News & Updates

BEFORE I WRITE BRIEFLY ABOUT SUNDAY… may I ask you to consider serving at our VBX kids camp this summer? We’re expecting a lot of kids, and we need a lot of adult servers. Our VBX serving sign ups were due last Sunday, but we are seriously short of our need. Would you pray about this? Would you take ten minutes and sign up (and maybe even get two more of your friends to sign up as well)? It’s a…

A new trend has emerged in Great Britain; it’s called “napercize.” Gyms all across the UK are providing beds for their slightly-less-than-motivated customers so that sleep-deprived moms and stressed-out dads can get 45 minutes of quiet and sleep while burning calories. Room temperatures are set at 60-67 degrees, since studies have suggested that sleeping in colder rooms may rev up metabolism and burn a few calories. Do reasonable people do such things? Would you? On Sunday, we’re wrapping up our…

It’s easy to be defined by such small, fragile things. And thus, we are really not defined at all. Let me explain. During the early Spring months, I can be as blue as the fading winter skies. My yard is a mess. Emerging weeds have dared and defied my pre-emergent spray. I can honestly feel like my life is out of control until I get my weeds under control. How weird is that? Can I really have a shining self-esteem…

Big Dan Salter was teaching early Wednesday morning at our men’s study.  He was on fire.  Passionate.  He fired up the men by proclaiming, “Guys, this is Holy Week!  This is our Super Bowl!  We need to be on fire and live this week out!” Yep, Easter is here.  Resurrection Sunday.   Our message this Sunday is centered on hope.  Where do Christians get their hope?  Is it the same faint hope that most skeptics can muster up? Let me just…

Occasionally, when math homework is kicking my son’s butt, Michael will groan, “What’s the point?” I remember doing the same thing. “I’m going into ministry! How will dividing polynomial fractions ever help? WHAT’S THE POINT?” These days, I can have the same thought pulling weeds or mowing the lawn. What’s the point? The weeds will only come back. The grass will need to be cut again next week. Sometimes the most mundane task can bring into question our purpose, significance,…

Last night was the grand opening of the new Guitar Center in Kennesaw. I’ve not seen such a buying frenzy since the 70% off Christmas Eve sale of Chia pets at Walgreens. The new store had a live band, lines of people, search lights scanning the dark skies, door-buster deals, and T-shirts—lots of free T-shirts. T-shirts were shot from cannons, with hordes of people scrambling to gain an cheap, XL-size shirt that will never fit. And there was the buying—frenzied…

My son darted back up the stairs before the bus came this morning. He had to change his socks. Upon realizing he was wearing nothing green, he guarded his life from weird pinches from weird girls by putting green striped socks on. Oh yeah… today is St. Patrick’s Day. I forgot too. It’s a day of dyed fountains, green everything, and beer. That’s what St. Patrick’s Day is all about, right? Actually, there’s more to it than Green Eggs and…

I grew up in a great, life-shaping church. The Ferry Church of Christ is where I cut my teeth on all things God, the Kingdom, and church world. I crawled underneath the pews during Sunday night church. It was an army soldier belly crawl through land mines of legs trying to reach the front of the sanctuary without anyone noticing. An abrupt, “Alan Ray… , get up here. What are you doing? You can’t do that!” from my dad ended…

How much time do you spend on image management? A simple question from a friend may give some indication. When a friend asks, “Hey, what have you been up to lately?”, what’s your response? If you’ve just gotten up from a three-hour nap, and the yard still needs to be mown, do you tell them that? OR… do you string together your recent to-do list to give the perception of busy-ness and frenetic activity to prove your power, worth, value,…

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to baptize my son, Owen. For anyone who has had the privilege to dunk someone special, you know what an amazing experience this is. So, how do we commemorate this occasion? We’re going camping! I won’t pass up a nice RV when I have the chance, but this time Owen and I are going to rough it. We’re driving up to a nice, flat campsite, building a tent, and making a fire. Heck,…