Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By J.D. Davis
Senior Pastor, Dublin Baptist Church, Dublin, OH
Focal Passage: Genesis 9:1-7; Proverbs 24:10-12; Philippians 2:12-16a
We live in a day when the value of human life is loudly discussed. From political talk shows to coffee shops, everyone has opinions about hot button issues like abortion or euthanasia. [Read more…]
By Randall Pressnell
Senior Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel
Focal Passage: Exodus 23:1-3, 6-9
In his book When a Nation Forgets God, Erwin Lutzer retells one Christian’s story of living in Hitler’s Germany during the Holocaust. The man wrote:
“We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it. … A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We … heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars! We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us. [Read more…]
By Randall Pressnell
Senior Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel
Focal Passage: Psalm 91:1-4, 9-11, 14-16
Van Morris of Mount Washington, Ky., told of a visit to the zoo with his daughter and grandchildren during which they visited the orangutan exhibit. The only thing separating them from these creatures was 20-feet-tall panes of thick glass. Morris said that his 2-year-old grandson was at first amused by the orangutans. Then one of the hairy beasts suddenly began to beat on the glass. The grandson leapt into the arms of his mother, crying, “I scared!” [Read more…]
By J.D. Davis
Senior Pastor, Dublin Baptist Church, Dublin, OH
Focal Passage: Nehemiah 2:1-8; 17-18
Just a few weeks ago, we wrapped up the Lottie Moon missions emphasis. Like me, you probably had updates, weeks of prayer, and times of giving as we sought to support the work being done around the globe by Southern Baptist missionaries. It is a vital work that needs our support. This week we begin a new study of the book, Nehemiah, and the focus upon the work God has for Nehemiah to do. [Read more…]
By J.D. Davis
Senior Pastor, Dublin Baptist Church, Dublin, OH
Focal Passage: Ezra 3:1-7;10-11; 6:19-22
Corporate worship is a vital part of a believer’s life. Most all of us gather every Sunday to worship God for who He is and what He has done for us. The Jewish nation in Ezra chapter 3 is no different, however, they lacked the dedicated place and items that defined their worship of God. Rebuilding the altar and the temple are monumental acts of devotion and dedication. [Read more…]
By 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…]
By J.D. Davis
Senior Pastor, Dublin Baptist Church, Dublin, OH
Focal Passage: Luke 2:8-20
There is deep inside every person a universal need to find inner peace. It is a peace that provides direction and satisfies the desire for our lives to have purpose. For centuries philosophers have wrestled with the deeper meaning of life, and how the soul finds peace. It is one of the great quests of life. [Read more…]
By 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…]
By J.D. Davis
Senior Pastor, Dublin Baptist Church, Dublin, OH
Focal Passage: Esther 4:6-17
I am sure that you are familiar with the statement “To be in the world, but not of the world,” but have you ever thought about what that really means. Last week, we saw how Mordecai made his stand by not bowing to Haman. This week’s Sunday School lesson centers on Esther making her stand by pleading with the King to obtain deliverance for her people, the Jews. Esther makes her stand in the world of Persian royalty, a very different world from the one she grew up in. She was in her Persian royal world, but she was not of that world. [Read more…]
By 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…]
