn
Recommended by: Ely Vaughn

“I would recommend this book to all believers. The truths applied to being a foster family can and should be applied to any ministry God calls you to.”

• Purchase from 10ofThose

Mission Affirmed – Elliot Clark
Recommended by: Kelly Amis

“I highly recommend Mission Affirmed by Elliot Clark. It helps us see Paul’s heart and philosophy for missions in a clear, practical way. Clark reminds us that missions is not mainly about results or strategy, but about faithfully proclaiming Christ and seeking God’s approval. This would be a helpful read for anyone who cares about the church’s role in reaching the nations.”

• Purchase from 10ofThose

Authentic Masculinity – Seth Troutt
Recommended by: Nick Dutton

“This is the best book I have ever read on the topic of masculinity. Troutt does a wonderful job of faithfully and helpfully detailing the characteristics and roles of a man. Not just a polemic against our confused society, but a positive vision of what a true man is.”

• Purchase from 10ofThose
  

Gentle and Lowly – Dane Ortlund
Recommended by: Cory Hughes

“Take a 23 day devotional journey to the center of God’s heart. Your mind will be changed and your heart will find new vigor, joy, and peace.”

• Available in the GF Library
• Purchase from 10ofThose
  

When People are Big and God is Small – Ed Welch
Recommended by: Jason Winstead

"Ed Welch’s When People Are Big and God Is Small offers a clear, biblical diagnosis of how the fear of man can shape our thoughts, relationships, and decisions when we fail to live in proper fear of God. From a biblical counseling perspective, it helpfully redirects us from being controlled by people’s approval toward finding our identity, security, and freedom in Christ."

• Available in the GF Library
  
• Purchase from 10ofThose

Four sisters in Christ from Grace Fellowship attended the Feed My Sheep Pastors’ Wives Conference on Friday and Saturday, September 11th–12th, hosted by Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Approximately 175 pastors’/elders’ wives, future pastors’ wives, and women serving in ministry united to form friendships, study the Word, and worship. All parts of the event were encouraging, exemplified kindness and hospitality, and gave grace to those in attendance.

Keri Folmar, whose husband John is the Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai, was the guest speaker, sharing insights from her book, The Good Portion: The Holy Spirit — Delighting in the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. A copy of this book is now available in the library.

The insights shared by Keri were reminders of God’s presence through His Spirit in our lives in whatever struggle, challenge, or daily circumstance we face.

Our worship together melodiously echoed the theme of the sessions as we sang the words from All Praise To Him by Bob Kauflin and Matt Merker:

Additionally, we, as sisters, were encouraged to develop strong, growing friendships in the church, which Satan loves to attack. We need one another to bear burdens, encourage, and walk through life together.

A counselor at Capitol Hill, Tina Pritchard, shared valuable steps to encourage us personally and to use in helping others who are facing anxiety over the struggles and difficulties of life. These principles point us to the importance of speaking the truth of God’s Word to the situation. While worries give us tunnel vision, Christ has solved our greatest problem—sin. He promises to be with us as we face fears, and He can identify with our temptations and weaknesses. We serve a God that can give daily grace and peace to help in our time of need. As sisters, we can all share in the ministry of encouraging those around us with biblical truth.

Worship, again, beautifully reminded us of the truths of God’s power to restore and work in us in every situation:



Of course, you can’t attend a pastors’ wives conference and not discuss ways to support our spouses in ministry. Prayers for husbands to be strong leaders, to be protected, to be pure, and wise are essential. Being a friend and giving words of affirmation were mentioned, as was expressing gratitude and ways that you see God using or growing them. Physical intimacy is a way that a husband can be encouraged which can only come from you as a wife. Serving together and supporting his ministry by being involved in the church is a valuable encouragement and necessary example. Turning to him for wisdom when trying to balance being a “help-meet” and being involved in outside ministry/activities is an encouragement to our husband. Our priorities need to be correctly and divinely balanced by keeping our family and church family as our primary focus. These truths can help each woman encourage and support her husband whether in ministry or not.

Finally, the attendance at a conference with sisters from our fellowship was a priceless blessing and privilege as we rejoiced in knowing one another and spent time together in God’s Word and worship of Him.

The issue of how men and women are to relate to one another is of much debate in our current society. My goal in this short essay is to detail the biblical design for the sexes and discuss how this design can be incorporated into our church's culture. God's design is for male headship and supportive female subordination in both the home and the church community, so that the family and church would be unified entities on a mission for God's purpose in this world. This design is best embraced through passionately teaching it and by living it out.

Both the home and the church find their design basis in God's plan in creation. Genesis 1:27 states: "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Both genders are given the equal dignity of being made in the image and likeness of God. Thus, whatever functional roles are given to the sexes, a difference in function cannot mean a difference in dignity. Galatians 3:28 reaffirms this equality in the church: "There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." In both creation and redemption, there is an affirmation of the equal dignity of man and woman.

In Genesis 1:28, man and woman are given their mission together: to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and have dominion over it. Nothing in this statement necessitates that man and woman have the same function in carrying out this mission, but the harmony required for it suggests God designed man and woman to relate in a way that promotes unity and does not endanger the mission. Matthew 28:19–20 gives the church a purpose statement with many similarities, carried out by both men and women, though not necessarily in the same way. The purpose of design, then, is not to prop one gender above another, but to glorify God by ordering the sexes so they best fulfill the mission He has put them on.

Genesis 2:18 clarifies both role and subordination: "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Man is created first, which, as supported in 1 Timothy 2, is valid reasoning for headship. The woman was created to help man in his mission, following his lead so he can focus on leading them in filling and subduing the earth. Far from promoting the superiority of man, this indicates the insufficiency of man on his own—the woman fills the lack he cannot fill himself, the two functioning in a complementary way, the man leading and the woman helping. Man's headship is further affirmed in his naming of the woman, and their unity is affirmed in their "one flesh" relationship: if they are to be truly unified in one flesh, they can only have one head. This design is reaffirmed in the New Testament in the family (Ephesians 5) and the church (1 Timothy 2), with the same reasoning that unity leads to missional success.

Setting the cultural tone of a church must begin in the pulpit, since God speaks to His church powerfully through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Our preachers must not only teach texts directly related to gender roles but apply every text to show how it is lived out in biblically structured homes and churches, and must make a sound apologetic for why God's design is superior to the social ordering promoted by the surrounding culture—showing, as Timothy Keller puts it, that egalitarian alternatives "require enormous leaps of faith and are subject to their own array of serious problems and objections."

Leaders must also show the dignity and ability of women by placing them in positions where they can flourish and display God's unique gifts to them. Subordination of role must be shown not to mean subordination of value. Preaching, counseling, and discipleship must consistently call women to rule and nurture their families under their husbands' headship, and to use their gifts as disciples, evangelists, missionaries, and servants of the church. We should have women's ministries and small groups that promote women teaching women.

God's design for the sexes is equality of value and subordination of function: the man serves as head to bring vision and unity to the mission, while the woman serves as a subordinate helper who shares equally in that vision's fulfillment. Instilling this culture requires our pulpit and church ministries working together so that both men and women see the goodness of this design and feel empowered to fulfill God's mission with the gifts He has given them.

Twenty-three years ago, about eighteen men spent several months of Wednesday nights in a borrowed Baptist meeting room on Woodstock Ave—praying, reading Scripture, debating, and seeking what kind of church God might lead us to have.

One night, the subject of a music program came up. One person thought that the preaching and teaching of God’s Word was sufficient… and did we really need music? He thought good preaching and a diving board attached to each Bible would be enough.

And as with most discussions that I have, no one listened to me.

Thankfully so. What I failed to remember at that moment was what hymns and songs had meant to me since the days of VBS, oatmeal cookies, and grape Kool-Aid in Dixie cups.

We begin at an early age singing our theology with songs like “Jesus Loves Me,” “This Little Light of Mine,” and “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy”…. where? “Down in my heart.” We were learning God’s Word and singing it back to Him.

Adults do the same thing. J. I. Packer said, “We learn our theology from what we sing as well as from what we read.”

So, what is a hymn?

Webster defines a hymn as “a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service.”

Here is a definition that I like better: A hymn is a way of putting biblical truth, Christian experience, and praise to God into words that the whole church can sing.

God told us about Himself in Scripture. He showed us Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is still with us through the Holy Spirit. The Garden of Eden taught us that God desires a relationship with us. So how do we respond back to Him?

We have been given two ways, using our own words, to respond to Him, His Son, and His presence—prayer and singing.

First, by prayer: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Second, by singing: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

What the apostle Paul is saying here is that we are to be so full of the knowledge of the Word of God and who He is that it simply wells up inside us and comes out in song back to Him.

The hymns we sing come from people who had the God-given ability to create what Colossians 3:16 instructs us to do.

Who doesn't push back tears upon hearing, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll”?

Those words place everyone on the same level, unified in one purpose and spirit.

We are not merely singing words to music. We should not passively pick up the bulletin on Sunday mornings to perform songs toward the front of the church.

Instead, we should do what Paul instructed: allow the Word of God, who lives abundantly inside us, to overflow out of our hearts in song back to God.

That is why we sing hymns.
 

