I just wanted to share part of my testimony with the members of FCC-

I have had ups/downs throughout my life with various situations and I am here to tell you to keep the faith because the power of Jesus Christ is real and even though I struggle just like every single person in this world I continue to keep my eyes on Jesus. He continues to prove to me his mighty power every single day. He has brought me out of the depths of drugs and living precariously through a good part of my 20’s and the early part of my 30’s. I have always believed in God and grew up in church but somewhere along the way I got lost. …[read more]

Time magazine has an excellent article about the racial divide among evangelical churches. Martin Luther King Jr. is noted for saying, “11 o’ clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week…And the Sunday school is still the most segregated school.” As a minister of the gospel and a sociology teacher, this has always bothered me. Why can’t churches be more racially diverse? While all other social institutions in America are bridging the race barrier, surveys show that fewer than 8% of American churches have a significant racial mix. (“Significant” is defined as 20% minority.) …[read more]

As the 2009 College Football season comes to an end, the biggest story is not the Alabama vs. Texas National Championship Game, or the end of Coach Bobby Bowden’s career. The top story is Urban Meyer and the University of Florida. Coach Meyer resigned one day, stating health and family reasons, only to change his mind the next day and decide to take a leave of absence, a Sabbatical if you will. As of today (January 2nd) he says he plans on being the football coach for the University of Florida in the Fall.

Most commentators pointed to stress as being the reason for Meyer’s up and down mood swings. Every college wants their team to win every game. Meyer’s teams were among the best college football had ever seen. They won 23 games in a row, and it was after their first loss that Meyer later had an apparent heart attack. He says he has been dealing with constant chest pains for at least 2 years—during the time of his team’s winning streak. Coach Meyer expects nothing less than perfection. Our society says that success is determined by wins and failures by losses. Nothing else matters but being perfect.

And the cost of perfection could be your life. …[read more]