Faith Archive

A lifetime ago, I was the lead guitarist for a rock band.

When I admit this in church circles, it is met with a bemused look that says, “Really?” I will admit, I bear little resemblance to a “rocker” with my gray hair and conservative attire but put a guitar in my hands and my claim is quickly validated.

It was the first Thursday of February, cold and damp outside but warm and welcoming inside Risen Savior Lutheran Church.

A small team of volunteers arrived to assist Pastor Craig Born and his wife, Jennifer, in the final preparations for the monthly “Jesus Cares Worship at the Cross,” a worship service for anyone with special needs or cognitive impairments.

From early on in our marriage, my wife and I wanted to get a dog, but with full-time jobs, it didn’t seem wise.

Seeing people walking dogs in our neighborhood and cute dogs in TV commercials relentlessly threatened our resolve.

While many Americans breathe a sigh of relief that trouble-filled 2020 is behind us, the residents of many coastal communities in Alabama and Louisiana are still cleaning up after last year’s hurricanes.

Two Navarre brothers gave up time during their Christmas break to help with the hurricane cleanup work in Foley Alabama.

Forrest Gump told the lady at the bus stop, “My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,” then he popped one into his mouth.

Clearly, that was before candy companies put key cards in the boxes because, Forrest, you can know exactly “what you’re gonna get.”

“It was a long labor of love, a lot of late nights,” said lead pastor AJ Rice, his T-shirt spattered with paint.

Rice and a small crew were completing the setup on the new stage in Liberty Church Gulf Breeze campus’ newly expanded worship center.

In seminary, future preachers are encouraged to collect potential sermon illustrations – emotion-packed, real-life stories, a funny joke or a personal life experience.

God must have realized that I would need extra help in this because he gave us Brewster.

On Jan. 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed the first coronavirus case in the United States – a traveler recently returned from Wuhan, China.

One year later, the CDC reports some 21 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and over 350 thousand deaths.