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…
Tag: First Baptist Church Sun Lakes
September 2021, Religion
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…
August 2021, Religion
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,…
July 2021, Religion
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…
Religion, September 2020
We’ve Been Here Before
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes Do you recall the widespread anarchy and mayhem of the late 1960s, especially 1968? It was an election year, the country was rife with violence and racial and political turmoil, and many marches and demonstrations were taking place to protest the unpopular Vietnam War. Furthermore,…
Religion, August 2020
Galactic Wonder
Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Sun Lakes We live in a very complex universe. In fact, no scientist or other professional can know everything there is to know about even his or her own particular discipline. I once read that a medical doctor would need to read the equivalent of one book…