Yesterday, with tears flowing, I made an announcement to the 9th Avenue church of Christ that was hard to make. After countless hours of prayer, thought and discussion, I announced my resignation. I had met with our elders on Wednesday night and turned in my letter, but we decided to wait until Sunday to “make it official.” 9th Avenue is a great place and I love it here, but it is time to move on. I am staying through March to continue the work and to make the transition as smooth as possible, and I hope to be as effective as I can be during that time. My family and…

I’m writing this brief post just a few minutes after the closing of the 9th Avenue youth rally. Last night and today, we enjoyed a great time of Bible study, fellowship, singing, prayer and fun. The classes and lessons were well-taught and the speakers had obviously put much thought into the words they spoke. We studied the book of James and the lessons, as you might expect, were practical and helpful for those of every age who attended. It was so encouraging to hear these practical lessons that will, no doubt, make a difference in the life of each hearer. We were also excited about our attendance. Our record attendance…

It is finally time for the 9th Avenue youth rally. We have been praying for this weekend and anticipated it for many months. We are expecting a great crowd, and we certainly hope you are planning on being with us! If you need last minute information, please email me! On to the links! 1. Many of you use Wikipedia often. Did you know that there is a similar site just for Bible information? I just stumbled across Wikible earlier this week. The site is small (by reference-site standards), but growing. You can find some valuable background information there. Check it out here. 2. There are so many who make New…

[NOTE: One thing I enjoy about Matthew Morine’s blog, “Musings on Spiritual Matters,” is that he mentions every book he completes, and not just “Bible books.” I have decided to take his idea and do the same on this blog. While I will not fully review each book I complete, I do want to mention them and give a quick recommendation.] Five Point Play is the story of the Duke University men’s basketball team in the 2000-2001 season; a season that ended with a national championship. While I love Duke basketball, this book was more than just game recaps (although those are included). The book, cowritten by Mike Krzyzewski and…

As the old years turns into a new year, we are surrounded with advertisements for weight-loss systems, exercise equipment and other things designed to help us “lose weight and feel great.” Companies know that the most often made resolution is to lose weight, so those companies can make a buck on our goals. The Bible also teaches us to get in shape, spiritually speaking. Hebrews 11, the great “Hall of Faith” chapter, shows us some of those who had been faithful to God in Old Testament times. It teaches us the actions they took because of their great faith, but it also shows us what awful things they had to…

Homosexuals that boldly and loudly proclaim their “rights” usually face ears that do not listen (or at least don’t want to listen). Many try to get things done in this way and it works some, but not as well as subtlety. What is a subtle tactic? It is asking homosexuals from states where their “civil unions” are allowed to check federal law when it comes to their rights in other states. Why is this subtle? Because most of us don’t think about it. We just assume that the states that have given into the pressure of these groups will be islands unto themselves. That will not continue to be the…

We are thankful for each of our readers. This has been a good year for Faughnblog (and this will be the final post of the year). We hope to continue to bring the best we can in 2008. Next Friday, the 9th Avenue church of Christ will begin her annual youth rally. You can view, download or print a pdf of the flyer here. The rally is going to be great, and we are expecting a lot of visitors. We hope you are planning on attending! We know we will have guests from Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri and (of course) Alabama. Our goal is to have 210 in attendance and,…

Each year about this time we start hearing about making our New Year’s resolutions. Often those goals deal with the physical. In fact, losing weight is always the most commonly-made resolution. Others resolve to get in shape or to increase their savings account. These are all worthy resolutions and are similar to some I am considering. For 2007 I made a long list of resolutions and divided them into several categories: physical health, financial, social, etc. While I did not meet every single resolution, I was successful at most of them. But how about some spiritual resolutions? As we start to think about resolutions for 2008, are there some things…

There are very few places “open for business” on Christmas. Quite a few even close (or at least close earlier than normal) on Christmas Eve. It makes me glad to know that most places of business give their employees a break on this holiday (and others). While some have to work (doctors, nurses, soldiers, etc.), it is good for families and friends to get together. Then “The Day After” comes. It’s back to work for nearly everyone who was “off” on Christmas day. After a holiday–or an extended vacation–it can be difficult to get back to normal. There are emails that need a response, forms that need to be filled…

Next week is Christmas and we are getting all ready for that. I’m glad to report that our shopping is done! We are looking forward to spending a couple of days with Leah’s side of the family, then maybe getting to see my side of the family late in the week. I’m also looking forward to watching some basketball, and the terrible bowl games that happen early on in the bowl season. College basketball is in full swing and I enjoyed watching the Duke/Pittsburgh game last night…except for how it ended. But that wasn’t the finish of the night. Thanks to my dad, who sent me an email about how…