Events Serve Announcements Give Discerning the Mind of Christ with Head and Heart I recently listened to a convocation address given by the president of my undergraduate alma mater. One line of his speech jolted me: “The Bible is actually very clear that we come to know the will of God through our minds and not our emotions.” In other words, the head has supplanted the heart in … [Read more...]

Events Serve Announcements Give SURE AND BEGORRA! St. Patrick’s Day approaches. I just learned that “begorra” means, in Irish, “by God,” so the expression “Sure and begorra” is the exclamation, “Yes, by God!” Leprechauns bring to mind folktales of luck. In karate, from an Okinawan/Japanese influence, I was taught that it was insulting to say “good luck” to someone before a tournament or … [Read more...]

Events Serve Announcements Give Faithful Role Models Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas’s They Like to Never Quit Praisin’ God: The Role of Celebration in Preaching argues that earlier generations of Black preachers learned the craft of preaching through careful observation of role models, as seminary training accessible to whites was often out of reach for Black individuals. Role models can be … [Read more...]

Events Serve Announcements Give We are available to you Dear FPC Family, We are a church family, and staff change brings challenges. Please know that your pastors and session are available to you.  We are diligently working with all of the dedicated student ministry volunteers to support our students and their families as well as our ongoing, weekly student … [Read more...]

Events Serve Announcements Give Silver, Gold, or Platinum? We’re moving a little past Valentine’s Day now, but I’m still thinking about love.  Let’s talk precious metal rules.  Most people know the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s found with slight variation in most religions; it’s called the “ethics of reciprocity.” It’s a step up from the … [Read more...]