Walking It OutDr. Doug Weiss In Galatians 5:13, Paul encourages us to walk out this thing called love. He writes, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”Now, this admonition was written in the context that we are free in Christ. So, how can we tell if we are walking in a spirit of love or wa...  Read More

CommandedDr. Doug WeissWhen we say love is the very cornerstone of Christianity, we can do so with great confidence. Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40 responded to the question, "Which is the greatest commandment in the law?"In verses 37 - 40 Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second...  Read More

SeedDr. Doug Weiss I do not want to appear to be Captain Obvious, but where there is a fruit, there is a seed. When analyzing the fruit of love, it’s important to recognize where it comes from.In Scripture we see the Son of God being conceived by God. We see Jesus growing up quietly. We see Him silently working hard as a carpenter, not distinguishable from others in humanity. We see Him being bapt...  Read More

You Are CapableDr. Doug WeissMatthew 14 shares one of my favorite stories. It’s the story of how Peter distinguished himself among all the disciples. He was beginning to understand a very important basic idea about following Jesus: if Jesus can do it, I can try to do it as well. When Jesus walked on the water, Peter asked to engage in the same miracle. As we are talking about loving well, we, like...  Read More

John 12:23-23 And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  He who loves his life loses it,  and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.  If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where ...  Read More

Loving WellDr. Doug WeissLove is the cornerstone of Christianity.“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).Love is a substantial part of our faith. As a Christian psychologist, I see love grow even in the most difficult circumstances. Love is such an important concept for us as believers and i...  Read More

HOW TO TRULY LOVE YOUR SPOUSEBY GARY CHAPMANTrue love, the kind of love that keeps a couple together for a lifetime, is not a feeling but an attitude. It says, "With the help of God, I'm going to do everything I can to enhance the life of my spouse."He sat in my office and said, “I just don’t love my wife anymore. I wish I did, but I don’t. I’ve even asked God to give me love for her. But I just d...  Read More

Watch Out!By Chuck WilliamsPastor, First Baptist Church, CovingtonFocal Passage: Hebrews 3:7-15It’s the small decisions which can lead to great consequences. Recently as I was traveling on Interstate 40 I noticed a small turtle on the road to my right. It was easy for me to avoid him, but I knew the more progress he made the quicker his end. My thought, “Pretty soon you are gonna regret making tha...  Read More

Pay AttentionBy Chuck WilliamsPastor, First Baptist, CovingtonFocal Passage: Hebrews 2:1-4Before the advent of GPS technology farmers learned to plow a straight furrow by picking out an object at the other end of the field. Whether they plowed with a mule or tractor, they kept their eyes focused to the object. If a rabbit popped up or a bird flew close by, the farmer could not afford to turn to lo...  Read More

WALKING WITH THE SPIRITBy Scott BrownPastor, First Baptist Church, WaverlyFocal Passage: Galatians 5:16-25Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” As the people of God, we are to be walking in the Spirit and with the Spirit. But what does it mean to walk with the Spirit?First, just like Amos, we must be agreed. We must agree to be going the same direction as Him. In Experienc...  Read More

RETURNBy Dustin AllmanPastor, The Fort Church, KingsportFocal Passage: 1 Kings 15:9-22    A multi-millionaire once asked a builder to construct a house. He showed him the blueprints and gave him a large sum of money.The millionaire mentioned, “You probably won’t need all this money, but I want you to have plenty to build a solid house. When you’re finished, you can keep whatever is left over.”The ...  Read More

INTERDEPENDENT INDEPENDENCEBy Scott BrownPastor, First Baptist Church, WaverlyFocal Passage: 1 Corinthians 10:23-33The question of the Christian’s freedom is something I’ve wrestled with since I first met Jesus. My first few years as a Christian I felt little freedom. I was bound tightly by legalistic ropes which kept my conscience in a constant shame.No matter what sins I avoided and what good I ...  Read More