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Dec. 28: The Shelter of God’s Encouragement

December 22, 2014

ss-lifeBy Randall Pressnell
Senior Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel

Focal Passage: Psalm 42:1-3, 6-8; 43:3-5

H.J. Duffy told a funny story in the Christian Reader. “While traveling in Wyoming, we stopped at a garage for minor car repairs. As we waited, my wife spotted a drinking fountain. When she pushed the button, water shot over her shoulder splashing against the wall. She tried again, pushing the button gently and regulating the flow before she drank. This time, as she raised her head, she noticed a crudely lettered sign on the wall: Old Faceful.” I couldn’t help but think that sometimes when we are thirsty — life gives us another face full of pain. [Read more…]

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Dec. 21: The Shelter of God’s Forgiveness

December 16, 2014

ss-lifeBy Randall Pressnell
Senior Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel

Focal Passage: Psalm 32:1-7

In August 2014, Esquire magazine ran an article about the fallout from the cheating scandal that ended the “career and the endorsements for the world’s most successful cyclist.” According to the article the individual has commendably been busy trying to make amends to those he hurt but still “hasn’t experienced the liberating power of forgiveness.” [Read more…]

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Dec. 14: The Shelter of God’s Salvation

December 8, 2014

ss-lifeBy Randall Pressnell
Senior Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel

Focal Passage: Psalm 27:1-6

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said that any man can sing in the daytime but that only the man of faith can sing in the night. David was certainly a man who was accustomed to singing in darkness! He experienced time and again in his life the attacks of those who wanted to destroy him and send him to an early grave. If you wanted to be David’s enemy —you had better get in line behind all the others who were after him. Yet, David had complete confidence in God’s salvation. He took shelter in God’s salvation from all the personal attacks on his life. [Read more…]

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Dec. 7: The Shelter of God’s Presence

December 3, 2014

ss-lifeBy Randall Pressnell
Senior Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel

Focal Passage: Psalm 23:1-6

The late Herschel H. Hobbs shared the story of a ship caught in the grips of a storm at sea. The terrified passengers thought there was no hope for survival. Then one of the passengers decided to go up on the bridge. When he saw the captain — he regained his peace and calm. The captain’s face was beaten by the wind and rain but his hands held the helm firmly. He had a smile on his face as he held the ship on its course! Similarly, God has His hands firmly in control of the stormy seas of our contemporary life. We find our shelter from life’s storms in His presence! [Read more…]

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Nov. 30: Ministry In the Face of Mental Illness

November 24, 2014

ss-lifeBy David Taft
Minister,
First Baptist Church, Hermitage

Editor’s Note: The last lesson in this series is written by David Taft, minister, First Baptist Church, Hermitage.

Focal Passage: II Corinthians 1:2-7

Society acknowledges illness and pain as “real” and needing attention. Doctors identify illness and pain in legitimate terms. Yet one illness still bears the stigma, fear, and ignorance by many in the public, and within the family alike — mental illness. My grandfather suffered for years with depression and others I have known, loved, and served suffered with temporary or long-term bouts of mental illness. [Read more…]

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Nov. 23: Overcome an Earthly Mindset

November 18, 2014

ss-lifeBy Van Richmond
Pastor, New Life Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Genesis 50:15-21

Lynn pulled on her red fire suit, grabbed a black helmet, and slid through the window of the iconic number 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet race car. This wasn’t a mere photo op – this was her opportunity to harness several hundred horsepower and go tearing around the Nashville Superspeedway at 130 miles per hour. As a woman with a burning need for speed, my wife had dreamed of this kind of adventure, and it finally came true. Back on pit row after barreling around the 1.3 miles of concrete for a few laps, one of her first comments was very revealing about her experience behind the wheel: “The opening in the helmet is so small, you can see just what is right in front of you. But you have the spotter on the radio telling you where to go.” [Read more…]

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Nov. 16: Overcome Bitterness

November 10, 2014

ss-lifeBy Van Richmond
Pastor, New Life Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Genesis 45:3-11

