Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
February 24, 2025
By Troy RustMission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: I Peter 1:3-12 An earthly inheritance is simply the reception of someone else’s stuff, usually after their death. An inheritance can be so highly valued (either real or perceived) that people build their lives in anticipation of receiving it. I grew up near a family that […]
February 24, 2025
By Mike DawsonTennessee pastorFocal Passage: John 2:1-11 Today marks the beginning of a series of lessons called All Signs Point to Jesus, from the Gospel of JOHN. Unlike Matthew, Mark and Luke, John tells the story of Jesus by highlighting seven of His many miracles, each being a sign of who Jesus was, each pointing […]
February 17, 2025
By Troy RustMission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Leviticus 26:1-13 When I was young the Coca-Cola company created a contest that challenged customers to find four bottle caps with each having a word that created the phrase, “Coke the real thing.” As you might imagine, my older sister and I examined every Coke cap […]
February 17, 2025
By Mike DawsonTennessee pastorFocal Passage: Hebrews 10:19-25; 13:12-15 I remember reading an anonymous piece called ‘It’s Time to Plant our Gardens,’ that appeared in a number of church newsletters 20 or so years ago. The idea was this: in our ‘spiritual gardens’ we should ‘squash’ our differences, and ‘turnip’ for church services, and — one […]
February 10, 2025
By Troy RustMission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Leviticus 16:1-10, 29-30 Liberal theologians reject the idea that God would sacrifice His own Son as our substitute (II Corinthians 5:21) to appease His own wrath toward sinners, calling it “slaughter house religion” that is beneath the loving God of the Bible. Yet even a cursory […]
February 10, 2025
By Mike DawsonTennessee pastorFocal Passage: Colossians 3:1-5, 12-17 The Apostle Paul was put in prison for preaching the Gospel. While there he wrote letters to encourage the faithful; one of those four ‘prison epistles’ is the New Testament book of Colosssians. This letter was written to exhort believers in the town of Colossee not to […]
February 3, 2025
By Troy Rust Mission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: 9:15 The redeeming work of Christ reminds us that separation from the world requires far more than lip service or a handful of moral disciplines. Separation from the world is marked by death. The sacrificial system of the Old Covenant required many tangible reminders of […]
February 3, 2025
By Mike Dawson Tennessee pastorFocal Passage: Psalm 63:1-11 In about the middle of my pastoral years (three decades ago!) ministers of music began introducing “praise and worship songs” into congregational hymn-singing. I especially remember two of those praise songs to this day; they were beloved — and were what I call ‘very singable.’ The words […]
January 27, 2025
By Troy RustMission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 How we use our resources says a lot about our worship. The children of Israel gave their earrings to Aaron to construct a golden calf for idol worship, because God had not met their expectations. After the wrath of God brought about the […]
January 27, 2025
By Mike DawsonTennessee pastorFocal Passage: Psalm 40:1-11 Do you have an attitude of gratitude? Or is it more of a “grrrr-attitude?” This week’s lesson on The ATTITUDE in Worship, from Psalm 40:1-11, could help you settle that question. We’re in a series called The Heart of Worship, and frankly, the study today is one […]
January 20, 2025
By Troy RustMission strategist • Holston Baptist AssociationFocal Passage: Exodus 25:1-9; 31:1-6 You have heard it said countless times, “The devil is in the details.” Yet, when we read the Bible we learn that Satan’s ultimate concern is the end (deception), not the means. On the other hand, God is in the details. My father […]
January 20, 2025
By Mike DawsonTennessee pastorFocal Passage: Psalm 25:4-15 A gray-haired man and his young grandson were walking outdoors. The boy asked, “Grandpa, can a feller see God?” The grandfather stopped. He scanned the blue sky and the billowing clouds, saw the trees swaying in the wind, and the birds and squirrels flittering about. “Son,” he answered, […]