Pastor's Blog

Dear Church Family, Remembering 9/11 This past weekend marked the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It's one of those days in the history of our country of which people ask, "Where were you when it happened?" For me, I was a chaplain in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. I remember sitting in a dining facility finishing up a...

Dear Church Family, This coming Sunday, September 12th, at 9:15 am, we begin a new Sunday school series entitled, "Seeking Wisdom: God's Program of Guidance." I hope you will join us for this informative study as we learn important principles for biblical decision-making. This study will be of benefit to both young and old. By way of introduction to our study, let me tell...

Dear Church Family, Earlier this year, I shared with you the general framework for our church-planting strategy at Hill Country Church (PCA). Basically, this strategy is a plan for a path to move from a "mission church" to a "particularized church" and is comprised of three phases: establishing membership, building infrastructure, and training and ordaining officers. I en...

Dear Church Family, Earlier this week, elders of our church visited an ill member of our congregation, anointing him with oil and praying that the Lord would heal him. Some may wonder about this practice. What's the purpose? Is it biblical? How is this practice different from the Roman Catholic practice of holy unction (or last rites)? Well, I thought that I would take th...

Dear Church Family, In our last two sermons from Genesis, chapter 21, we examined how the New Testament interprets and applies God's promises to Abraham concerning seed (to make him into a great nation) and land (to bring him into the promised land). With respect to the promise of seed (Genesis 21:1-21, "Children of Promise,") we saw how Hagar and Ishmael were driven out...

Dear Church Family, In our most recent sermon this past Sunday from Genesis 20:1-18, we observed how the Abimelech, the pagan king of Gerar had a healthy fear of God. Conversely and ironically Abraham, the blessing-bearer, did not fear God; he feared men. In the sermon, I sought to explain how Abraham and Abimelech were both different and similar to one another. Cultur...

Dear Church Family, Today marks three weeks week since I arrived at Fort Knox, KY. As I may have mentioned, my responsibilities include being a chaplain for about 650 ROTC cadets while they are here for their "cadet summer training" between their junior and senior years of college. I am also responsible to supervise and mentor a chaplain candidate who is training and prep...

Dear Church Family, On this Memorial Day, I want to share with you a book recommendation, written by the fianc of a friend of mine who was killed in Iraq in 2003. When I first received my copy of Letters to Ernie by Michelle Blanco (published in 2016), I began to read and couldn't stop until I had finished the whole book in one sitting. The only thing that slowed my progr...

Dear Church Family, ROTC Advanced Camp Chaplain Ministry This summer, I have the opportunity to serve as a chaplain to about 600 Army ROTC cadets at Fort Knox, KY. ROTC Advanced Camp is the training that all Army ROTC cadets attend between their junior and senior years of college. It is a pretty fast-paced time of training and is a major component of their evaluation and...

Dear Church Family, As a pastor, I enjoy discussing questions about the Bible, theology, decision-making, relationships, moral issues all kinds of questions. There's one question, however, that I really don't like; it's my least favorite question, but it's a question that I've been asked several times over the years: "What is your vision for the church?" I understand the...