With 343 Old Testament quotations and 2,309 allusions in the New Testament (UBS GNT), a disciplined, repeatable method is needed to interpret them rightly. The method, drawn from G.K. Beale, rests on six orthodox convictions: Scripture (OT and NT) is inerrant. Each passage has a single authorially-intended meaning. NT authors therefore interpret and apply OT passages rightly. All Scripture is Christ-centered; in Him OT promises reach fulfillment. NT interpretation of the OT in light of Christ is faithful, not imposed. One divine Author stands behind both Testaments, guaranteeing coherence.

For both Testaments: identify genre, author, audience, and purpose; trace the argument the passage develops within its book; and situate it within its covenantal/epochal place in redemptive history. Then ask whether initial readings of the OT passage align with the NT's use of it.

Surveying Second Temple Jewish literature shows how the OT was understood by the community from which NT writers emerged — not as a source of dependence, but as evidence of shared hermeneutical assumptions inherited from earlier OT authors' use of earlier OT texts. Compare the LXX and MT for discrepancies, check parallel NT citations of the same OT text, and determine which text-form (or original rendering) the author draws on, and why.

Reach a conclusion on how the citation/allusion is being interpreted, and classify it against the normal usage categories below. Ask what the usage reveals about God and about redemptive history, and how it serves the author's argument.

Imagine yourself in a pitch-black room. Somewhere across the room is a door, and beneath it a thin line of light spills onto the floor. You know that door leads out—out of the darkness, out of danger, into safety.

So you begin moving toward it.

Almost immediately, you slam your knee into something hard. A chair. You freeze. Slowly, your eyes begin to adjust, and faint outlines emerge—shadows of objects scattered across the room. You realize the floor is cluttered. Every step forward requires care. You shuffle around the chair, only to step onto something sharp—glass. Barefoot, you recoil in pain. Now every step feels uncertain, cautious, even fearful.

But then you look back at the door. That thin line of light has not changed—but as you move closer, it grows brighter. The nearer you get, the more the light begins to expose the room. What once were vague shadows now take shape. You can see where to step. The path becomes clearer—not because the obstacles disappear, but because the light reveals how to walk around them.

In the same way, sanctification is not learning to navigate darkness more skillfully; it is moving toward the light. Scripture does not just call us to recoil in disgust when we sin—it calls us to “flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace” (2 Timothy 2:22). The Christian life is not defined merely by what we turn from, but by what we run toward.

And this applies to all of us. Some sins are more visible, others more respectable—but all thrive in the dark: lust, bitterness, envy, gossip, selfish ambition, anxiety, greed, resentment, people-pleasing, and the quiet craving to be noticed, affirmed, or obeyed. We often try to goad our flesh into losing its appetite for these things through shame, fear, self-discipline, comparison, or self-improvement, rather than starving the flesh by running to Christ and walking by the Spirit.

In many Christian contexts, confession is present, and that is good. Sin is named, exposed, and grieved. But what often follows is an incomplete vision of repentance. We turn from sin in theory, yet in practice we linger near it—studying it, managing it, circling it—rather than fleeing from it and pursuing what God commands. So we remain in the dark trying to become more careful, more controlled, and more disciplined, while never really making for the door.

Our sinful flesh can even be trained to hate particular sins, not because we are moving toward and loving the light, but because the flesh hates to be humiliated. The flesh will lose its appetite for any sin that threatens the ego. A man may temporarily lose his appetite for pornography simply because confessing it has embarrassed him before others. A woman may find herself momentarily disgusted by her gossip because she was painfully exposed by Christian friends. That kind of exposure is often necessary to stop the bleeding caused by sinful habits, but it is not sufficient to clean the wound. If we depend on exposure and embarrassment alone to make us holy, then we will still be standing in the same dark room, trying to figure out how we just broke our big toe.

So how do we move into the light?

First, go to Christ Himself. Ask the Lord each day to fill you with His Spirit, because Scripture says, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Open the Word not merely to inspect it, but to be mastered by it. Read slowly enough to see the beauty of Christ, the ugliness of sin, and the freedom of obedience.

Second, turn outward in love. Scripture says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves,” and “look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3–4). One of the clearest ways out of darkness is to stop making yourself the center of your spiritual struggle and begin seeking the good of others, especially those who cannot repay you, applaud you, or advance you.

This is where many hidden sins begin to lose strength. Bitterness weakens when you pray for the person you would rather resent. Envy is exposed when you thank God for another person’s gifts. People-pleasing begins to die when you choose costly obedience over human approval. Greed is challenged when you give freely. Gossip dries up when you use your words to protect rather than expose. Anxiety is confronted when you entrust your needs to God and spend yourself on behalf of others.

So pray for someone else. Serve someone else. Encourage someone else. When your thoughts collapse inward again—toward your failures, your shame, your desires, your spiritual performance—treat that moment as a summons to lift your eyes and move toward the light by loving your neighbor in concrete ways.

There are still only two ways to live in that dark room. You can keep studying the shadows, learning their shape, naming their edges, and congratulating yourself that you now bump into them less often. Or you can run for the door. One path produces a more polished darkness; the other leads into light, freedom, peace, and fellowship with those who “call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).

Do not settle for becoming a more managed version of yourself in the dark. Do not mistake behavior modification for holiness, or self-improvement for repentance. The call of Scripture is more demanding and more hopeful than that: flee, pursue, walk by the Spirit, and look to the interests of others.

The door is open. The light is already shining. Stop negotiating with the shadows. Get up, run to Christ, and help others do the same.

Foster care. What do those words stir in your heart? I’m sure there is some level of conviction or care or concern, or maybe even anxiety if you have been around the foster care system in any way. Foster care is important for both protecting children and helping families thrive; however, it is not always beautiful or easy or clean-cut. It is difficult and sad and full of injustice. Yet, I would argue that as Christians we are commanded to aid, pray for, or serve in some way. And by God’s grace and Spirit, we have the strength to do so. And the great news is that He sanctifies us through this process.

Why serve the families, children, and workers in the foster care system?

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)”

“Learn to do good; seek justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. (Isaiah 1:17)”

“Father of the fatherless . . . is God in his holy habitation. (Psalm 68:5)”

Our God and Father loves and is a father to the fatherless. He cares for the orphan; should we not also? We are commanded to visit the orphans, to seek justice for the fatherless, and to plead the widow’s cause.

One way we can obey these commands is by caring for those children in foster care and by caring for their parents. We can also step in the gap and advocate for a child in foster care through becoming a foster parent, guardian ad litem, or CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). When we serve in foster care, we obey and glorify the Lord.  

I once saw a clip on Facebook of women at a pro-life march in DC, holding signs to “choose adoption”, yet when the interviewer asked the four women how many children they had adopted, each one said, “None.” Although there are huge hurdles to adoption and absolutely not everyone is called to it, this video was jarring for me and what it means to live out our conviction. It’s one thing to hold a sign one day a year stating you’re pro-life, yet it is another to sacrifice in the day-to-day through service to the parents and children who have actually chosen life.

As we proclaim that every life matters, that babies are wanted and loved, and that all are made in the image of God, let us not live in hypocrisy. We should not only speak the truth, but our actions must show the true motives and views of our heart. When we live out our convictions, our credibility to proclaim the gospel becomes that much more real and believable to both our neighbors and those we serve, which leads me to my next point: spreading the gospel.  

What a unique opportunity foster care gives us to share the gospel with many who may have never heard, may not feel worthy, or are in a particular situation of hopelessness. We have the hope they need — let us share it!

I have seen firsthand the way God can save souls through foster care. It is a beautiful picture of restoration and repentance. We get to share the gospel and hope of Jesus with both the children in our care, the parents of the children in our care, and the multitude of workers that are in and out of our home. The Lord is providing you with an abundant harvest; we just have to be obedient to be the workers who go out into the field.  

If you want to be sanctified quickly, involve yourself and your family in foster care. The difficulty of foster care brings us to see our weaknesses, thus making Christ’s power that much more powerful and perfect in us (2 Corinthians 12). Putting ourselves in these challenging and hard situations will most certainly bring us to see our own need for Christ, thus relying on Him and his Spirit more, thus sanctifying us daily.

If you are interested in serving in foster care, please reach out to me to join the foster care support team, through which we are able to serve local foster families and the foster families in our church with prayer, meals, baby showers, and service.

Recommended resource: Foster the Family: Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help for the Christian Foster Parent (you can purchase it here!)

The doctrine of God’s aseity is a simple assertion that God has no source outside of Himself. He needs nothing and depends on nothing. This means that while everything else depends on our Triune God, those things cannot add to or take away from Him because they came from Him.

So how then do we make sense of the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son? If God has no source outside of Himself, how can the Son find His “source" in the Father? Two points here. First is the simple assertion that like begets like. My daughter Collins is just as much a human being as I am a human being. In the same way, God the Son is just as much God as God the Father is, which is the clear teaching of the Nicene Creed. Next, while creatures beget in time, when we speak of the Father begetting the Son, we are speaking of an eternal, timeless relational truth. God the Father has always been the Father because He has always begotten the Son. They are two distinct persons, who with the Spirit, each give subsistence (a fancy way of speaking about how a person provides existence to a being) to the one being of God.
 
