One of the most striking takeaways for me from our recent trip to Thailand was the plethora of Buddhist shrines and temples. This particularly stood out as we drove three hours through the mountains of northern Thailand to get to the town where the Canfields live. Jutting out of the side of virtually every mountain was a large shrine or temple. There were also shrines along the highway that were c...  Read More

Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study.Intro: (1) series recap (2) Good Wife's Guide from 1965The command of submission (22)1.Husbands: (1) wives commanded to submit to husbands — no reciprocal command to husbands, (2) recognition of unique role of servant leadership given to husbands (3) what submission is NOT — all women to all me...  Read More

Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study.Intro: (1) Keller book (2) cupidoscopeThe Foundation of Marriage (5:25) — the gospel: (1) decline of marriage — divorce rate, births to married couples, percentage of population married (2) shift from “permanent union of mutual love to temporary sexual contract designed for immediate gratifica...  Read More

In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul famously writes, "When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” One of the realities of growing up is increasing in responsibility. While we certainly gain more freedom as we get older, that freedom brings with it a greater need to be responsible. However, responsibility can be tricky and can be approa...  Read More

Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study.Intro: (1) overview of past two sermon series (2) themes around spiritual birth in ch.1-3 (3) themes around spiritual growth in ch.4:1-5:21 (4) the third big section (5:21-6:9) applies these truths to real world relational contexts (5) big three of marriage, parenting, work — define/frame each ...  Read More

A couple weeks ago one of our students who attended the youth retreat shared a poem they had written during our solo time. The setting was beautiful; a cloudless day with warm sunshine blanketing a cool, sandy beach. The waters of the Gulf stretching out as far as one can see, and the beach dotted with students reflecting on God the creator, the one who loves them. It is always one of the highligh...  Read More