The right choice for stained glass

In today's rapidly-changing computing environment, a church or ministry needs a tightly integrated system to handle the flow of information that keeps its ministry healthy and connects it with its people.

Fredericksburg Virginia (VA)

Choice Hills Baptist Church is a fundamental, independent, Bible-believing Baptist church located in Greenville, SC

An Old Fashioned, Independent, Missionary, Premillennial, Fundamental, Baptist Church. We have made these conscious choices based on convictions and studying the King James Bible.

What The Bible Says - Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

By G.D. Watson

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

Watch our Live Stream Sundays starting at 9:45am, Sunday Evenings at 6pm and Wednesday Evenings at 7pm (CST) Take a ...

Victory Baptist Church Darlington, SC AM Service 3-17-24 Matthew 20:1-16.

Joshua 3:9-17 You have a choice Tim Ross.

I'm learning that motherhood is less about technique and more about wisdom and formation.Almost six months ago, I had my first baby. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about sleep: how long; how deep; whether it’s happening in a car, on a walk, in a lap. And I’ve been thinking about how to achieve that sleep faithfully, honoring both the dignity of my baby and my duty as a mom.For many new parents, sleep is a controversy, a series of choices that open you up to criticism. Some parents put their baby in bed with them. (Dangerous!) Others opt for a bassinet. (Cold-hearted!) Some use a pacifier. (Problematic.) Others don’t. (Equally problematic.)In the newborn months, night feedings are necessary. The controversial faith-based program Baby Wise, promising full nights of sleep at only seven weeks, has therefore been condemned by pediatricians. But even as their babies grow, some parents continue to respond to every whimper. Loving, they proclaim. Unrealistic, say their opponents. And ultimately, not good for the baby!Others choose to “sleep train,” putting their baby down awake so that they’ll learn to fall asleep on their own. This often involves crying. Worth it, parents insist. Selfish, say their critics. And ultimately, not good for the baby!If you’ve cared for an infant in 2024 and successfully avoided sleep debates, I commend you. I have not. In part, because of Instagram. Also, because I needed information. My baby seemed tired all the time, and yet his eyes simply would not close. How could I help him rest?I read some curriculum; I watched some videos; I browsed blogs; I talked to friends. Over time, I learned some strategies. We sang lullabies. We purchased blackout curtains and overnight diapers. We used a swaddle, then a “sleep suit,” then a “sleep ...Continue reading...

Christian urban designers and developers explain how their faith affects their work—and how their work affects your faith.The design of our communities shapes how we interact with one another, love one another, and grow with one another. But who shapes those communities? In a broad sense, we all do. Our choices of where and how to live, learn, work, and worship collectively influence the market, ministry decisions, and what feels “right” and “normal.” But some professions—city planners, urban designers, architects, and real estate developers—take a larger and more direct role in creating our cities and neighborhoods. And for many Christians in these industries, faith guides their construction of spaces for community flourishing.Where we live can echo both the creation and redemption yet to come (Rom. 8:18–25). These places can foster deep, lasting community in a fragmented world, four Christians in these industries told me, and the local church can be a model of inviting, appealing design.The pillars of good urban design—beauty, function, community building, accessibility—are more than fads or human preferences. They’re a foretaste of the redeemed earth, a signpost pointing us toward a better way of living. And it shouldn’t be lost on us, said Chris Elisara, chair of the Congress for New Urbanism Members Christian Caucus, that the world to come isn’t described as a garden or a quaint village but as a city (Rev. 22:3). “As we participate in kingdom building,” he told me, “it culminates with [that] city description in Revelation. And that’s where God dwells with his people again.”Accordingly, more mundane “kingdom building” through city planning and urban design shouldn’t be thoughtless, out of touch, ...Continue reading...

How to engage in ethos, pathos, and logos, and point our audience to true choices.

Despite outrage from pro-choice advocates over abortion bans in some states following the Supreme Court ruling that determined the Constitution doesn't contain a right to abortion, the U.S. remains one of only eight countries that still allow abortion up to birth.