A key text for this discussion is John 5:26. The Father grants the Son (begotteness) to have life in Himself (aseity). While being relationally distinct, the Father and the Son each have life in Themselves because They are each the one true God. If Son was a distinct being from the Father, He wouldn't have life in Himself. He would have life from another.

Hopefully you're still with me. A lot of theology in a few paragraphs. Why does this matter? Because it means that God doesn’t need you. Because the Father and the Son (and the Spirit!) have eternal life in themselves and have eternally loved each other, you don’t have anything to offer Them. They have everything a being could need or want in Themselves. In his book on aseity titled The Fountain of Life, Samuel Parkinson states that, “The doctrine of the Trinity is what makes the happy doctrine of aseity happy. To be God is to be infinite love.”
 
So why does God love us? Because He wants to! Because it pleases Him to do so. And because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit love you, not because you are so desirable or because you have something They need, there is no way for you to lose Their love. If God chooses to love you, it is from an overflow of perfect love, not from a deficiency of needy love. In a culture of fickle love, where people’s love commitments are changing all the time, this is the solid foundation that the gospel gives. If God the Father so chooses to love you that He gave His only Son, the very Person who is the object of His infinite love, what can separate you from that love, and what else could He have done to assure you of His love for you if you are in Christ (Romans 8:31-39)?

God doesn't need you. But you need Him. And the good news is that the Fountain of Life was filled with blood so that all to whom the Son grants life (John 5:21) might lose all their guilty stains and forever sing of His amazing power to save. Grace Fellowship, may we root our identity in this unchanging, overflowing love.

This poem was born out of my eight-year journey with chronic illness. I wrote it earlier this year in the midst of an intense season of surgeries and recovery. We know that the desire of every hurting heart is that God would remove the thorn from us; it was especially my cry the night I penned these words. The ache I wrote of referred to my longing for heaven and freedom from pain, as well as the seemingly unbearable physical ache of withdrawal from the surgery narcotics. I have always loved the imagery of God’s reaching down in tenderness to remind me that He is keeping me here in this suffering for a good purpose. He has not said that He will give relief in this life; however, He has promised that He will comfort, sustain, and not forsake.

I have often pondered the knowledge that many people pray for my physical healing and yet it has not come. It is my prayer that those who lift me to the Lord would know this truth: He is answering in better ways than they can imagine. God’s presence is the ultimate answer and the only thing that can truly satisfy. His presence in my weakness is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced and the reason why I wouldn’t change the pain I have walked through. This poem is my reminder that I do not walk this hard road without hope, for He has already won the victory. The suffering of this present time will be outweighed by His eventual Heavenly glory!

The Exchange

"Oh, Father," I cried,
“Take this pain away!
This anguish that besets me,
That tempts me to go astray!
My heart longs for You,
And for Your relief,
Will You give ear to my cry?
For I ache beyond belief."

Then God in wisdom
And tenderness said,
"I cannot; it is not best,
But come, child, and lay your head.
I will bring you joy
And redeem your toil,
I will give you living hope
And comfort your very soul."

Then peace filled my heart
And quiet my soul.
"It is enough, Lord,” I said;
"I trust you will make me whole.
I'll gladly suffer
For my short time here,
'Cause afterward I am sure
Gone will be all pain and fear.

In the meantime, Lord,
Many people pray.
They ask You on my behalf
For relief from pain this day.
Turn Your ear to them,
Father, let them see,
That although the pain lingers
You are ever here with me.

You are answering,
Better than they know;
Your presence in my weakness
Means Your power makes me grow.
You work to redeem
And You will not fail;
Your strength will abide in me,
Your grace shine bright and prevail.

I know many watch,
Lord, they want to see
How I will respond to You
And how You will deal with me.
When they look my way,
May they see not me,
But straight on to Jesus Christ;
For He is our only plea."

"This prayer delights me,"
Said God, the Most High,
"For I know your heart is true.
My salvation will be nigh.
This is the old truth,
From my Holy Word;
Because you honor my Son
You shall have a rich reward.

I will shine My light
Through this jar of clay
That they may know Who I Am;
I hear and do not delay.
You are my witness;
I send you now forth,
That the world may clearly see
My power, glory, and worth."

Thus did the Lord say,
And this did He do.
Through the suffering and pain
He was ever sure and true.
Many reflected
On how God changed them,
Using this cracked weak vessel,
I cannot help but praise Him!

Though I know His words,
I stand astounded
At how He is faithful far
Beyond all I imagined.
"Do not be surprised,"
The Lord says to me:
"This begins your reward, for
You have walked faithfully.

You have blessed me
And served my people,
Accepting in surrender
Pain now for joy eternal."
This is the exchange,
Life here for life there.
It is one well worth making,
That to Him I may be near.

God near is my good;
Pain leads to glory.
One day I will be at Home
And rejoice in victory.
With me will rejoice
All who got to see
God's mercy displayed in a
Weak broken vessel set Free.

How does an infinite, unchangeable God relate to a changing world? To answer this, we must look to the doctrine of the divine decree—God's eternal, sovereign plan to display His own glory and bring about the redemption of His people. Moving from who God is in Himself (ad intra) to how He works in history (ad extra), this outline unpacks how God acts in the world, the biblical terminology of His sovereignty, and the vital debates surrounding election. This doctrine reminds us that nothing in our lives happens outside the wise, purposeful counsel of our Triune King.

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I. Introduction: From Who God Is to What He Does

• The Divine Decree Defined: Moving from God’s inner life (ad intra) to His external works (ad extra), we find His eternal decree. As theologian Stephen Wellum notes, this is "God’s eternal plan for his creation to display his own glory and, by grace, to benefit his people."
• The Flow of Theology: God's plan is not an afterthought; it is a perfectly wise, unchangeable blueprint flowing directly from His holy character and triune personality.

II. The Concept of Divine Action
God is not a passive observer; He is a God who actively creates, sustains, and guides the universe (Psalm 136).

Inside vs. Outside God

• Ad Intra (Internal Works): Actions that terminate within God Himself—such as the eternal generation of the Son and the spiration of the Spirit. These are eternal, unchanging, and necessary. They reveal God not as a lifeless rock, but as an infinite being of perfect joy and self-delight.
• Ad Extra (External Works): Actions directed outside of God's being. Everything in creation is rooted in this eternal decree. While all things are possible for God, only what He has decreed actually comes to pass.

How God Acts in the World

• Ordinary Providence: God's normative way of governing the universe using "laws of nature" and secondary agents (e.g., using rain clouds to water plants).
• Extraordinary Providence (Miracles): God acting outside His normative means to display His rule over creation.
  • Miracles in Scripture almost always accompany new revelation, validating the message being spoken.
  • The greatest, most vital miracle we see today is the spiritual resurrection of a dead, sinful human heart turning to faith in Christ.

The Modern Error: Many modern worldviews hold to panentheism—the idea that God is dependent on and changes with creation. This strips God of His sovereign rule and reduces Him to mere "persuasion" rather than effective control.

III. The Divine Decree & Biblical Terminology
The historic Christian view (articulated in confessions like the 1689 London Baptist Confession) states that from all eternity, God unchangeably decreed everything that occurs, without reference to anything outside Himself. Yet, He does this without being the author of sin, and without violating the will of His creatures.

• Old Testament Witness: Scripture uses words like yāsar (ordaining/forming before time) and attributes events to the counsel (sôd) and good pleasure (haphēs) of Yahweh (Ps. 139:16; Isa. 46:10). Whatever He desires will happen.
• New Testament Fulfilment: Greek terms for God’s will (boulē, thelēma) establish the absolute certainty of events (Acts 2:23). Verbs like proorizō (predestine) and eklogē (elect) show God's active hand in history.
• The Covenant of Redemption: This eternal decree is an operation of the Trinity. Before time, the Father planned the salvation of the elect, the Son agreed to accomplish it, and the Spirit agreed to apply it (Eph. 1:3–14).

IV. The Evangelical Debate: Arminianism vs. Calvinism
Evangelicals generally split into two camps regarding how God's decree intersects with human choices.

1. Classical Arminianism

• The View: God possesses exhaustive foreknowledge but willingly limits Himself to accommodate the libertarian free will of His creatures. He elects those whom He foreknows will choose Him.
• Supporting Arguments: Commands to obey imply the ability to choose (Josh. 24:15); God's descriptive will sometimes seem thwarted (Gen. 6:6); individual unconditional election raises tough moral questions about the presence of evil.
• The Reformed Critique:
  • Libertarian free will is ultimately irrational (it argues choices have no prior cause or reason).
  • If God's decree depends on what humans choose, God becomes dependent on something outside Himself, violating His aseity (self-sufficiency).
  • If God merely looks down the tunnels of time to see what happens, the future is already fixed, which ironically undercuts libertarian freedom anyway.

2. Calvinism (Reformed Theology)

• The View: Rooted in the historical teachings of Augustine, Calvinism asserts that God's decree is entirely unconditional. Election is based solely on His good pleasure because fallen humans are totally depraved and unable to choose God on their own (Eph. 2:1–3).
• Compatibilistic Free Will: God’s sovereign determination is the ultimate, primary cause of our choices, but humans serve as the immediate, secondary cause. Man acts freely according to his strongest desires, and God never coerces anyone to act against their own will.
• Biblical Marks of the Decree: It is eternal, sovereign, unchangeable, comprehensive (covering even the roll of the dice and the evil actions of men for good purposes, Gen. 50:20), and it always comes to pass.
• Foreknowledge Reconsidered: In passages like Romans 8:29, the biblical term "foreknow" (proginōskō) does not mean looking ahead to see info; linguistically, it means "to choose or set covenant love upon beforehand."

