We have come to 2018, our church's 100th anniversary year. In 1918 a small group of believers began meeting at a local store. The group eventually became the church we know today. We have existed on this little corner of Burke County for 100 years. None of us were here for the beginning of our church and if we exist here for another hundred years none of us will be here th...

This month, people all over our country will pause for a moment, reflect on what they have, and express thankfulness. It is unfortunate that this day of thanks is followed by a day of excess, with the Black Friday shopping frenzy. Paul, in his letter to the church at Colossae, gives a list in chapter three of the character traits of those called by Christ. At the end of v...

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,prisoners in affliction and in irons,for they had rebelled against the words of God,and spurned the counsel of the Most High.So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;they fell down, with none to help.Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,and he delivered them from their distress.He brought them out of darkness and...

As I sat down to watch the newly released videos of the chemical weapons attack in Syria, I was not terribly shocked by the graphic images they contained. It seems there is less and less to call shocking. I was, however, completely and utterly disgusted. I understand completely why they are being used to drum up support for military action against the Assad regime in Syria...

Here is a preview of our Fall Small Group study: I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thom Rainer (BH Books, 2013) It seems there have been few, if any, recent studies that have reached positive conclusions on the overall health of churches. By and large they have painted a bleak outlook on the direction of God's chosen vessel of t...

There has been a lot of debate in recent days about the nature Jesus' death. What did it mean? What did it cover? What did it accomplish? There are those who would try and minimize the necessity and propitiatory core of the death of the Savior of the world. If we do this, we miss the core of the Gospel. We miss the reality that we were once God's enemy and only through the...

Dear Church Family, I want to ask for your prayers for my family. About two and a half weeks ago, on Father's Day, my mother informed me that she had received negative results from a recent medical test. Since then we have found that she has a tumor in her lung that will require surgery. That surgery is currently scheduled for next Wednesday, July 10, at Frye Hospital. I ...

As far back as I can remember I have heard this country of ours referred to by some as a "Christian nation." When I was pretty young, I was skeptical, but assumed that I had just missed something. In more recent years the mantra has become that we were once a Christian nation. This seemed to fit better but, to me, never seemed to be a satisfactory description of the histor...

As I am writing to you we are just a few weeks away from kicking off our Colossal Coaster World VBS. I am reminded each year at this time when the Lord saved me at Vacation Bible School at the First Baptist Church of Taylorsville. That was a pivotal moment for me. While my life has not always reflected what Christ did that day, I know that he saved me. I read recently abo...

More info coming soon....

FBI, Sorry about any confusion about our Bible study tonight. I had meant to announce it this morning and simply failed to do so. We had a great group and I will continue to offer a Bible study this summer summer to anyone who wants to attend. The leadership of the church is looking at the possibility of having regular Sunday evening activities for adults. We have a wide...

How odd it is that when my family moved to Icard it was snowing. I remember the extra effort we put in to getting our stuff up here a night earlier than expected because of the threat of bad weather. That seems like just yesterday and yet I sit here this morning in shorts and sandals as the temperature quickly rises outside my office. Those rising temperatures are a remind...

This is appearing in tomorrow's Biblical Recorder. You can view it HERE or read below May 24 2013 by Micheal Pardue, BR Book Review Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Churchby Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson and Eric Geiger (BH Publishing, 2012) It would seem natural that any organization that labeled itself a church would be Jesus-centered. However, it does not tak...

May 26, 2013 Life Application Group Commentary Ephesians 1:7-14, ESV7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,Paul has already used the term "In Him" or something close ["through Jesus Christ" (v. 5) and "in the Beloved" (v. 6)] during the first six verses and he will use it four more times in vv...

I want to thank you for the kind words I received yesterday. I am feeling 100% better today. It is a great sign of what God is doing here that we have men who can step into the pulpit on short notice and proclaim God's Word. I believe there are many men here gifted to proclaim the Gospel and I plan to utilize them to do just that (though preferably without all the headache...

I must begin by being clear that I am not nave about the realities of terrorism. I am also not nave that those realities often are and should be met with a return of force. I still remember vividly in March of 2003 as bombs lit up the night skies over Baghdad. However, this is not about a government or judicial response to the events of the last twenty-four hours in Boston...

Galatians 5:1-15 The Slavery of the LawApril 14, 2013 For Freedom You Were Freed This is profoundly important. We were not set apart so that we would return ourselves to bondage. Christ set us free so that we can be free indeed. It remains a ridiculous notion to then want to enslave ourselves again. Slavery removes the Advantage He says if they accept circumcision (...

This is a blog post to get the blog started. There is more to come....