Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
June 16, 2025
By Troy RustAssociational mission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Psalm 96:1-13 Did you and your sweetheart ever pick “our song?” You know, the song that marked a particular event in your courtship. Every time it came on the radio you thought of each other because the song was a celebration of the person you […]
June 16, 2025
By Kevin Shrum Pastor • Inglewood Baptist Church • Nashville Focal Passage: I Samuel 17:3-8, 32-37, 45-47 The story of David and Goliath is not first and foremost a story of “how we face the giants in our lives,” although it does have practical implications for overcoming the challenges of life. It is, however, the […]
June 9, 2025
By Troy RustAssociational mission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Psalm 19:1-11 In May of 1995 I went on a mission trip to Canada with a group of Tennessee BSU students. During a brief sightseeing time we visited Lake Louise where a friend and I rode up the mountain on the ski lift. As we […]
June 9, 2025
By Kevin ShrumPastor • Inglewood Baptist Church • Nashville Focal Passage: Joshua 2:1-4a, 8-14; 6:22-25 It is wrong to lie (Exodus 20:16; Colossians 3:9), or is it (Exodus 1:15-21; Joshua 2)? The life and faith of Rahab tests this question. Some would say that lying is permissible in a variety of very specific and unusual […]
June 2, 2025
By Troy RustAssociational mission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Psalm 119:1-16 Psalm 119 opens with reminder that obedience to the Word of God is the key to happiness. More than owning a copy of the Bible or simply reading it, we must do what it says! While some people tend to dismiss the requirement […]
June 2, 2025
By Kevin Shrum Pastor • Inglewood Baptist Church • Nashville Focal Passage: Joshua 1:1-9; 16-18 We often think that the stability of God’s work and Word rests on certain people in the Church. As a pastor, I have often said, “If brother so and so goes on to glory or leaves the Church what will […]
May 26, 2025
By Troy RustAssociational mission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationThe Book of Psalms begins with the contrast of two life paths; one leads to happiness, the other leads to ruin. The psalmist clarified that the pathway to happiness consists in part of actively avoiding the pathway to ruin. In our walking, standing, and sitting (all of […]
May 26, 2025
By Kevin Shrum Pastor • Inglewood Baptist Church • Nashville The taproot of righteous living for God is a righteous standing before God. Noah possessed both. He found favor with God that gave him a righteous standing before God that enabled him to live faithfully in ways that pleased God. Noah’s faith in God produced […]
May 19, 2025
By Troy RustAssociational mission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: II Peter 3:8-18 My family has an elderly friend who will soon be with Jesus. One thing is for sure — there will be no deathbed confession. Why? Ms. Jean has been confessing her faith in Jesus for decades. Whether you were family, friend, home […]
May 19, 2025
By Mike DawsonRetired Tennessee pastorFocal Passage: II Kings 6:8-12, 15-24 This is the final lesson in the series Elisha: Seeing the Hand of God at Work. And what an exciting series it’s been! The prophet Elisha’s story often parallels our Lord Jesus Christ’s. Elisha and Jesus both did hard work in their early years. Both […]
May 12, 2025
By Mike DawsonRetired Tennessee pastorFocal Passage: II Kings 5:1-3; 10-19a Today’s lesson, God’s Hand in Restoring Lives, could also be called The Gospel According to Elisha. Remember that the prophet Elisha is often referred to as a “type” of Christ: many events in Elisha’s life are similar to events in our Lord’s life. But none […]
May 5, 2025
By Troy RustAssociational mission strategist • Holston Baptist Association Focal Passage: II Peter 1:3-8, 16-21 When you are sending your child away on a trip, you may ask, “Do you have everything you need?” What if the question was broadened to address your life as a whole? Typically, we would answer the question with several […]