A Crucial Distinction: While God actively wills and brings about the decree of election, His decree regarding the non-elect (reprobation) is passive—He simply allows sinners to receive the exact, just penalty for their own freely chosen sin.

V. The Logical Order of the Decree
Because God is outside of time, He decreed all things in one simple, simultaneous act. However, theologians debate the logical order of His thoughts regarding creation, the fall, and salvation:

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Summary adapted by Nick Dutton from Systematic Theology by Stephen J. Wellum.

Theologically rich and melodically moving music is one of the greatest tools we have for keeping our hearts anchored throughout the week. We asked our pastors and staff to share the albums that are currently filling their homes, cars, and quiet moments with worship. If you're looking for something new to listen to that will both encourage your spirit and deepen your faith, here is what our team is loving right now.

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Be Thou My Vision
Recommended by: Ely Vaughn

"A. W. Tozer’s famous quote says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” This song has been a prayer and a plea for me in the past year, because it’s what I want to think about God for years to come no matter the circumstances I am in."
Listen Here 


Thank You Jesus for the Blood
Recommended by: Nick Dutton

"'There is nothing stronger than the wonder-working power of the blood…' As I listen to those lyrics, I catch myself wondering how true I believe those words to be. Is his blood powerful enough to erase all my shame and guilt? Is his blood powerful enough to sustain me in the middle of all of my temptations? It is, and we should live in unending praise and thanksgiving for the blood applied."
Listen Here


Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
Recommended by: JM Lee

"Many songs we sing celebrate the truths of who God is and what He has accomplished for us in Christ. This hymn stands out for its honest reflection on the costly call of discipleship and its joyful confidence that following Jesus is worth every sacrifice. I return to it often because it captures both the weight of taking up our cross and the deep joy of belonging to Christ."
Listen Here


Jesus & Romans VIII
Recommended by: Brittany Turner

"Jon Guerra’s album Jesus is a masterpiece of “Monday morning prayer music” that strips away the noise to meet you in your frailty, gently reorienting your heart around the profound, upside-down love of Christ."
Listen Here

"Alongside it, Immanuel Worship’s album Romans 8 Live is a brilliant, verse-by-verse musical journey through the entire chapter. It weaves together spoken Scripture, brief pastoral insights, and deeply moving tracks. By listening to it repeatedly, you’ll find you’ve memorized Romans 8 without even realizing it."
Listen Here


Defender
Recommended by: Kelly Amis

"This is one of my favorites! It celebrates God as the One who goes before us, fights our battles, and secures the victory for His people entirely by His own power and grace. It reminds us that our part is not to strive to earn His protection, but to rest, praise, and worship as He surrounds us with steadfast love and keeps us secure in Christ."
Listen Here


Whate'er My God Ordains is Right
Recommended by: Cory Hughes

"I recently mentioned this song in a sermon and after was told that we haven’t sung it at Grace Fellowship.  During my time at CHBC it became one of my favorites.  Perhaps we should begin singing it at Grace Fellowship."
Listen Here

Recently, I had the blessing and privilege of traveling to visit our partner, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, for a 9Marks Conference. The conference didn't offer groundbreaking principles to those of us who have been in a structured local church, but it did reinforce the "marks" we already believe to be right and true according to Scripture.

The speakers taught well, and the discussion panels were thoughtful. While I don’t have any earth-shattering sentiment to bring back from these men, my biggest takeaway comes from what I saw among the brothers and sisters in attendance. Many, like us, were striving to implement and model what they believed to be a healthy church. Others were curious, searching, and questioning.

I walked away with one overwhelming thought: Christ is building His church. In a world full of noise, opinions, distractions, and endless approaches to ministry, this simple truth remains: the Church is being built, and Christ is on the throne.

There are people tired and weary from searching for better strategies, stronger personalities, and more polished programs. What they need is Christ.

There were many memorable moments and relationships built among those of us who traveled. (I could write about God’s kindness in protecting us as Cory navigated Kansas City—it’s almost like being on a cheaper amusement park ride.) But one moment stands out above the rest. During one of the worship gatherings, I watched a man who could hardly stand as we sang together. He sat weeping while truth was sung over him. I don't remember the song, but I remember what it revealed. Later, we learned he was a new pastor inheriting a dying church with weak membership, difficult circumstances, and countless challenges ahead of him. Through his suffering and the long road ahead, I’m reminded of the truth: Christ is building His church.

There is something deeply encouraging about seeing believers and pastors longing to build their lives and churches upon the Word of God. In a culture that constantly pressures the church to soften conviction and reshape itself around the spirit of the age, it is refreshing to remember that God still works through ordinary means and ordinary faithfulness. His people still hunger for sound doctrine, biblical preaching, Christ-centered fellowship, prayer, and discipleship.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:13 that the church is to grow “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” True unity is not found in shared preferences or personalities. It is found in shared submission to Christ and His Word. The closer we as believers grow to Christ, the closer we grow to one another.

That kind of unity requires humility. It requires us to lay down our own wisdom and sit under the authority of Scripture. It requires us to be open and vulnerable with one another, just as Christ became vulnerable for us. Yet this is precisely how Christ strengthens His church. He shapes His people through the ordinary means of grace: the preaching of the Word, prayer, confession, repentance, discipleship, fellowship, and faithful service.

One of the greatest parts of this trip was having the privilege to visit the Spurgeon Library. This library contains many historical pieces from Charles Spurgeon’s life and ministry, including his pastoral library. We also had the pleasure of meeting Geoff Chang, pastor, author, and curator of the library. The hospitality was incredible, and the care and love shown to us by our brothers on that campus will always be remembered. Yet, in this great curation, I saw a preserved piece of history to remember the life of a suffering, faithful saint that Christ used to build His church.

I’d like to echo the words of Charles Spurgeon, “The church is most instructive when she holds most closely to her Head.”

That statement feels increasingly important in our day. The church does not ultimately need more creativity or innovation to accomplish its mission. It needs men and women captivated by Christ. It needs believers convinced that the gospel is sufficient, that God’s Word is trustworthy, and that Christ truly is the Head of His church.

What encouraged me most from this trip was not ultimately the conference itself, but the reminder that God continues to preserve faithful churches across the world—imperfect churches, weak churches, struggling churches, churches filled with ordinary people being faithfully sustained by an extraordinary Savior.

And through it all, Christ continues to do exactly what He promised: Building His Church.

Somewhere deep below the surface of the earth (about 18 inches), a queen currently reigns. Her loyal subjects work for her alone. Their lineage depends completely on her.

A queen ant can live 10–20 years. Her workers, 1–6 months. Only she can produce offspring—no king mothers here.

The colony has two rules: (1) everyone has a job, and (2) everyone does their job.

The local church is like a colony—full of leaders and workers.

Leadership is clearly defined in Scripture—elders and deacons.

But what about us “normal” folks? The untitled. The laity. The worker ants.

In Christ, we are equal to leadership in salvation and access—but we have different functions.

We don’t need a lesson on the gifts of salvation. But maybe a reminder that, like the ants, we were all given two things: a gift and the expectation to use it.

Romans 12:6–8
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

But unlike ants, people can choose to stay on the sidelines—to bench their gift.

Are you on the field? Or are you warming up, sitting on the bench, or in the stands?

Most who aren’t using their gifts are not disinterested or lazy.

Maybe guilt—some past sin—is preventing your involvement. Unworthiness. Are you more sinful than the church’s former great enemy, Paul?

Or maybe you’re unsure of the quality of your gift. No confidence. Moses was given Aaron, yet he hardly had to say a word. The spirit of God empowered him throughout his journey.

If we trust the greatest gift—our salvation—then surely the Spirit’s apportioning of our gifts is more than sufficient, leaving us no excuse to stay out of the game.

Trust the power of your gifts without shame.

It's not frivolous to approach God with an awakened confidence, renewal, or exuberance. So in your prayers to the Father this week, borrow a line from John Fogerty’s baseball's anthem "Centerfield": “Put me in, Coach!”

Have a great week.

Stand firm. Walk worthy. Abide in Christ.

At the very heart of the Christian faith lies a beautiful, indispensable mystery: the Triune God of all glory. While the word "Trinity" never appears in the pages of Scripture, the reality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the foundational pulse of the entire biblical storyline. To know God truly is to know Him as He has revealed Himself—one true God eternally existing in three co-equal persons.

Adapted from Stephen J. Wellum’s Systematic Theology, this brief outline explores the deep biblical foundations, historical definitions, and redemptive beauty of our Triune God, reminding us why this doctrine is the ultimate anchor for the Christian life and the gospel itself.

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I. Introduction: The Heart of the Gospel

• The Ultimate Mystery: The Trinity is God’s very name (Matt. 28:19) and the centerpiece of Christian theology. To know God truly is to know Him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• The Christian Distinctive: In a pluralistic world, the Trinity is what separates the true God of the Bible from every false religion and philosophy.
• The Blueprint of Redemption: The story of Scripture—sin, covenant, and salvation—makes no sense apart from the Trinity. Every act of salvation is a corporate, divine work: planned by the Father, accomplished by the Son, and applied by the Spirit.

