Steve Foss, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes Living in an attitude of thankfulness is a personal discipline requiring concerted, intentional effort that recognizes we neither own nor are proprietors of any real resource. Think about it: Our water, electricity, propane, natural gas, food, clothing, etc., all come from sources which we have come…
Tag: First Baptist Church Sun Lakes
Religion, December 2021
Keeping a Calm Soul on a Stressful Day
Dr. Marc Drake, Sr. Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes The story is told of a guy who had the job of transporting items for others in a small truck. One day, he was hired to transport some chickens. A man in a car following his truck noticed something very unusual: Every mile or so,…
Religion, October 2021
Buttermilk, Baking, and the Best Promise of This Life
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes One Sunday morning at a small southern church, the new pastor called on one of his older deacons to lead in the opening prayer. The deacon stood up, bowed his head, and said, “Lord, I hate buttermilk.” Well, the pastor opened one eye and wondered…
Religion, September 2021
When Trouble Comes
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes Consider this question: What is the greatest evil ever carried out in history? Throughout the centuries, there have been many genocidal schemes perpetuated on humans. We often stand aghast at such historical atrocities, as well as at current ones like sex trafficking and acts of…
Religion, August 2021
The One in Charge of the Weather (and Everything Else)
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes As I write these words in the middle of June, we are under an excessive heat warning, with the temperature possibly reaching 118 degrees before the week is over. And it’s not even the first day of summer yet! By the time you read this,…
Religion, July 2021
The Secret of Contentment
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes How often do we think in terms of needing various things to be happy or content? However, God is what we need, and things are simply what we use. Many people think retirement will bring contentment. But far too many become lonely and depressed, and…
Religion, June 2021
The Big Questions
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes Every person has a worldview of some kind. What is a worldview? Simply put, it is how one views reality. And it proposes to answer the big questions of life such as: Where did everything come from? What is the meaning of life? Who or…
Religion, May 2021
The Satisfied Soul
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes We live in unusual and troubling days. I’m reminded of Thomas Paine’s comment in 1776: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Granted, our culture today is quite different from that of the 18th century, but Paine’s statement certainly resonates with people who are…
Religion, April 2021
The Gratitude Attitude
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes The story is told of a man who lived on the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. For years he had assumed that he lived in Minnesota, but a new survey revealed that he actually lived in Wisconsin. His response? “Thank goodness, I never could bear…
Religion, January 2021
Wisdom for a New Day
Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes Now that the year 2020 is in the record books, I’m sure we all have hopes that 2021 will be quite different! But will it? Only God knows for sure. He has His purposes that he is carrying out, and we can rejoice that He is…