Countless dollars and hours are invested as medical professionals investigate the cause of our most ravaging diseases. Find the cause, find the cure. While there is currently a well-deserved focus on the dangers of Ebola, no one is searching for the cause of a disease that is much older than Ebola, as deadly as Ebola, and affects far more people than Ebola. Of all the diseases being researched, “bitterness” is not on their list. Bitterness is an ugly illness that is rooted deep within a person but whose symptoms are displayed on the outside, most often through acrimonious words. [Read more…]

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Nov. 9: Overcome Hard Times

November 4, 2014

Focal Passage: Genesis 41:28-36, 46-49

By Van Richmond
Pastor, New Life Church, Nashville

Hard times come in many forms. Some of what we might call hard times are actually nuisances rather than extreme challenges. A dear lady had a husband who was an airline pilot, and he often had difficulty locating items around the house. One day he asked his wife where the salt was. Annoyed, she responded, “How on earth can you find Detroit at night in a blizzard, but you can’t find the salt in your own kitchen?” “Well, darling,” he replied, “they don’t move Detroit.”

Perhaps you are attempting to find relief or reassurance right now in the middle of your own trials. Charles Stanley described hard times in this fashion: “We all know what it means to be broken — to feel shattered or blown apart, as if our entire world has fallen apart. We all have had times when we didn’t want to raise our head off the pillow and when we felt certain that the tears would never stop flowing.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Bible Studies for Life, Sunday School Lessons Tagged With: Bible: Genesis

Oct. 26: Overcome Temptation

October 21, 2014

By Van Richmond
Pastor, New Life Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Genesis 39:3-12

The Temptations were a hit Motown vocal group in the 1960s and 1970s. “The Temptations” could also describe the difficult battles every believer faces daily. Sunday School teacher Clara Noll had just finished a lesson on Christian behavior. “Now, Billy,” she asked, “Tell me what we must do before we can expect to be forgiven for our sins.” Without hesitation, Billy replied, “First we gotta sin!”

The temptation to sin is exactly where our troubles begin. It has been said that the trouble with trouble is that it usually starts out as a whole lot of fun. James 1:14 (HCSB) describes the process well in saying, “But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.” When Potiphar’s wife repeatedly attempted to seduce him, Joseph ran headlong into an enticement that would have been both flattering and appealing for a young man. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Bible Studies for Life, Sunday School Lessons Tagged With: Bible: Genesis

Oct. 19: Overcome Betrayal

October 14, 2014

By Van Richmond
Pastor, New Life Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Genesis 37:19-27; 39:1-2

You have walked across the razor-sharp pieces of broken trust, just trying to understand why you were betrayed. The act of betrayal creates a tormenting pain that tears at every emotional fiber of your being while simultaneously wrapping you in a dulling numbness. Disbelief, shock, and denial become constant companions because of someone’s treachery or violation of a personal confidence. Thankfully, we are not trapped in that state. God can and does bring us to a point of deciding how to overcome the betrayal.

Most people find betrayal triggers a mental tug-of-war between a Christian response and a carnal response: what we should do versus what we would like to do. Satan is really, really hoping you get dragged across the dividing line and lose that battle. To ensure Christ gets the victory, let’s look at God’s directives as well as Jesus’ example on how we should conduct ourselves in situations like these. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Bible Studies for Life, Sunday School Lessons Tagged With: Bible: Genesis

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  • B&R ‘AMBASSADOR’ HUGH X. LEWIS DIES
  • CONFESSION NEEDS TO BE MADE ON AN ONGOING BASIS
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abortion baptisms Baptist Collegiate Ministries Bible: Acts Bible: Luke Bible: Matthew Bible: Psalms Carson-Newman University childhood Christmas church revitalization Cooperative Program coronavirus COVID-19 Disaster Relief education ERLC evangelism family Five Objectives Golden Offering homosexuality IMB international LifeWay Lonnie Wilkey Lottie Moon missions money NAMB pastors prayer racial reconciliation Radio B&R Randy C. Davis SBC SBC annual meeting sports Summit TenneScene Union University volunteers WMU Woman's Missionary Union youth

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