FBC CTX Growing in Grace Podcast

Isaiah uncovered the root cause of spiritual lostness with these words, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. As we try and chart our own way through life without the Lord, we lose our sense of how to get back home to the Lord as well as our direction of where we are heading with our futu...

Legendary radio broadcaster, Paul Harvey, used to give the facts on a variety of subject and then end with these words, “And now you know…the rest of the story.” The back story of American life these days is 50-70 million US adults struggle with sleep disorders. By the way, according to the American Sleep Association there are actually 80 different sleep disorders. Jeremiah told us many in 6:16, “...

Ben Carson had a tough beginning, describing his early years growing up in what he called the “ghetto” of Detroit in the 1950’s and 1960’s. For example, his father abandoned Ben, his mom and his brother when Ben was only 8 years of age. His book, Gifted Hands, mentions the challenges of financial hardship, the mental health of his mother and prejudice in the local school as real-life difficulties...

When some in our country identify and list our National Treasures, they include historical documents, geographical locations of national significance, cultural icons such as entertainers, professional athletes, Presidents, media moguls, etc. Personally, I would say that our greatest national treasures are our mothers. George Washington claimed, “All I am, I owe to my mother. I attribute all my suc...

Money CAN buy lots of things, and yet, there are there some things that money CANNOT buy. Would you agree with this assessment? Even the Beatles acknowledged this in their old song,  Can’t Buy Me Love  which includes the line, “… tell me that you want the kind of things that money just can't buy .” What kind of things are not sold in stores? I would mention some priceless treasures that...

Do you ever wrestle with worry? According to a 2023 Forbes article that I read recently, 19.1% of US adults suffer from an anxiety disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health discovered that the percentage significantly rises to 31.1% if one opens up the window to “at some point in their lives”. In other words, many of us will experience an anxiety attack at some point in life. Scripture equ...

The Confirmation of Multiple Written Accounts of the Resurrection of Christ, 1:1 The Designation of a Specific Historical Date for the Resurrection of Christ, 1:2 The Affirmation of Various Reliable Eyewitnesses to the Resurrection of Christ, 1:2-3 The Compilation of Undeniable, Verifiable Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ, 1:3 The Continuation of Encounters with the Resurrected Lord ov...

Some have said there are three postures in the book of Numbers - walking, wandering and waiting. Perhaps, you are in one of those three postures in your life right now. We are going to look at a lot of walking (and some waiting) described in Number 9:15-23. I like how the HCS study bible sets up an introduction to this text saying, “The poetic structure of verse 17 hints that this section was orig...

One of my mentors in Fairview, Alberta, Canada was Keith Hale. He had followed the Lord’s guidance to move his family from Texas to northern Alberta back in the 1950’s. He planted two churches, one of which I had the joy and honor of serving as pastor in Fairview, Alberta. I called Mr. Hale, “Grandad”. Grandad told me once, “Vic, if God is your partner then make your plans big.” I recently thought...

How has God blessed you? Most people only think of physical blessings like health, or financial blessings like a job, or material blessings like a new house, or social blessings like one’s family, etc. In Ephesians 1:3, we are assured that God “…has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. We may not be counting most of our blessings in Christ that are deposited...

One of my mentors in Fairview, Alberta, Canada was Keith Hale. He had followed the Lord’s guidance to move his family from Texas to northern Alberta back in the 1950’s. He planted two churches, one of which I had the joy and honor of serving as pastor in Fairview, Alberta. I called Mr. Hale, “Grandad”. Grandad told me once, “Vic, if God is your partner then make your plans big.” I recently thought...

We will pull up a chair in the home of the sisters, Martha and Mary and learn from their day in the life of feeding Jesus and the boys recorded in Luke 10:38-42. The Bible warns us that we must be vigilant in life lest we “fail to obtain the grace of God” and open ourselves up to “a root of bitterness” that can sprout up within our relationships (Hebrews 12:15). Since Luke was a physician, he knew...