? Temple Baptist Church - 4-10-2024John 15:1-11? Introduction:? A.? Last week, we saw the Prophecy of the True Vine.? Jesus Christ is the Root of the Vine and the Vine itself along with being the Branch.? This tells us several things about Christ: He was before all things, He made all things, He sustains all things, and He will be after all things.? B.? Tonight, we will look at the Purpose of the True Vine.? God does everything both Perfectly and with Purpose.? 1.? verse 1.? The Personality of the True vine.? a)? As the Root, Christ is the Anchor that holds the Vine.? He is the Chief Cornerstone of salvation.? He is the Rock of the believer.? As the Vine, Christ sustains the believer.? The Root supplies the nutrients along with the water necessary for spiritual growth and productivity through the Vine to the branches.? b)? As the Vine, Christ is Attributer that feeds the branches.? The sap flows through the vine to the branches.? The vines do not produce anything other than branches.? It is the branches that are responsible for bearing fruit.? c)? As the Branch, Christ is our Example of both life and fruit bearing.? 2.? Verse 2.? The Purpose of the True Vine.? Fruit!? Without fruit, the True Vine would have no reason to exist.? Jesus Christ has a reason for His being and we are that reason.? a) The Vine gives birth to the branches.? We are born again through the finished work of Jesus Christ.? b) The vine gives the necessities of fruit bearing to the branches.? c)? The Lord has and is doing His part because we are both saved and capable, as long as we abide in Him, of producing fruit.? C.? The Priority of the True Vine.? 1.? The Importance of Abiding in the Vine.? ? a)? These verses do not speak of being Attached to the True Vine.? Each of God's children get their live through Christ Jesus and are a part of the True Vine.? If you are saved, you are and always will be a branch.? b)? But not all branches continue to draw life from the vine for various reasons.? After a storm, we all find a lot of dead branches in our yards.? God uses storms and strong winds to prune trees and other plants.? Gardeners prune their plants to help the plant to produce maximum fruit.? 2.? How do we Abide in the True Vine.? ? a)? By drawing all that we need for life and godliness from the sap that flows from God to usward.? I use these verses often because of their importance to all of us that are saved.? 2 Peter 1:2-3? Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,? (3)? According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:? b)? God gives us everything that we need so it is Available.? 2 Peter 1:2-3? Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,? (3)? According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:? c)? There are two aspects of our spiritual drawing from God.? To ignore either of these will cause the believer to become unproductive.? 1)? The Word of God.? I cannot over emphasize the importance of our Bible!? I do not “major on a minor” as it is the “MAJOR!”? It is the “sap” that we draw from reading, studying, listening to, and rightly applying the Word of God.? God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.? 2)? The Spirit of God.? The second way that we draw “sap” from the True Vine is through the presence of and obedience to the Holy Spirit which indwells us.? He is our Teacher, Comforter, Guide, and Friend.? 3.? The branch that does not produce fruit is broken off by men and cast into the fire.? ? John 15:6? If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.? (Notice that it is still a branch and the men who break them off and burn them shows the chastening rod of God.? “And many sleep!”? D.? Verses 2-11.? The Product of the Abiding Branches.? We now understand that failure to abide in Christ causes lack of fruit and possibly physical death.? ? John 15:5? I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.? 1.? Verse 2, 4-5.? ? The Qualification of the Fruit.? The branch must be attached to the Vine!? ? If you are not in the Vine, then there is no way for you to share in the Vine's life. This is all about a vital union between the believer and the Lord Jesus Christ, the True Vine.? a.? The Purging of the Vine.? John 15:2-3? Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.? (3)? Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.? b.? We must have a close relationship with the Vine.? Prayer, Bible reading and study, self-denial.? c.? We must be available for use by the Vine.? Availability and dependability are the greatest abilities.? This in all God needs.? 2.? The Quality of the Fruit.? Fruit!? The grace extended is all the same.? The faith exercised is all the same.? The salvation given is all the same.? a.? The quality of the fruit is not necessarily the responsibility of the branch.? The quality of fruit depends upon the quality of the Vine.? ? b.? God reproduces His life through our lives.? As salt and light, the world sees our good works and glorify the Father in heaven.? c.? This has been called a “Liberating Truth!”? We are free from the consequences of their personal choice.? We cannot save, we can only give savor and light.? 3.? The Quantity Of Our Fruit.? ? a.? ? So many people whip themselves because of a lack of visible results but there are those who plant, those who water, and only God can give the increase.? This? is not the responsibility of the branch. Some will produce much; some will produce little.? b.? The fruit, more fruit, and much fruit depend upon the will of the Vine. I have known some of the godliest, best missionaries and pastor who have spent their lives with little seeable fruit.? ? 4.? The Quandary of the Branches.? ? John 15:5? I am the vine, ye are the branches:? He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.? a.? Not every branch is what God intended for it to be.? Our relationship to the Vine is what we make of it.? b.? This branch is still attached to the Vine but is not abiding in the Vine.? Let me explain.? ? 1)? It is the Husbandman who Purges the branches: to wash them through the Word of God.? 2)? It is the Husbandman who Prunes the branches by breaking the branches OFF from the Vine.? c.? Our duty is to abide in God and allow God to abide in us!? Conclusion:? Not abide in Christ:? a.? Loss of Fellowship – “cast out”? b.? Loss of Living – “withered”? c.? Loss of Reward – “burned'