Pastor Craig Carter When my children were little, they were home schooled and lived a fairly sheltered existence. I served a small church in rural Alabama and their regular baby sitter was a young lady from our congregation who was like an adopted daughter to us. She was their primary connection to the “outside world”…
Pastor Craig Carter What are some words associated with Christmas? First, let’s eliminate the obvious answer the preacher is looking for: Jesus. What else comes to mind? From a cultural point of view, it may be naughty, nice, snow, cheer, jolly, or debt. Topping the Christian list has to be joy, hope, peace, and believe.…
Pastor Terry Tatum Each year around this time I tend to reflect on the past year, or years. I think about what was, what is, and what could have been. Without any prompting my mind just goes in that direction. Reflecting on 2020 has been different to say the least. I really love to hear…
Mary McQuagge, Children’s Minister In the weeks after Hurricane Michael countless churches within the United Methodist connection came forward to help Bay County and surrounding communities in our time of need. This year the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana was hit with not one, but two major hurricanes. In the aftermath, God led our church…
Pastor Craig Carter Is anyone ready for the year to be over? 2020 has been one for the record books. It certainly has been the craziest in my lifetime. Someone has described it as “the gift nobody wanted, but it keeps giving and giving.” Let me remind you of just a few of the things…
Pastor Craig Carter The primary message in the Letter of James is that Christian faith should be demonstrated through Christian action. It’s not enough to know the right thing to do, real followers of Jesus actually do it. So the key verse is found in chapter one, verse 22: Don’t just listen to God’s word.…
Pastor Craig Carter This fall we have been engaged in a church-wide study of the Letter of James. This New Testament book is filled with practical advice and shows us “how to live” as Christians. In many ways, the letter of James serves as a commentary on Jesus’ teaching as it touches on many of…
Pastor Terry Tatum We are several weeks into our church-wide study of the book of James titled “How to Live.” We’ve covered a large portion of James so far and this week we’re discussing how to live in the world. First let’s recap a couple of things we’ve learned: Who was James and who was…
Pastor Craig Carter The New Testament letter of James is filled with practical advice and tells us how to live as God’s people. We have learned how to live with patience in times of trouble … in victory over temptation … with others both inside and outside the fellowship … by faith that is real…
Craig Carter The New Testament Letter of James is filled with practical advice to help us live as Christians. As a congregation we have been studying this letter in detail since early September. We have observed that James first introduces a wide range of subjects in the opening chapter and then addresses each topic in…