Lenten Devotion, Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Posted March 29, 2022 by Eileen Barsch in Lent
A time I had when the light came on for me was when I was in an anxiety stage in my life. At this time, I was dealing with fear controlling my life. I was afraid to be alone or go to sleep. I eventually wanted to see a counselor. I saw her for about a year for that issue. It took a while but I figured out how to trust God. I developed a system. In my Bible I found a verse about not being…
Monday over Coffee: "Heaven & Earth Commingled"
Posted March 28, 2022 by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
Around 1720, though no one is quite sure of the exact date, Johann Sebastian Bach composed a series of suites for the cello. This was unusual at the time, as the cello was then considered little more than a background instrument providing a percussive bass line for orchestral performances. No one besides Bach was writing solos for the humble, cumbersome cello. And, as might have been expected…
Lenten Devotion, Saturday, March 26, 2022
Posted March 26, 2022 by Brandon Wheeler in Lent
As I reflect on the importance of Lent, I think about God's faithfulness toward me, and remember the ways God has prepared me through each season of my life so far to be who I am today. I try to remember that my goals or needs may be relatively small or short-term in the big picture. God plays the long game, and His will is always with purpose, even when that purpose is not seen easily within…
Lenten Devotion, Thursday, March 24, 2022
Posted March 24, 2022 by Margie Ehlers in Lent
Cheese. It is one of my favorite foods and the first thing I ever gave up when I decided that I should give something up for Lent. To be honest, I had not taken the time to reflect, or even pray, about why I was giving up one of my favorite foods. Throughout Lent that year, I certainly felt that I was being faithful and doing it all right, especially when I had to intentionally decline any…
Lenten Devotion, Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Posted March 22, 2022 by Ed Menger in Lent
Many people are called to the ministry—I was called away from it. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Megan and I had moved across the country so that she could attend graduate school and I could attend seminary. I was at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in order to obtain a M.Div., on my way to a Ph.D. in History—my goal was to teach church history. We had totally worked this out—…
Monday over Coffee: "Prayer Teaches Us What To Aspire To"
Posted March 21, 2022 by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
When Newsweek published a book review about Shelby Foote's exhaustive three-part historical epic on the Civil War, the critic assigned the task, after acclaiming the work as splendid and moving, wrote: "One finishes Mr. Foote's volumes convinced that no one need undertake this particular enterprise again." Anyone familiar with the writing of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel on the subject of…
Lenten Devotion, Saturday, March 19, 2022
Posted March 19, 2022 by Bright and Gifty Benfor in Lent
According to legend, every Cherokee Indian boy was required to spend a night alone in the forest as part of the rite of passage to manhood. The soon-to-be man was taken into the forest by his father who blindfolded him and left him alone overnight. The boy was not allowed to cry out for help and could not remove the blind until morning. After what seemed like a long night alone in the dark…
Lenten Devotion, Thursday, March 17, 2022
Posted March 17, 2022 by Stephen Bedford in Lent
After graduating from college with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree I was fortunate to land a nice position at a high school as their choir director. I wasn't much older than my students, but for those first four years I was having success and a great time. Then, after a few years, for reasons I still don't understand, the tides began to turn. I don't know if it was a personality conflict or…
Lenten Devotion, Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Posted March 15, 2022 by Linda Gardner in Lent
South Main Baptist Church has been a lampstand in my life for almost forty years. Spencer and I started attending here before our children were born, and this congregation has nourished, encouraged, and sometimes comforted us through these many years. We both grew up in families in which church attendance and the life of the church were important. Sometimes, I think, that can cause one to take…
Lenten Devotion, Saturday, March 12, 2022
Posted March 12, 2022 by Trey Medley in Lent
Jesus' first sermon in Matthew begins with a series of blessings called the Beatitudes. To be blessed is, of course, to be fortunate, to have something for which one is thankful; it's good to be blessed. The first of these blessings is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Lenten Devotion, Thursday, March 10, 2022
Posted March 10, 2022 by Mark Gribble in Lent
As many of you know, our daughter, Lily, was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January of 2021. That entire year was spent painstakingly eradicating the disease and then preparing her body for a bone marrow transplant. The bone marrow transplant doctors explained the process to us this way: We take these kids' bodies through just enough chemotherapy and radiation to take…
Family Ministry Volunteer Spotlight
Posted March 8, 2022 by Missy Wells in Family Ministry
One of my favorite places to be is in the two- and three-year-old classrooms on the preschool hall at South Main Baptist Church. The little children crawl into my lap and I get to love them just like Jesus did. I know many adults might refer to this age as the "terrible twos" and "temper tantrum threes," but to me two- and three-year-old children are pure joy.
