Life has a way of feeling especially heavy in the middle of the week. The encouragement of Sunday worship may already feel distant, while the responsibilities and pressures of daily life continue to press in. That’s why our mid-week Prayer and Bible Study exists—not as another obligation on the calendar, but as a gracious pause in the week to refocus our hearts on the Lord and on one another.

In a world overwhelmed by negativity, confusion, and chaos, the Word of God calls believers to rise above the noise and fix their minds on what is true and eternal. Philippians 4:8 is not just a list of moral ideals—it is a Spirit-inspired blueprint for cultivating godly thought patterns that transform our hearts and actions.

At First Baptist Church, our heart is to love people as Jesus loves people. And today, I want to extend a word of deep compassion to every woman who has ever faced the decision of abortion during a pregnancy.

Mother’s Day is a time to reflect on and honor the incredible impact of mothers—their devotion, sacrifice, and strength of character. While the Bible features many godly women, few display a clearer example of quiet courage and steadfast trust than Jochebed, the mother of Moses. Though her story is told in only a few verses, the impact of her faith reverberates through Scripture and history.

In Nehemiah 5, we find a heart-wrenching scene that reveals the spiritual and social decay of God's people—not at the hands of foreign oppressors, but from their own brethren. During a time of famine and Persian taxation, Jewish families were forced to mortgage their lands, borrow money at high interest, and even sell their children into debt slavery to survive (Nehemiah 5:1–5). The tragedy here is not only economic—it is spiritual. It is a betrayal of brotherhood, mercy, and the fear of God.

Nathanael’s expectations were shaped by a hope for the King of Israel, a political and prophetic deliverer in the line of David. He was looking for a king; he found something greater—a Savior.