Mercy is an attribute of God. A.W. Tozer writes about it in volume 1 of his magnificent work, “The Attributes of God”. Regarding mercy, Tozer writes,  “…mercy is not something God has, but something God is.”   If you have never read this book, I encourage you to pick up a copy. I led our church through a study of volumes 1 and 2 on Sunday nights, and we were so blessed to focus not...

C.S. Lewis once said of Psalm 19,  “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”  Cool. So, what’s your favorite song? I agree with Lewis that this psalm is a “keeper”! Psalm 19 is indeed beautiful as it describes how God speaks daily through His works of creation (vs. 1-6). It is so inspiring as it then moves to describe how He communic...

It is difficult sometimes to distinguish authentic love from artificial love. It reminds me of an old game show that used to air on tv called,  To Tell the Truth . After questioning three guests, a panel of four celebrities try to determine who is genuine and who is just faking it between the three guests. After the celebrities cast their votes, the host says,  “Will the real ______ plea...

The Bible calls a follower of Jesus Christ to forgive. Colossians 3:13 says, “…forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Today on the Growing in Grace, we will watch how a man named Joseph forgave his brothers after they had mistreated him and sold him into slavery. If anyone had a “right” to fume about how they were treated, it was this guy! But, strangely, he...

Paul made a powerful and unforgettable statement in Philippians 1:21 when he said, “For me to live is Christ…” I am not sure that we always live for Christ. What would you say that you are living for? Someone may even be wondering to themselves, “What does it even mean, ‘ to live for Christ’ ?” In Colossians 2:6-7 the same author, Paul, defines what he means by living for the Lord Jesus Christ. In...

Before the Apostle Paul could move forward with God in his life, he first needed to check his vision. He wasn’t seeing what God was seeing. How about you? Why not take time at the beginning to this year and seek the Lord for His vision. The prophet Habakkuk had lots of questions about what he was seeing around him. When God revealed His plan, he didn’t even understand God’s response. So, what did...

It is said of Abraham that  “…he went out not knowing where he was going…” (Hebrews 11:8).  I don’t think this is why he is also referred to as the  “…father of us all…” (Romans 4:16).  But most of us, if we are honest, are moving through life without direction. So, where can one go to find direction in life. I would say we could go to Romans 12:1-8. If you are looking for guid...

The second chapter of Matthew always leads us in the right direction each Christmas. We come alongside of the wise men and follow the star to honor Christ. This inspiring chapter also speaks truthfully of another choice that can be made each Christmas. If we choose to do so, we can follow the stress and move further away from Christ. Many bible scholars maintain that these...

James was writing to encourage early disciples who were encountering difficult people while experiencing harsh circumstances. Aesop’s fable contrasts an impatient rabbit with a steady turtle. These two enter a race. Who will win? The hare was too careless during the race while the turtle diligently kept putting one foot in front of the other. Sometime I grow impatient in life becaus...

Since Veterans Day is coming up, today let’s look at Hebrews 2:1-4 as we consider  The Charge of the Light Brigade in honor of our courageous veterans who demonstrate bravery to us as they vigilantly protect us and guard our freedoms. Have you ever heard of a poem written by Tennyson entitled,  The Charge of the Light Brigade ? It was inspired by the courage of 658 British...

Sometimes we feel as though we are going under and frantically scramble for anything that will keep us afloat. On February 16, 2021, a Lithuanian engineer went out on the deck of his cargo ship for some fresh air since he was feeling a little lightheaded. Unfortunately, he fainted and slipped overboard somewhere between New Zealand and Pitcairn. He had no lifejacket and was not noticed a...

Can you give thanks this Thanksgiving? Perhaps, you, like the Pilgrims, have suffered significant and precious loss of family or friends this year. Maybe overall, it has been a tough go for you and your family over the past couple of years. Let Hebrews 13:15-16 prime the pump for giving thanks, so that when it is time for you to give thanks with your family, you will...

The first of a two-part series on thanksgiving called, Choosing to Give Thanks.  It is based upon David’s response to the Lord when God redirected his dream of building a temple for God to his son heading up that construction effort. David basically had just received a “no” from God, yet he chose to respond with gratitude in 2 Samuel 7:18-29. Instead of focusing on what he couldn’t...