In our Connect Group on Sunday, Josh Mudford led us in a discussion on how we can avoid the traps of “Churchianity” and focus our Sunday mornings on being more about Christianity. He asked us to ponder the question, “What is a successful Sunday?” Worded differently, he asked us to ponder, “How can we look…

“I don’t need church!” I hear some version of that on a regular basis when I invite people to join me on Sunday mornings. That thought is probably rooted in a painful past experience, a disappointing moment, or a false reality that somehow not belonging to church but expressing faith is all it takes to…

Are you a fixer? Of all my flaws, I believe being a “fixer” might be my biggest one. You can’t solve other people’s problems. Only God can. I’ve pondered that thought a lot lately, and as I have, I have continued to be drawn to two things. First, I have been drawn to these words…

Have you ever felt like you were on the right path, but then things just didn’t work out the way you expected them to work out? In his message Sunday at Trinity Baptist Church, Pastor Andy Coats shared that God designed us with the potential to be completely equipped for every good work. God is…

Someone asked me recently, “Why do you post your church notes and so much personal stuff now on social media?” It’s an interesting story really. I use social media as a way to document our family’s life. It’s so much easier than the scrapbooking days of my youth. Once a year, I print all of…

At the age of 26, I found myself mentally and financially broken. I had spent nearly two years in a relationship I knew weeks into wasn’t the right spot for me, but I stayed for the wrong reasons. A coworker recognized my situation. She offered me a room in her home and invited me to…

One of the best pieces of advice I learned working on our marriage was to “Share Withholdings”, or what I like to more affectionately call, “The Humble Sandwich Conversation”. The concept is simple. Every 48-hours, make time to reflect on two good things your spouse has done and one thing you may need to discuss…

“Too many of us quit just shy of the blessing God has in store for us on the other side of our endurance.” -Pastor Andy Coats I know everyone in church takes something slightly different away from the message shared each week. If you take nothing else away from my notes from Andy’s sermon today…

On a scale of 1-10, how would you describe your generosity? “I Will Give Generously,” is the title of Chapter 6 of Thom Rainer’s book I Will. It was the core of our Connect Group’s discussion today at Trinity Baptist Church. The chapter focuses on several tough sins many of us don’t even realize we…

What are you most devoted to? That’s the question Pastor Andy Coats posed on Sunday during his message at Trinity Baptist Church. Figuring out where your devotion lies is fairly easy. Look at your schedule and see where the majority of your time is spent. Your idols will quickly become apparent. As I look at…