Musings

By Pastor Doug Stauffer Every celebrated Independence Day finds patriot hearts swelling with pride and gratitude for our freedoms enjoyed in this great nation. Even after the fireworks, parades and family gatherings, let us take a moment to reflect on the true essence of freedom as expressed in the Holy...

By Guery Clendening It is Spring! The flowers are blooming! I love this season. To me Spring speaks of new beginnings. When I lived in Illinois, the winters could be harsh at times. I remember during one winter, looking out my office window at a very large tree. With snow...

By Sean Dietrich I hung an American flag on our house today. We just moved in. We have only been living in Birmingham for three days, but I thought it was time we flew the Stars and Stripes. This house dates back to 1923, so this porch has probably seen its...

By Rick Moore After traveling to the far south-east of the Caribbean, we flew to the island of Tobago to see the GOAT. Some say Michael Jordan is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Some say Tom Brady is the GOAT. Some say Elvis Presley is the GOAT. However, we...

By Rick Moore When I was about five years old, my family checked into a hotel room while on a vacation. The sliding glass door to our room was adjacent to the swimming pool. My two older brothers and I decided to race to see who could be the first...

By Rick Moore The celebrated artist wanted to create one last masterpiece. He took a bucket of clay and placed some of it on the potter’s wheel. When he did, the lump of clay said, “What do you think you’re doing?” Though it was strange for the clay to talk...

By Pastor and Father Doug Stauffer As we approach Father’s Day, I wanted to use this opportunity to honor and celebrate the fathers in our community. As a pastor (and traveling evangelist for 20 years), I have witnessed how the love, dedication and strength of fathers make a lasting impression...

By Sean Dietrich Dan Lovette became an usher at the Baptist church on Easter Sunday, March 26th, 1961. He stood at the door shaking hands, passing out bulletins. Nobody knew Dan. Weeks earlier, Pastor Lovette had introduced Dan as his older brother. Dan was a tall man with a soft voice and...

By Pastor Doug Stauffer Like so many other churches, we establish a new theme every year. Interestingly, our theme for 2020 was pretty predictable—“20/20 vision” (ugh, right before COVID-19 reared its ugly head). The vision that year seemed blurry at best. Last year, it was from James 4:8: “Draw nigh...

By Rick Moore An attention getting picture with an enticing headline is often called click-bait. Here are a few of the most viewed click-bait statements on the internet: These Photos Will Make You Think Twice, Here Is What They Look Like Now, You Won’t Believe What She Said, and the...