I remember the first time I was ordained as a ruling elder in my 20s. The interim pastor, Harry Beverly, called in the big guns, and we...

"A Scout is loyal: a Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and country." This is the second point of the Scout...

When I was a consultant, I was trained in project risk management. List things that could go wrong. Assign a best guess of the percent...

I had an email exchange with a friend about forgiveness. My friend vaguely referred to someone with whom he had had conflict. My friend...

"What does it mean," I asked on Easter, "that Christ is risen?" I listed a lot of good things: It means we're free from fear, free to...

In the tenth chapter of John, there are three sheep-farming images in a row. In verses one through six, the shepherd is known to the...

Calvin said, "I interpret repentance as regeneration, whose sole end is to restore in us the image of God that had been disfigured and...

The Book of Common Worship says that this season of Ordinary (it means "ordered," not common) Time after Epiphany "highlights themes of...

There is a significant event on the church calendar that comes up in early January. It's a little confusing, in the church, thinking...

December 25, 2022 Dear friends, I have to admit that I don't really get into the building hustle and bustle before Christmas: decorating,...

Matthew starts with a genealogy. "Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his...

Ok, I know that 2022 is not over, but in a sense, it is. We just finished a liturgical year. This past Sunday was the end of the year...

Josiah Royce, 19th century Harvard philosopher, was investigating loyalty. When you are loyal to a group or community, what is it that...

On the last Sunday in October, many protestant churches celebrate "Reformation Sunday." On Halloween in 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95...

Guided in part by a book called The Meanings of Discipleship, edited by Andrew Hayes and Stephen Cherry, I've been preaching this summer...

We welcome Dr. Jack Bowman back to the position of Director of Music / Organist at First Presbyterian Church, Pauls Valley. His...

Between memory and anticipation is now. This is a profound concept. What gives us the ability to perceive time as progressing forwards?...

I'm going to be examining the scriptures this summer with a particular question in mind: What does this passage teach us about...

Pentecost Sunday is June 5. Sometimes it is called the "birthday of the church." The disciples have been in hiding since the trauma of...

Easter was great here in Pauls Valley. In addition to being the most meaningful of all days for Christians, the weather was perfect, the...