Songs We Sing

Running With Ancestors

This Sunday is Halloween. The Christian community has dealt with the day in different ways over the years. Some view it as a totally evil event fit only for real witches and their supporters. Others see the day as a totally secular happening. It's a good reason to hang out with neighbors and eat candy. A third response is to emphasize the All Saints and Reformation Day themes. I blend the last two and claim it as mine.

The Snowden family likes that candy party stuff.  Our church had a wonderful Pumpkin Patch party. We shared a night of happiness with our friends and neighbors. That can't be wrong.

I also appreciate the opportunity this time of year offers to focus on our faithful spiritual ancestors. We are truly surrounded by a cloud of faithful witnesses. This is a good time to stop and think about the impact they continue to make. I love the "record art" photo I took last night. You can see two aged arms standing behind the old record player. Those arms helped my little girl create something beautiful with magic marker, an old turn table, and a paper plate. That's what church is - different generations working to make something special.

We will talk about this type of faithful living Sunday morning. The focal text will be Hebrews 12:1-3. Read it and join us for worship. Have a safe weekend y'all!

At Home With God

Songs We Sing

We will gather Sunday and celebrate the goodness of God. Many will be in town this weekend for Baylor's homecoming. I think of Sunday mornings as a homecoming of sorts. We return week after week and it feels like home. This week we will open the bible and read the 23rd Psalm. We will also be reminded of why we sing. My prayer is that this will help prepare us for a special night of worship this Sunday evening at 7:00. We will open new hymnals to worship God as a family. He's given us a new song to sing. Let's sing.

Saved by Hope - Romans 8

I'm catching up on the sermon podcasts

My first sermon at FBC Waco

Singing Together

We will sing new songs Sunday night. Our church family will gather at 7:00 to sing from our new Celebrating Grace hymnals. I can’t think of a better way to mark a new season in our congregational journey and I am excited.


Christians are singing people. We have expressed our heart through music for thousands of years. Singing together is a powerful experience. Singing is one of the chief ways we praise our God and King. Psalm 22:3 reads, “Yet you, the Holy One, who make your home in the praises of Israel,” What a thought! God is at home in our praise. When we sing together we set a place and invite the tender Presence. God comes and settles in with us. That is why we sing.

We also sing because singing draws us closer to each other. It takes a degree of humility to open up and sing in public. Humility is the rock of godly community. When we sing together we sing different parts but the same song. I cannot think of a better picture of community life. We are very different. We have different gifts and talents. We come from different backgrounds. We have different perspectives. We definitely have different personalities. Living with each other takes a truck load of grace and strong unifiers. Thank God we have both. He provides grace for the shared life and gives us a common song to sing. We need to sing. For our sake and the Kingdom’s we need to sing!

I am glad that I serve as the pastor of FBC Waco. The church is my family’s community – our people. We look forward to singing together for years to come.

For God So Love the World

We will celebrate The Supper at FBC Waco this Sunday. We will also gather around the hopeful promise found in John 3:16-17 -

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (KJV).

We'll see you Sunday!