II. Defining the Trinity

The Baseline: There is only one true God. Within the Godhead, there are three co-equal, co-eternal persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who share the exact same divine essence but are distinguished by their eternal relations.

• Oneness (Essence): God is undivided and simple. He has no "parts." Each person is wholly God, not one-third of God.
• Threeness (Persons): The persons are distinguished solely by their eternal relations of origin:
  • The Father is unbegotten; He eternally generates the Son and breathes out the Spirit.
  • The Son is eternally begotten (generated) by the Father.
  • The Spirit eternally proceeds from both the Father and the Son (Filioque).
• Inseparable Operations: In the world (creation, providence, redemption), the three persons always act inseparably as one God, yet their acts reflect their eternal roles:
  • Father: The Initiator and Planner.
  • Son: The Accomplisher (incarnate Redeemer).
  • Spirit: The Applier (applying Christ’s work to believers).

III. Biblical Evidence: A Progressive Revelation
While the word "Trinity" is not in the text, the reality of the Triune God is woven into the entire fabric of Scripture.

The Old Testament Foundation (The Seeds)

• Word and Spirit: In Genesis 1:1–3, God creates through His Word and Spirit. The "Word" is God’s powerful self-expression (later revealed as Jesus, John 1:1); the "Spirit" is His active presence.
• Plural Hints: The use of the name Elohim paired with "Let us make man" (Gen. 1:26) hints at a rich internal plurality within the one God.
• The Angel of the Lord: Mysterious appearances where this Messenger is simultaneously distinct from God and worshiped as God.
• The Messiah’s Identity: The prophets reveal a coming Davidic King who bears the literal titles of Yahweh (Isa. 9:6) and possesses the fullness of the Spirit (Isa. 61:1).

The New Testament Fulfillment (The Bloom)

• The Incarnation: The arrival of Jesus forces the explicit revelation of the Trinity. He is both the eternal Son of the Father and the Spirit-filled human King.
• The Triadic Witness: From Jesus's baptism to the Great Commission, the Father, Son, and Spirit are named together.
• Apostolic Summary: Passages like Galatians 4:4–6 (God sending the Son to redeem and the Spirit to adopt) and 2 Corinthians 13:14 anchor the Christian life in Trinitarian worship.

IV. Defending the Faith Against Heresy
The Church historically sharpened its vocabulary (culminating in the Nicene Creed of 381) to combat false teaching:

• Person vs. Nature: The Church clarified that Nature is what God is (His attributes, intellect, will); Person is who God is (the three distinct subjects acting within that nature).
• Modalism (Sabellianism): The Error: Claiming God is just one person wearing three different masks or "modes" over time. The Truth: The Father, Son, and Spirit are eternally distinct.
• Adoptionism: The Error: Claiming Jesus was a mere man "adopted" by God at His baptism. The Truth: Jesus is the pre-existent, eternal God.
• Arianism: The Error: Claiming Jesus was the first and highest creature, but not God ("there was a time when he was not"). The Truth: Jesus is homoousios (of the exact same substance/essence) with the Father.

V. Key Concepts to Remember

• Perichoresis: The mutual indwelling of the Trinity. The persons are never separated; where one is, the others are, existing in a perfect communion of love.
• Immanent vs. Economic Trinity: The Immanent Trinity is who God is in Himself from all eternity (ad intra). The Economic Trinity is how God reveals Himself and acts in the history of salvation (ad extra).

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Summary adapted by Carlton Weathers from Chapter 19 of Systematic Theology by Stephen J. Wellum. 

There are some books you read once and forget, and others that follow you for years. We asked our pastors and staff to share the titles that have truly shaped their faith and challenged the way they think. If you’re looking for your next deep dive, these come highly recommended by our team.

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Tim Keller on the Christian Life – Matt Smethurst
Recommended by: Ely Vaughn

“I read this book last year. Matt Smethurst uses Tim Keller’s life, preaching, and writings to distill gospel lessons that are applicable to all areas of life. This book would encourage everyone from the new believer to the church elder.”

• Purchase from 10ofThose

Heaven is a World of Love – Jonathan Edwards
Recommended by: Kelly Amis

"Edwards’, Heaven Is a World of Love, reshaped my view of love as God-centered, self-forgetful service, not sentiment. It draws eternity into everyday relationships and asks if my love reflects heaven."

• Purchase from 10ofThose

How to Build a Healthy Church – Mark Dever and Paul Alexander
Recommended by: Nick Dutton

"As a man who is aspiring to the ministry, I found this book to be beneficial for thinking about the practical ways we implement healthy church principles. You don't have to be in the ministry or even aspiring to it to benefit from the highly practical yet biblically faithful guidance in this book."

• Available in the GF Library
• Purchase from 10ofThose

The Fountain of Life – Samuel Parker
Recommended by: Cory Hughes

“I read this book on a plane ride, which means it’s short.  Like an elevator into the clouds, this book will give you some breathtaking looks at God’s self-existence.  Afterwards you are sure to understand why God’s aseity is glorious and makes Him worthy of our eternal worship." 

• Available in the GF Library

Risk is Right – John Piper
Recommended by: JM Lee

“Risk Is Right is a short but powerful read. In this book, John Piper hopes to inspire Christian’s to take bold risks in faith rather than live for comfort and safety. Trusting God through sacrifice and uncertainty leads to a greater joy and eternal purpose in this life. 

• Available in the GF Library
• Purchase from 10ofThose

Gospel Treason: Betraying the Gospel with Hidden Idols - Brad Bigney
Recommended by: Jason Winstead

"Our deepest struggles trace back to 'respectable' idols — good things elevated above Christ. It was a good reminder that real change isn't behavior management; it's the gospel dethroning the hidden loyalties that quietly rule us."

• Purchase from 10ofThose

Two weekends ago, Grace Fellowship had the privilege of hosting Shai and Blair Linne for the Family Worship Conference. It was a time of deep encouragement aimed at strengthening worship both in our individual homes and within our gathered church body. Through teaching, testimony, and creative communication, the Linnes called us to see family life as a primary context for discipleship—a place where the Word, prayer, and praise become the normal, everyday rhythms of life.

For those who were unable to join us, we wanted to share a brief recap of the rich theology and practical hope discussed during our time together.
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A Big View of God for the Next Generation
Shai Linne drew from his experience as a pastor and artist to show how even the deepest truths of Scripture can be communicated simply and memorably to children and teens. His plea to parents and caregivers was clear: give the next generation a big view of God. By using Scripture, song, and honest conversations about sin and grace, we can help our children see the magnitude of His character.

Hope in the Midst of Brokenness
Blair Linne reminded us that God is not looking for "perfect" families to use. Sharing from her own story, she spoke to those from painful or complex backgrounds—divorce, father-absence, and past wounds. She pointed us to our deeper identity in Christ, reminding us that He meets us in our weakness. Family worship is not about showcasing a flawless home; it is about consistently turning a messy home toward a perfect Savior.

Simple Rhythms for Every Household
The Linnes emphasized that family worship doesn’t have to be long or complicated to be effective. It simply needs to be regular and rooted in the Bible. They encouraged simple practices:

• The Word: Reading a passage aloud and letting God’s Word set the tone for conversation.
• Prayer: Praying in concrete ways—confessing sin, thanking Him, and interceding for others.
• Song: Singing biblically rich songs and hymns to help children hide truth in their hearts.

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Resources for Your Home
We want to help you take the next step in establishing these rhythms. Below are several resources recommended by our team that align with the principles shared by the Linnes:

• For Every Chapter of Scripture: The Family Worship Bible Guide by Joel R. Beeke. This invaluable resource provides concise commentary and application questions for every single chapter of the Bible, making it an excellent companion for your daily readings.
• For a Practical Overview: Family Worship by Donald S. Whitney. This is the gold standard for a simple "read, pray, sing" approach that fits into any schedule.
• For Young Children: The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung or The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

In addition to these options, we invite you to check out our physical church library. We have many of these titles—and several other helpful resources—available for you to borrow as you seek to lead your family in the knowledge of Him.

Our prayer is that the momentum from this weekend continues to stir a hunger in our homes to know Him more deeply. Whether you are starting for the first time or restarting for the tenth time, remember: Christ is enough, and His grace is sufficient for every home.

Introduction  
The current landscape of corporate worship in the universal church is deeply troubling. In the West, many have reduced the gathering to whatever methods “work best.” In the East, others cling to ethereal traditions with no grounding in Scripture. The prominent theologian Ligon Duncan warns, “How you worship God will determine who the God is that you worship.”¹ Scriptures like Deuteronomy 12:32 make clear that God is not only concerned that we worship Him, but also how we worship Him.² To guide us in the “how” of corporate worship, theologians have passed down two historic principles of worship: the regulative principle and the normative principle. The regulative principle holds that corporate worship must include only what Scripture commands or clearly exemplifies—anything not prescribed is forbidden. The normative principle insists that worship must include what Scripture commands, but anything not forbidden is permitted, so long as it edifies. The question remains: Which should we follow in our being found faithful in the “how” we worship? My stance is that the regulative principle should be the church's solution, because it is biblically rooted, historically tested, theologically sound, and practically applicable for the church today.  