Lenten Devotion, Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Posted March 8, 2022 by Carolyn Williams in Lent
My husband and I both had been blessed with good health through our first 50 years of marriage. There were a few surgeries along the way, but never anything that seemed life-threatening. In 2012, Tom had begun to feel listless and fatigued. Routine blood work indicated anemia, so he was given iron to build up his red blood count. After a number of additional tests, he was diagnosed with…
Monday over Coffee: "Do You Give the Horse Its Strength?"
Posted March 7, 2022 by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
I'm sure there are others, but Angus Fletcher is the only person I've ever heard of who holds advanced degrees in both neuroscience and literature. And he utilizes both deftly in his 2021 book, Wonderworks: The Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature. Fletcher has taught at Stanford, worked with Disney/Pixar moviemakers, and now heads a think tank at Ohio State University which…
Lenten Devotion, Saturday, March 5, 2022
Posted March 5, 2022 by Claire Hein-Blanton in Lent
Martin Luther knew a thing or two about the desperation of the soul. As a monk, prior to his revelation of justification by faith alone, he was prone to extreme bouts of depression and anxiety—believing himself so sinful and worthy of wrath that God could never look upon him with any favor. I can easily sympathize with Luther on that account. For the past fifteen years, I have been in and out…
Lenten Devotion, Thursday, March 3, 2022
Posted March 3, 2022 by Shannon Dove in Lent
When I was growing up, my church did not participate in Lent. As far as I could tell, first we shopped for Christmas, then we shopped for Easter. I still knew what Lent was because I had friends who gave up Coca Cola, or ice cream, or, most notably, "listening to The Beatles because that is a huge sacrifice for me," my friend, Liz, told me with complete sincerity. Honestly, I didn't understand…
How Can I Share at South Main?
Posted March 1, 2022 by SMBC in Missions
As we move deeper into the year, our mission work at South Main is roaring along at full speed. You might be asking...how can I help? We have three different mission areas that have urgent needs—one relates to assisting students at an under-resourced elementary school in our neighborhood, another concerns assisting the numerous Afghan refugees who have recently come to the Houston…
Monday over Coffee: "The Holy Act of Noticing"
Posted February 28, 2022 by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
One of the many things I'd do if I were able to rerun my college experience would be to spend more time inside the Armstrong Browning Library on the campus of Baylor University. My dad first pointed the building out to me when I was eight as we watched a parade of colorful and amusing floats roll down Speight Avenue before the Bears' homecoming game. I was intrigued by the library's regal look…
COVID-19 Advisory Task Force Update: February 23, 2022
Posted February 23, 2022 by SMBC in Worship, Music, Bible Study, Family Ministry, Discipleship
Due to improving COVID-19 numbers in the Houston region, our COVID-19 Advisory Task Force has voted to move our protocol to "Masks Optional" beginning Sunday, February 27. As our church family moves forward, let's continue to love one another, whether we choose to wear masks or not.
Family Ministry Volunteer Spotlight
Posted February 22, 2022 by Suzanne Mercaldo in Family Ministry
I have been abundantly blessed to work with the Family Ministry in many ways: handbells, handchimes, choir, and the MainKids musical. I have helped with Missions on the Go, MainKids University, Worship Discover Share club, and Sunday School. I have helped with several carnival-style events, dressed up for Journey to the Baby, and camped overnight on couches in the Youth Center as a…
