Musings

By Gueary Clendenning Christmas is just around the corner. After Thanksgiving, the pace quickens toward the big day! We’ll find ourselves in a big rush, always pursuing one more thing we need to get accomplished. We look for the nearest parking spot in the crowded mall, searching for the perfect...

Dearest Becca, I am writing this shortly before boarding an airplane and flying 40,000 feet above the earth. I am about to leave the country, and I wanted to write before I go. It’s funny, I’ve been humming the song “You Are My Sunshine” all day, thinking about you. This is...

By Pastor Doug Stauffer More questions than answers?—not really. Amidst the rocket bombardment and agonizing cries from innocent lives lost on both sides during the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, the Bible resonates with poignant relevance. Here is a snippet of a sermon preached the day after Hamas propelled...

By Sean Dietrich I am a dropout. I grew up pretty hard. I am an educational failure. I had few academic opportunities. As a result, I am a very slow reader, and an even wurse speler. This is because, after my father died, my family hit rock bottom. My mother cleaned houses...

One of the most memorable lines in the classic novel The Old Man & the Sea is “Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.” Written in 1952, this memorable book won the Nobel Prize for literature...

By Doug Stauffer, Pastor, Faith Independent Baptist Church With the 2023-2024 school year in full swing, parents and teachers have bought their supplies, arranged schedules and attended orientation sessions. Amidst all the bustle, focusing on some deeper life lessons is crucial as they serve as a moral compass for children....

By Sean Dietrich Recently, it came to my attention that I was one of the remaining four Americans who had not seen “Barbie.” In case you’re one of the other three, “Barbie” is a wildly popular movie that is making waves in all the headlines. The New York Times recently said...

By Doug Stauffer, Pastor, Faith Independent Baptist Church Labor Day, for many, signifies the end of summer, the beginning of a new school year, and a day off work and school. But when viewed spiritually, Labor Day takes on a far greater significance. Labor Day becomes a celebration of our...

By Sean Dietrich Willie Nelson is on my radio. He is singing one of my favorite songs. “In the twilight glow I see her, “Blue eyes crying in the rain, “When we kissed goodbye and parted, “I knew we’d never meet again…” I turn it up because I am a sucker for this tune. Though, I’m...

By Pastor Doug Stauffer Edmund Burke once declared, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Scripture echoes this truth by instructing, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11). These admonitions highlight the...