Biblical Foundations
The biblical storyline demonstrates that the acceptable worship of Yahweh is an impossible task for sinful humanity to govern on its own. Yet, God’s eternal purpose is to make a way to dwell with His covenant people, and He has unfailingly prescribed the divinely appointed means by which they are to relate to Him through worship. From the earliest stages of redemptive history, the Old Testament records Yahweh’s establishment of a central sanctuary in the midst of Israel. The temple served as a visible and tangible expression of God’s dwelling among His people: a concrete manifestation of His covenantal presence. This sacred structure functioned as the nexus between Yahweh and His people, the meeting point where heaven and earth converged.³ No legitimate worship could be offered to God apart from dependence on the prescribed priestly mediation that operated through the sacrificial system. Every act of worship required obedience to the divinely instituted means of access.⁴ To support this point, let’s consider a few of Israel’s notable failures to worship Yahweh rightly, which I believe are indicative of humanity’s persistent inclination to corrupt God’s appointed worship.  

First, let’s consider the story of Israel shaping the golden calf in Exodus 32.⁵ This was not blatant Baal idolatry or some dark divination, but an attempt to worship Yahweh through a created image. This story communicates to us that sincerity is not enough to make our worship of Yahweh acceptable.⁶ Instead, every decision regarding worship must be carefully filtered through God’s revealed will in Scripture. In Leviticus 10:1–3, we encounter two priests, Nadab and Abihu, who were consumed by the fire of God because they offered “unauthorized fire” before Him. Just one chapter earlier, these same priests had witnessed the divine fire come forth from the presence of Yahweh and consume their offerings, a visible sign of His acceptance and blessing. That flame, prescribed by God Himself, represented His approval of properly ordered worship. The tragedy of their later disobedience lies in its subtlety: their sin was not explicit rebellion against a stated command, but rather an act of presumptuous autonomy, a decision to worship on their own terms. Such self-governed worship is abhorrent to God, who refuses to relate to His people apart from the means He has appointed. Israel's countless failures in worship underscore the necessity of a perfect mediator and anticipate the arrival of Christ, who in the New Testament ushers in successful and acceptable worship. In Him, the true worship of God is realized, as He fulfills the temple, priesthood, and sacrificial system, and enables right worship according to God’s own design.

The good news of the New Testament is that God did not leave His people on their own to discover how to perfectly relate to Himself. Instead, God provided for Himself an acceptable offering through the mediatorial work of Christ (1 Tim. 2:5–6; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). In John 4, Jesus alludes to a “spirit and truth” worship that the Father is seeking. Christ is teaching this woman—and us—that there is a true external reality of worship that can only be found in him (John 14:6). Additionally, worship “in spirit” reveals that God has prescribed an internal worship that only the Spirit can enable (Phil. 3:3; Eph. 2:18). Here is the sum of New Testament worship: God’s people worship the reality (truth) that the old symbolized and is now ours in Christ through the indwelling Spirit.⁷
 
How then should God’s New Testament people practice worship today in the already but not yet reality of redemption? The regulative principle of worship can help guide our understanding in this regard. According to Jonathan Leeman, the regulative principle “authorizes churches to do the things that they have been doing for two thousand years when assembled: binding and loosing through the Lord’s Supper and baptism; teaching and preaching; Bible reading and singing. While many activities characterize the church scattered, these things seem to characterize the church gathered” (e.g., Acts 2:46; 1 Cor. 5:4; 11:18–22, 33–34; 14:1–39).⁸ As this demonstrates, the New Testament is filled with prescriptions for our gathered worship together. The church militant is not only engaged daily in the struggle to be biblically faithful in their witness to the world, but even more so in their dress rehearsal for heaven in the corporate gathering together.  

Historical Development
As we have seen, scripture reveals the path God intends for His people in worship, and yet history tells the story of their struggle to follow it faithfully. Jesus’ original commission to the church was an authoritative call to go and “teach all that I commanded.” Throughout history, deviations from this path have often stemmed from a lack of trust in the sufficiency of the source these commands: Scripture. Mark Dever observes in The Church that “Scripture's beautiful sufficiency frees us from the tyranny of human opinion.”⁹ For centuries, the church in Western Europe became focused on the opinion of their day: tradition, ritual, and the authority of the clergy rather than God’s Word. Most people had little access to Scripture and relied on priests for understanding, while practices like indulgences and relic veneration led to confusion about salvation. This situation created widespread spiritual ignorance and left God’s people vulnerable to error.

After centuries of such deviations, God raised up men to call the church back to the authority of Scripture. This 16th-century renewal is known as the Protestant Reformation. Leaders like Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli challenged practices and teachings they judged unbiblical. Luther emphasized salvation by faith alone and the authority of Scripture, while Zwingli argued that worship should be governed solely by what God prescribes in Scripture. Another prominent figure, John Calvin, systematized Reformed Theology and provided a framework for church governance and worship that sought to honor Scripture as the ultimate authority. It was in this context of restoring biblical worship that the regulative principle of worship began to take shape.

In the 17th century, Reformed leaders codified their theology and ecclesiology in documents such as the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646). In Chapter 21, the Confession affirms the regulative principle: “The acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men… or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.”¹⁰ This careful clarification of worship was intended to help the church remain faithful to God’s revealed will. God’s people continued to struggle with the tension between remaining faithful to Scripture and succumbing to cultural pressures. Movements like the Puritans in England sought further reform, believing that the Church of England had not removed enough of its “popish practices” from its midst. As devout followers of Calvin, they championed biblical worship, including the regulative principle, into the 17th and 18th centuries. However, many Puritans remained within the Church of England, limiting their ability to fully implement ecclesiological reforms. This tension led some Puritans to separate from the Church of England, marking the beginning of the Separatist movement, which emphasized Scripture-governed worship and congregational independence. This drive toward biblical autonomy led a small group of Separatists into deeper conviction in areas such as baptism and church membership. These countercultural followers of the Word became known as the Baptists. The Puritans often referred to the Baptists as “troublers of the churches” because of their unwavering commitment to obey God’s Word above tradition, custom, or any form of resistance.¹¹ From the 17th century onward, this once small and persecuted sect’s commitment to the authority of Scripture spread into a powerful movement within Protestantism—one that remains alive and influential today.

Today, the challenge facing the church is to remain faithful to the biblical ecclesiology that saints throughout history fought and died to recover. Will we continue to reform our worship and practice according to God’s Word, as our spiritual ancestors did? Or will we yield to the pressures of pragmatism and the methods of rationalism of this day and age? May we draw inspiration from the Reformers, the Puritans, the Separatists, and the Baptists to consistently apply the regulative principle, even as contemporary pressures compel many to abandon it.
 
Theological Principles
If we plan to continue this legacy of biblical worship, we must understand the theological principles behind the regulative principle. I believe the regulative principle is not a man-made construction, but is God’s idea, rooted in the authority of His Word. Like any principle, if we don't understand the why, we will either be unconvinced of its importance or become unnecessarily rigid in its application.

First, it is essential to recognize that God is the sovereign Creator of the true worship we are called to practice. The regulative principle is not a human invention but a divinely prescribed response to God’s self-revelation. In John 4, Jesus speaks of “true worshipers” whom the Father is seeking. This implies that if there is true worship, there are also forms of false or improper worship. Today, we are surrounded by man-made approaches to worship that fall short of God’s design. But according to Jesus, true worship originates in the Trinity and is expressed through the people of God. Understanding God as the originator of worship also helps us see Him as its ultimate authority and sustainer as well.

Additionally, God’s revealed will in the scriptures serves as a governing agent in the context of corporate worship. However, we must first recognize these very scriptures as sufficient and authoritative in nature to apply the regulative principle. Like the Reformers, we must constantly return to the idea that Scripture is the sole and sufficient authority for worship. The word of God shapes our formation and guides the practice of biblical worship (2 Tim. 3:16–17). God has given us the very thing He prescribes and prohibits in His word. These boundaries are not meant to overly restrict worship but instead to provide authorization and protection that we might enjoy true worship.

To illustrate, consider the freedom of U.S. citizens to travel domestically. This freedom exists because documentation proves their citizenship. Yet without the specificity of laws governing borders and immigration, that freedom could easily be compromised. In the same way, the weakness of the normative principle is that it lacks the clear boundaries established by God’s revealed will. The regulative principle provides those boundaries because it is grounded in Scripture.¹² Without a strong belief in God’s Word as the governing authority, true freedom in worship will be seriously endangered.
 
Contemporary Application
To clarify the proper application of the regulative principle, we will divide it into three categories of importance: elements, forms, and circumstances. Elements are the essential, non-negotiable components of corporate worship—those that must always be present if a congregation intends to obey Scripture. The Bible unites and defines every necessary element of the New Testament church. As Ligon Duncan summarizes, these elements consist of hearing the Word through the reading of Scripture, praying the Word through corporate prayer, singing the Word through congregational song, and seeing the Word through the proper administration of the ordinances. The Bible is the substance of Christian gathering. Remove it, and corporate worship ceases to be Christian in nature. Yet when the Bible is present and prioritized, it transcends culture and language, binding believers worldwide. These elements serve as a common thread, mirroring the kingdom and unifying churches across thousands of unique expressions.

