By 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…]

By 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…]

By 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…]

By 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…]

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…]