11/21/19 The Washington Post headline, “Surgeon General Says There’s a Loneliness Epidemic.” USA Today, “Young People Report More Loneliness Than the Elderly.” The Boston Globe, “The Biggest Threat Facing Middle-Aged Men Isn’t Smoking or Obesity. It’s Loneliness.” Loneliness is a problem facing our culture. Even with cell phones, email and social media – people lack relationships. Radical individualism is […]
11/15/19 Sue and I commented we thought the Magnify Conference a few weekends ago was one of the best in recent years. Denny Burk did a marvelous job – with a difficult topic. He was informative and yet pastoral. “Speaking the Truth in Love in Sexualized Culture” was a tightrope he walked well. If you were not there, […]
11/8/19 With all the political hype you would think the presidential election is around the corner but in reality its a year away. Our nation is very divided these days. Harsh words, character assassinations, calling into question one’s patriotism – hateful speech seem to characterize the discussion by both political parties. Tragically this can all creep into the […]
11/1/19 What a joy it is to welcome Mike Orth back into the pulpit of HBC. Mike served as one of our elders when I arrived in 2007. He and his wife, Paula, and 4 children were an integral part of our church for many years. Mike will flesh out today some of the truths we’ve been studying […]
10/25/19 Cancer. That word strikes terror into many a heart. It’s a word some of you have heard – or a loved one has been told. In 2018, Mike Orth was told he had multiple myeloma. What led to the diagnosis was that he had a compression fracture in one of his vertebrae. For many years the […]
10/18/19 Are you a doubter? I can be. How often I’ve identified with the desperate father who said to Jesus, “Lord, I believe, help me with my doubts.” Elyse Fitzpatrick helped encourage me through my troubling thoughts and feelings in her excellent book, “Doubt: Trusting God’s Promises.” It’s a 31-day devotional – each chapter (day) consisting of a verse […]
10/11/19 Mary and I do our best to proof-read the bulletin each week. It’s funny how we can both read it – several times and then catch a mistake once its printed. However, I shared with her some actual (that’s what I was told) bulletin bloopers. Scripture says laughter is like good medicine so feel free to take […]
10/6/19 Trunk-n-Treat has become our most effective outreach in the community. Yes, it is low-key but the number of people who comment and thank us each Halloween night is impressive. And no, we haven’t seen any visible fruit from our endeavors, but the word is out, Holt Baptist cares about its community. That is important. We will pray […]
9/27/19 I love the quote I saw on a recent Facebook page, “Church is not something you go to. It’s a family you belong to.” Our updated website emphasizes the family feeling we have here. We strive for such an atmosphere. It takes work and prayer. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the […]
9/20/19 What do you do when Mike wants to be called Michelle? Is same-sex attraction in itself sinful? What gives anyone the right to tell two consenting adults that their sexual behavior is wrong? We live in an overly sexualized culture. It influences and impacts all of us. How do we navigate through the sexual confusion of our day? What do […]