First Baptist Church Longview

What is the one thing your life is truly built around — and have the demands of daily living quietly pushed it out of first place? Opening a new series on the "one things" of the New Testament, Pastor Collin anchors the focus in Luke 10:38–42, where Jesus gently redirects Martha’s attention to what matters most. Everything in life finds its proper order only when staying near to the Lord who has c...

What do you do when God asks you to surrender the very thing His own promises are wrapped up in? In Genesis 22, Pastor Collin walks through Abraham’s call to offer Isaac, revealing that God is not only after obedience but the deeper loyalty of the heart. The things we cling to most tightly are often substitutes for what we were truly made to desire. Wherever the Spirit is asking you to trust Him t...

Have you ever looked at the chaos of your life and wondered where God is in all of it? Through the book of Esther — where God is never mentioned by name — Pastor Collin highlights how His sovereign hand is present in every “coincidence,” sleepless night, and unlikely turn of events. What appears random is actually purposeful, woven together for something far greater than any one life. You have not...

Do you ever feel like you're living in the "land of no thing," carrying shame and unworthiness you can't seem to set down? Through the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9, Pastor Collin draws a picture of undeserved grace extended to the overlooked and broken. Just as David sought out Jonathan’s son to bring him to the king’s table, God pursues us not because we have earned it, but because of His...

What do you cling to when life feels marked by loss, bitterness, or uncertainty? Walking through Ruth 1–2, Katie Yoder highlights how Ruth’s decision to remain loyal in suffering places her within God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Even in pain, God works through ordinary faithfulness to bring about purpose and hope. This calls us to trust His provision, stay faithful in the present moment, and c...

Have you ever been asked to do something that made absolutely no sense — and yet everything depended on whether you obeyed? In 2 Kings 5, Pastor Collin recounts Naaman’s journey from powerful commander to humbled seeker, where simple obedience became the turning point. When pride resisted what seemed beneath him, it was the quiet wisdom of servants that led him forward. Obedience to God is not abo...

Have you ever spent your life chasing something you thought would finally make you feel secure, only to find it slipping through your fingers? Tracing Jacob’s story in Genesis 27–32, Pastor Collin shows how his relentless pursuit of blessing left him grasping for things that could never satisfy. All along, God was offering something greater. The truth that emerges is that God’s blessing was never...

Have you ever felt the sting of rejection — passed over, overlooked, or simply not chosen? Opening *Unlikely Heroes* in Genesis 29, Pastor Collin brings attention to Leah’s story — unseen by her father, unwanted by her husband, and overshadowed by her sister. Yet the defining moment comes when God sees what others ignore. His grace runs deepest where rejection cuts the hardest, and the one dismiss...

What do you do when pain and suffering push you to cry out, "God, why?" and "God, when?" Drawing from James 5:7–11, Pastor Collin points to the farmer, the prophets, and Job as examples of patient endurance grounded in trust rather than resignation. The ultimate answer to suffering is not found in this world, but in the return of Christ. Stand firm, establish your heart in hope, and continue the w...

How much of the control you feel over your life is actually real? In James 4:13–17, Pastor Collin exposes the illusion of self-reliance by reminding us that our knowledge is limited, our lives are fleeting, and every breath depends on God's sustaining grace. The wisest way to live is not simply avoiding wrongdoing, but cultivating daily dependence on God in every plan and decision. Surrender your...

Do you ever wonder why knowing more about the Bible doesn't automatically make you a better, more loving person? Looking at James 3:13–18, Pastor Collin contrasts earthly wisdom — driven by envy and selfish ambition — with the kind of wisdom that reflects Christ through purity, peace, and mercy. True wisdom isn't measured by how much you know, but by how deeply you love. Pastor Bullard calls you t...

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" — but who actually believes that? In James 3:1–12, Pastor Collin highlights how the tongue can guide a life like a rudder or destroy it like a spark that ignites a fire. The sobering reality is that no one can tame the tongue apart from God, because the problem runs deeper than speech — it begins in the heart. Respond this week b...