The proper term for the various ways biblical corporate worship is expressed is forms. Forms are the methods or styles through which the essential elements are carried out. Consider baseball: if the elements are the rulebook defining a legal pitch, the forms are the diverse yet lawful ways a pitcher delivers the ball. There is liberty in expression—so long as it remains within the boundaries of the rules.¹³ Tragically, many churches today attempt to rewrite or ignore the rulebook altogether, losing their Christian essence in the process. Remove the pitching rules, and a pitcher might throw from ten feet away using a football—and baseball ceases to exist. Similarly, in worship, forms might include singing traditional hymns versus contemporary songs, or following a historical liturgy versus a more innovative service structure. If we visited a church in rural Africa with similar convictions, we would encounter the same biblical elements but expressed through vastly different forms. They might sing to the beat of drums rather than a piano, and their service might run an hour longer than a typical American one. Yet, as long as the elements remain, this diversity enriches the global Church. Trip Lee captures this beautifully: “This diverse sameness that we get to experience now is more precious than we sometimes acknowledge. It reminds us that God’s saving grace is indiscriminate. It’s a shadow of that eternal worship gathering that we long for.” ¹⁴  The coming Kingdom will overflow with countless expressions of worship—each distinct, yet all bound together by a shared love for the living Christ in our midst.

Finally, the lowest tier of importance in applying the regulative principle is circumstances. These govern the when, where, and logistical how of worship—details such as whether the service begins at 9:30 or 11:15, whether the sanctuary has pews or cushioned chairs, or whether song lyrics appear on a screen or in printed bulletins. This category allows the greatest flexibility, since it is not governed by the direct authority of Scripture. To extend our baseball analogy: circumstances are neither the rulebook (elements) nor the pitch itself (forms), but rather the stadium in which the game is played or the scheduled start time. Therefore, the path towards biblical worship is a zealous commitment to its scriptural elements, a joyful embrace of diverse forms, and wise flexibility in circumstances—housing the harmony of God’s global people.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the regulative principle protects God’s people from the dangers of corrupted worship, and as the biblical testimony, historical development, theological foundations, and contemporary practice demonstrate—it has consistently been a source of freedom to the church instead of the burden some opponents may claim it to be. Its framework functions like a greenhouse, providing structure that cultivates genuine spiritual life and enabling the church to flourish through the ordinary means of grace revealed in Scripture. As God’s people gather around the reading, praying, preaching, singing of His word and the proper administration of the ordinances, the church becomes a community formed by Christ Himself—the living Word and true image of God— being equipped to reflect Him faithfully to a watching world as a true city on a hill (Mathew 5:14-18).

Notes:
 
¹ Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan, “How the Regulative Principle Can Free You,” The Everyday Pastor (podcast), The Gospel Coalition, November 3, 2024. 

² Lee, Trip. “Must all Regulative Principle Churches Look the Same?.” Nine Marks, (2013). 

³ Merrill, Eugene H., Mark F. Rooker, Michael A. Grisanti. The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2011, 341. 

⁴ Williamson, G. I. “The Regulative Principle of Worship.” Ordained Servant 10, no. 4 (2001): 68‑77. 

⁵ Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version (ESV) (Crossway, 2021). 

⁶ Merker, Matt. Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People. Foreword by J. Ligon Duncan. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021, 80.  

⁷ Williamson, G. I. “The Regulative Principle of Worship.” Ordained Servant 10, no. 4 (2001): 68‑77.  

⁸ Jonathan Leeman, “Regulative Like Jazz,” 9Marks, July 16, 2013, https://www.9marks.org/article/journalregulative-jazz/  

⁹ Dever, Mark. The Church: The Gospel Made Visible, The Sufficiency of the Bible for the Local Church, 9Marks. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2012, xxviii.  

¹⁰ The Westminster Confession of Faith. Chapter 21 Edinburgh: Free Church of Scotland, 1646.

¹¹ Kidd, Thomas S., and Barry G. Hankins. Baptists in America: A History. New York: Oxford University, Press, 2015, preface. 

¹²  Leeman, Jonathon “Regulative Like Jazz,” 9Marks, July 16, 2013.  

¹³ Merker, Matt. Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People. Foreword by J. Ligon Duncan. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021, 80. 

¹⁴ Lee, Trip. “Must all Regulative Principle Churches Look the Same?.” Nine Marks, (2013).

Bibliography: 
 
Lee, Trip. “Must all Regulative Principle Churches Look the Same?.” Nine Marks (2013).
Dever, Mark. The Church: The Gospel Made Visible. 9Marks. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2012.

 Leeman, Jonathon “Regulative Like Jazz,” 9Marks, July 16, 2013.  
 
The Westminster Confession of Faith. Chapter 21 Edinburgh: Free Church of Scotland, 1646,

Merker, Matt. Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People. Foreword by J. Ligon Duncan. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021.

Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan, “How the Regulative Principle Can Free You,” The Everyday Pastor (podcast), The Gospel Coalition, November 3, 2024.

Williamson, G. I. “The Regulative Principle of Worship.” Ordained Servant 10, no. 4 (2001): 68‑77.  

Merrill, Eugene H., Mark F. Rooker, Michael A. Grisanti. The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2011.

Adapted from a Grace Counseling Podcast episode. Listen here!

When the darkness feels final, God is often just beginning His most profound work. In our 'Stories of Grace' series, we share the raw and restorative journeys of those in our own church body. These aren't just stories of survival; they are powerful evidence of a God who specializes in redeeming the seemingly hopeless.

Below, Eric and Alicia Davis share their powerful journey of restoration. You can listen to the full conversation here!

..........................................

The Hidden Canyons of Our Early Years
When we look back at the start of our marriage in 1994, it’s clear we were "tripping over ourselves" from the very beginning. On the outside, we looked like a strong Christian couple—we were discipling others and eventually, Eric became an elder at Grace Fellowship. But internally, we were navigating "canyons and rapids" that we weren't prepared for.

We struggled with a deep lack of relational intimacy. Eric didn't initially understand how to lead and nurture our connection, and Alicia felt starved for simple conversation and friendship. We were busy raising seven children and serving the church, which made it easy to ignore the "thermal" heating up beneath the surface of our lives for nearly seventeen years.

The Breaking Point
The fire eventually became too hot to contain. For years, Eric struggled with a secret addiction to pornography, managing it as a "man's struggle" until God finally put His finger on it. At the same time, Alicia sought emotional fulfillment in an outside friendship, creating a disconnect that made our home life feel like a storm.

Eventually things reached a point of total desperation. Due to a situation that was incredibly confusing to outside observers, DHR intervened and our children were removed from our home for a year. We remember sitting on our porch, feeling like everything was beyond repair, even contemplating divorce. We felt like Jonah in the belly of the whale—disoriented, humbled, and finally, ready to listen.

The Beauty of Forgiveness
The turning point for us wasn't just about stopping bad behaviors; it was about meeting the Lord in the "hardest places". One of the most powerful moments for Alicia was the day Eric was restored to the church body. Seeing him forgiven and welcomed back by our brothers and sisters left no more room for excuses. It was a call to choose the path of radical, Christ-like forgiveness.

Today, we are still on this journey, growing in affection and learning to say "I do" every single morning. We’ve learned that:

• We cannot walk alone: We need the "one anothers" of the body of Christ to keep us grounded.
• Repentance is the key: Being willing to let God deal with our hearts directly is what changes everything.
• God is faithful: He was for our family more than we ever were, and He stayed patient with us when we didn't deserve it.

A Note for Your Journey
If you find yourself in a season where the darkness feels final, please know that your story is not over. We once believed our marriage was a "cautionary tale" that had reached its end, but God saw a canvas for His mercy. He is a Master at reaching into the "belly of the beast" and pulling His children back into the light. You don't have to have all the answers or the strength to fix what is broken; you only need the willingness to surrender to the One who is already holding onto you.

We would do it all over again just to experience the love and "chasing down" that Christ has shown us. There is no canyon too deep for His grace to reach, and no heart too hard for His patience to soften. Hold on to Christ—not because your grip is strong, but because His grip is unfailing.

In Genesis 29-30, Leah and Rachel are both living with deep unmet desires. Leah has children, but she longs for Jacob’s love. Rachel has Jacob’s love, but she longs for children. Each woman has something the other desperately wants, yet neither is truly at rest.

That is one of the painful lessons of the passage: getting the thing we think will complete us does not always give us the joy we imagined. Leah keeps hoping the next son will finally make her loved. Rachel believes that without children she cannot live. Both are reaching for good gifts, but they are asking those gifts to become their life.

We often do the same. We tell ourselves, “If God would give me this, then I would be satisfied. If He would remove this, then I could finally have peace. If this circumstance changed, then I could really serve Him with joy.” But God loves us too much to let created things become our savior. He may give, He may withhold, He may make us wait, but in all of it He is exposing the places where our joy has become too small.

Our deepest joy cannot be rooted in getting what we want from God. It must be rooted in our lives being consumed for the glory of God.

This does not mean our desires do not matter. God sees Leah. God remembers Rachel. He is not cold toward pain, infertility, loneliness, anxiety, rejection, or longing. But His greatest mercy is not simply that He changes our circumstances. His greatest mercy is that He changes what we treasure.

