Life is full of transitions. As children, we transition from infant to toddler, crawling to walking, and crying to talking. As the years continue, we experience other transitions in education, career, and relationships. Eventually, we all encounter difficult transitions. Many have to make decisions about how to care for aging parents. Others have to navigate …
Author Archives: Scott Attebery
Road Trip: Texarkana, TX
I had a great visit recently with Marty Claiborne, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Texarkana, TX. Marty’s heart to serve the members of Hillcrest piqued my interest. For instance, the day we met, Marty had already taken one of his members to Shreveport, LA that day for a radiation treatment. He explained that the …
What “We’ve always done it that way” really means.
“We’ve always done it that way.” There is a certain stereotype in the minds of pastors and church leaders when they hear that phrase. The stereotype I am referring to is of an out-of-touch, die-hard, traditional, older member who can’t see the ridiculous nature of basing decisions mindlessly upon patterns of behavior in the past. …
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Speaking of the Gospel…
Surely we’ve all heard the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi encouraging believers to “Preach the gospel daily, use words when necessary.” It turns out that there is no record of St. Francis ever making that statement. In fact, since Francis was a member of a preaching order, he probably would have disagreed with …
A Strange Way to Shine
Recently, I was reading through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. As usual, Jesus reveals how kingdom values are counterintuitive to the world. In Matthew 5:14-16, He states, ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it …
Gravity Got You Down?
After my son Bryce’s birthday party last year, I tied a couple of balloons to his doorknob. Almost two weeks later, Bryce and I came in the house after a long day. He went to his room and I went to my room. “Aw man!” I heard across the house. I ran to see what …
Don’t Stand in Their Way
“Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked” (John 5:8). In John 5, Jesus heals a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. You would think that everyone would be happy for the man. …
Gooder Discipleship
I overanalyze things. So, when my son told me the other day that nap time at school is “badder” than recess, I laughed –for a second. That is, until my mind raced twenty years into the future as Bryce is interviewing for a job and says, “Thank you for considering me for this position. I’ll …
Road Trip: Rockin’ the Block in Jacksonville, TX
I was born in Jacksonville, TX and lived there for seven years. The friends I made there are like family to me. So I was thrilled at the opportunity to preach recently in Jacksonville at Cornerstone Baptist Church. Showing up there (in the same facility where I attended Kindergarten) was like a family reunion! The …
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Sticky Situations
Do you have honey in your kitchen? Is it in a “bear shaped” bottle? Is it just me, or when you see a bottle of honey, do you automatically assume the container is sticky? I hate getting my hands sticky. Every time I get a new bottle of honey, I resolve that this time I …