Is your faith real, or is it just talk? In James 2:14–26, Pastor Collin uses the story of Harry Colcord stepping onto a tightrope walker's back over Niagara Falls to illustrate that genuine faith goes beyond intellectual agreement — it takes hold with full trust. True saving faith will always produce visible fruit: love, holiness, and obedience rooted in confidence that God will keep His promises....

Have you ever sized someone up the moment they walked into the room — and acted on it? Addressing James 2:1–8, Pastor Collin confronts the early church’s tendency to show favoritism based on outward appearances and status. Faith in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ cannot coexist with partiality. Drawing on the moment Jesus stopped for the overlooked woman in the crowd, Pastor Bullard calls believers...

Have you ever walked away from a church service feeling like you'd done something meaningful — simply because you showed up and listened? In James 1:22, Pastor Collin unpacks the warning that hearing God's Word without acting on it leads to self-deception. Using the image of someone who looks in a mirror and immediately forgets what they saw, Pastor Bullard emphasizes that faith must move beyond h...

What do you do when life falls apart and someone tells you to rejoice? Looking at James 1:2–8, Pastor Collin begins a series by showing how trials are not obstacles to faith but the very means through which faith is refined and strengthened. Tested faith carries a depth and endurance that easy circumstances can never produce. Rather than avoiding hardship, Pastor Bullard invites listeners to ask G...

What would it take to convince you that someone you knew was actually the Son of God? In 1 Corinthians 15, Pastor Collin points to the earliest recorded Christian message, showing that it centered not on ideas but on eyewitness testimony to the risen Christ. The resurrection of Jesus is the one historical event that explains how a movement that died with its leader not only survived but transforme...

What does it mean to carry guilt as though it somehow makes you more acceptable to God? Reflecting on Luke 22 and the Last Supper, Pastor Collin traces how Jesus used the Passover meal to reveal the full meaning of the cross. Jesus is the true Lamb of God — His body and blood accomplishing what centuries of sacrifice only foreshadowed: salvation from judgment, freedom from sin's mastery, and the b...

What does the cross of Jesus Christ actually mean — and why does it matter more than anything else demanding your attention today? Walking through Romans 3:21–26, Pastor Collin explains how every human being shares the same core problem: sin that cuts us off from the glory of God and leaves us deserving judgment. The breathtaking answer is that God, in an act of both perfect justice and staggering...

Why would anyone make an instrument of torture the central symbol of their faith? Drawing from Mark 15 along with Deuteronomy, Galatians, and Romans, Pastor Collin opens the series "The Wonderful Cross" by focusing on not just the fact of Jesus’ death, but the significance of how He died. The cross was the only place where Jesus could bear humanity's deepest shame and absorb the full curse of the...

Where do you draw the line on who deserves your love? Closing a series in 1 Corinthians 13, Pastor Collin focuses on Paul’s description of love that always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, and never fails, alongside Jesus’ call in Luke 6 to love even enemies. The result is a clear picture: it is never a mistake to imitate the love of Jesus Christ without limits or exceptions. Ask yourself what...

What if the confusion, division, and deception you see in the world — and in your own heart — isn't random? Through 1 Corinthians 13 and John 8, Pastor Collin shows how deception, not force, is the primary weapon used to distort truth and keep people in bondage. Love and truth cannot be separated because genuine love only grows when rooted in truth. Examine what you're taking in, bring hidden thin...

Is there someone in your life whose debt you're still quietly keeping track of? Looking at 1 Corinthians 13 and Ephesians 4, Pastor Collin reveals how unresolved anger creates destructive footholds in both relationships and the heart. Love shaped by the gospel does not keep a record — it cancels it completely, just as God has done through the cross. If forgiveness feels impossible, Pastor Bullard...

Are you exhausted from keeping score in your relationships, always calculating what you're owed? Drawing from 1 Corinthians 13 and Philippians 2, Pastor Collin shows how Jesus willingly laid down His rights, choosing to serve rather than be served. Love is not self-seeking; it moves in the direction of giving, not getting. This week, surrender your sense of entitlement, give generously and sacrifi...