How to Pass the Wilderness Test

Between Egypt and the Promised Land there was wilderness, and the direct route between them was also the shortest route. This northern route near the Mediterranean Sea was also the route to take if you needed to eat off the land and have fresh water to drink. But that’s not the route God led the Israelites...

Closing Loopholes to Protect Our Girls

A new law took effect on July 3 in Virginia which made it illegal for a 13-year-old girl to get married. It applied to 13-year-old boys as well, but the reasons that the law was needed was mainly because of the exploitation of girls. According to a Washington Post report, from 2004 to 2013 more than 4,000...

What Makes Something Sacred?

1st in the series, “Religion, Rites & Rituals” First Baptist Church, Frederick, Maryland, July 17, 2016 “I’m interested in God, but not religion.” It’s a phrase we hear over and over again, but what does it even mean? Is religion simply something we created? A tool for controlling and dividing? Some...

The 1 Thing You Can do to Love God

Jesus summarized the entire Law in two statements: Love God with your entire being, and love others as if they were part of your entire being. Israel put the most effort into showing their love for God. That commandment came first, and it formed the core of their religious practice. “Hear, O Israel: The...

Talking Points for the White Pastor—Guest Post

I first met Dr. Bruce Hopler twenty years ago when he came to Maryland as the founding pastor of Cornerstone Community Church. We have been friends and colleagues ever since, even when he moved out of state to pursue other callings. He recently received the Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary, and now...

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