​There are two great heresies that keep many from experiencing the abundant life that Jesus died and was resurrected for us to know. The first heresy is: "God helps those who help themselves." The fact of the matter is that God helps those who cannot help themselves.

​Isaiah 35 offers a beautiful picture of God’s future work of salvation. The people who languished under the prospect of impending defeat at the hands of their enemies needed to know that a day was coming in the future when God would once and for all defeat His enemies and restore His people.

​Here in Isaiah 33, Isaiah’s message turns to a message of hope.

I began playing tennis as a child when they built two courts adjacent to my house in Chickasaw, where I spent the early childhood years of my life.

​Have you ever had a friend tell you that you had something on your face or a piece of food stuck between your teeth? If so, you know how embarrassing it can be when you are oblivious to a personal flaw everyone else can see. But, after our embarrassment has subsided, most of us are grateful that someone would care enough to let us know about something we needed to change rather than allowing us to walk around looking silly.

Words often reveal the condition of our hearts (Luke 6:45). However, there are other times in which we use our words to conceal how we truly feel. This can happen both in our relationships with other people and with God.

Overview of Isaiah 28-35

On Wednesday, September 20, from 2-6:30pm come by and get your favorites, including Chicken Pot Pie, Stromboli, Bacon Cheddar Scones, Chicken Tetrazzini, English Muffins with Sausage and Cheese, French Market Sandwiches, Over the Top Macaroni and Cheese, Sourdough Missionary Bread, and Cherry Almond Scones. All proceeds go to support local missions, including The WellHouse, M-Power, Camp Seale Harris and Children’s Hospital, among other projects.

I grew up in a liturgical church, and we recited the Apostle’s Creed each Sunday morning. Perhaps like many who grew up at MBBC saying the Creed each week, the words flowed freely from my mouth and memory long before they were translated to my heart. I can still remember the morning that the Holy Spirit awakened me to the words “resurrection of the dead” at the very end of the Creed. After the service, I met my pastor in the narthex and asked if that meant what I thought it might…that perhaps believers would be resurrected just as Christ had been. His confirmation of my wild conclusion astounded me.

You’d be hard pressed to tell it from the bright and sunny skies we’re enjoying today, but these last two weeks have been extremely difficult for so many who live in coastal regions. As the meteorologists have noted, these days marked the first time in recorded history that two Category Four hurricanes have made landfall on American soil. We can only hope that such history never repeats itself.