The restless heart is always asking, “How will this end for me?” But the heart being satisfied in God begins to ask, “How will God be glorified through me?” That question does not remove sorrow, but it gives sorrow somewhere holy to go. It turns waiting into worship. It turns weakness into dependence. It turns suffering into surrender. It turns our lives into an offering.

And this is where joy becomes invincible. Not because life becomes painless, but because our joy is no longer tethered to painless circumstances. When the glory of God becomes the source of our joy, fear begins to lose its grip. We are no longer staring first at what God can do for us, but at how we can be used for Him. Even our unanswered prayers, limitations, and wounds can become Ebenezers, reminding us that we seek not the gift from His hand, but rather to be held by that hand.

Jesus does not say, “Come to me, all who have finally gotten what they wanted.” He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden.” He invites the weary, the waiting, the disappointed, and the restless to find rest in Him.

The gift may come, or it may not. The circumstance may change, or it may remain. But Christ is enough either way. He is our Invincible Joy!

Adapted from Carlton Weather’s sermon on April 12, 2026. Listen here!

There is a deep, persistent longing woven into our existence—a restlessness that drives us to search for a connection with God. Like the woman in Led Zeppelin’s famous song "buying a stairway to heaven," we instinctively feel that "all that glitters isn’t gold". Yet, we keep trying to build our own paths upward, convinced our efforts can bridge the gap between earth and heaven.

Our Self-Made Stairways
What does your stairway look like? For some, it’s the relentless pursuit of career success. For others, it’s the beauty of family, the escape of substances, or the "check-the-box" routine of religious activity. The tragic truth is that none of these reach heaven; they eventually lead to disillusionment and death.

Jacob’s Failed Effort
In Genesis 28, we see this pattern in Jacob. Though he was the child of promise, he tried to "build his stairway" through manipulation and deceit to get his father’s blessing. His sin led to exile, forcing him to flee from the very land God had promised him.

While resting on a journey away from home, Jacob had a dream that changed everything. He saw a stairway—not built from earth reaching up, but descending from heaven to earth. God revealed a stunning truth: you cannot build your way to Me, but I have provided a way to you.

The Unconditional Promise
God didn’t rebuke Jacob for his deception. Instead, He made a breathtaking, unconditional promise: "I will... I will... I will...". This wasn't a contract based on Jacob’s performance; it was God’s sovereign commitment to stay with him. Even then, Jacob struggled to grasp it, responding with a conditional "If... then" contract, trying to obligate God on his own terms.

The True Stairway
Centuries later, Jesus revealed the full picture. He told His disciple, Nathanael, that he would see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Jesus is the stairway.

He isn't a system we perfect or a ladder we climb through religious performance. He is the only way heaven reaches earth. God didn't wait for us to get it right; He came down to us in His Son.

Put Down Your Tools
If you’re exhausted from trying to earn God’s favor, you can stop. Put down your building tools. You don’t need to negotiate or make deals.

The stairway has already been built—not by you, but for you, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. You don't need what He can give you; you simply need Him. The only stairway to heaven isn’t something you build—it’s Someone who came down to rescue you.

His name is Jesus, and He’s enough.

Thursday was a beautiful day. And since I am the descriptor, perfect.

It was 74 degrees—sunny, no humidity, no southern haze. A cool breeze, green grass, and blue sky.

James Spann got a full night's sleep. His suspenders stayed comfortably hidden all day—not a tornado in sight.

The grass didn't need a cut, and the shrubs are still fine from their fall trim.

Driving with the window down (God allowed me to be allergy-free), I decided to pull over and enjoy the moment…in front of a cemetery.

All those graves, as far as you can see, didn't change my mood. I'll tell you why in a minute.

My dad would say, “Graveyards will talk to you if you'll listen.”

So I did.

How did each person choose their place? Did they get to choose?

Some got the hilltop, some the shade tree. Others have cars drive by their feet all day.

Married couples are still together, children are there. Many who died alone lay next to strangers. And the oldest of them all finally died and is there also.

Some are surrounded by stone, others by brick. Some markers you could hold in your hand; others you would need a crane for. Some rich, some poor. The old and young are all in the same neighborhood.

And, they are all dead.

A few days earlier, four astronauts went farther into the heavens than anyone ever—about 252,000 miles.

The span of the known universe is around 92 billion light-years. That would be 2.2 billion billion trips to the moon.

No one in any cemetery can afford a ticket to heaven nor live long enough for the trip.

Yet every believer, only six feet underground, has traveled the perfect distance: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

So no, my mood didn't change. It got better. I only need to go six feet!

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Stand firm. Walk worthy. Abide in Christ 

High school, somewhere in the 70's.

Mrs. Bailey. She wasn't flashy. One-piece dresses. Short, dark, curled hair. A necklace. That was the extent of her daily presentation. Serious, to the point, but not stern. She meant business. She taught me how to type.

Mrs. Davis. Four straight years, she had the pleasure of my attendance in her math courses. I think she actually smiled at me twice--twice as much as she smiled at anyone else. You know, being her favorite and all.

I don't think about these ladies every day, but what I learned from them--well, it shows up every day. I can type as fast as any old-school sports writer. And I like doing math in my head, or out loud just to agitate the Brunette.

Their teachings became a part of my life. I do it without thinking. It's built in. They made a difference in my life.

Last week, in a Baptist church that felt like a childhood home, we sang an old Bill and Gloria Gaither song: The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference.

When the chorus started and I heard those words, it stopped me. Has the cross made a difference to me? I didn't hear another word. I thought about it all during Holy Week.

It made a difference when God called me at age 14 at Gladeview Baptist Church. It made a difference when I was ordained a deacon. It made a difference when we decided to walk out in faith and be a part of the beginning of Grace Fellowship.

But has the cross--the pre-paid cost of life forever with Christ--permeated my being? Did I become, am I, a "new creature"?

There are days I don't read my Bible, but I think on it all the time. I don't "pray without ceasing", but I talk to God constantly. And it's hard at times to "be angry and sin not", but I'm better than I used to be.

Am I--are we--some minotaur-esque hybrid? Half saint, half sinner?

Scripture says we're not. God's call to His elect is sure and secure--100% saints. 

But here's where we live...the war is won, the battle continues.

We will fail Him. "For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another". (Gal 5:17) The battle between flesh and spirit produces some losses.

God will not fail us. “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29) Double security; the war is won.

The cross has made a difference to me--exactly to the degree of God's intent. It's everywhere inside of me, of us. The battle is for the flesh to clear a path, to yield...

“…yield yourselves unto God… and your members as instruments of righteousness…” (Rom 6:13)


Stand firm. Walk worthy. Abide in Christ.

Jacob arrived at the well in Haran exhausted, alone, and still running on self-reliance. He had manipulated his way through life, bargaining even with God at Bethel: “If You will be with me… then the Lord shall be my God” (Genesis 28:20–21). At the well he saw Rachel, “pounced” in impulsive affection, and immediately began working to win her—seven years that felt like a few days because of love (Genesis 29:20). Yet even here, his path was shaped by haste, calculation, and the deceit of others. Laban tricked him, forcing another seven years of labor. Sin distorted relationships, turning family into rivals and love into a transaction.

God sovereignly ruled over Jacob’s sin-shaped journey. He did not abandon the deceiver; instead, He used Laban’s deception to discipline Jacob and advance His redemptive plan. As Cory’s sermon reminds us, God weaves even our flawed choices and the sins of others into His unthwartable purpose—the glory of His Son through the redemption and sanctification of His people.

Jacob’s story exposes our tendency to walk self-directed paths. We bargain with God, rush ahead, and treat relationships transactionally, much like Jacob treated both God and Rachel. Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Left to ourselves, we build lonely ladders and chase wells that cannot satisfy what we truly desire.

This is why biblical friendship is such a profound grace! Biblical friendship is “an affectionate and eternal bond forged between two or more people as they journey through life together with openness and trust for the glory of God.” Because it is eternal, it can only exist between believers—those whose souls are knit together in Christ, like David and Jonathan. Unlike Jacob’s conditional vows or calculated labor, true friendship offers faithful presence, honest counsel, and mutual sharpening (Proverbs 27:17). It calls us from peacekeepers who avoid truth to keep surface peace to peacemakers speaking truth in love for long-term sanctification!

The Holy Spirit most often changes us not in isolation, but through the grace of these Christ-centered friendships within the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). A faithful friend can confront our self-reliance, remind us of God’s sovereignty in our failures, and point us back to Jesus—the greatest Friend who laid down His life for us (John 15:13). Jesus never bargains; He gives unconditional grace and invites us into His eternal family.

If you are a covenant member of our Grace Fellowship family, this means you are obligated to hold a place of faithful friendship for all the other members, even the ones you have yet to meet.  That’s what it means to BELONG to the Body of Christ. “You are not your own. You were bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19-20).

Today, open yourself to biblical friendship with the GFC family. These relationships are eternal!  Like a dad bragging on his son’s baseball stats, let’s hold a bias for our church family, “regarding one another as more important than ourselves” (Phil 2:3) and living vicariously through the blessings and steadfastly through the sufferings of our eternal brothers and sisters. I believe that by doing this, we will discover the same God who redeemed Jacob’s messy journey is still sovereignly at work through us who love him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).