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From Pester to Pastor
For a little over two decades of my time as a preacher, it was not uncommon for people to refer to me as a pastor. While I didn’t want to offend anybody who was trying to show respect for me and/or my work, I also did not want to assume a role and/or position for which I was not qualified. So, in an attempt to use a little humor to (hopefully) make a point or cause somebody to think or ask questions, I often responded, “I’m just the pester.” Since a lot of people seem to think that preachers pester people about what they are doing wrong or not doing…
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A Conversation Every Christian Needs to Have
There are a lot of important pieces of information and wisdom that help us throughout life. Each of us can look back on our lives and remember conversations that gave us just one bit of wisdom, but that was enough to aid us through a tough time or help us with something that would come later in life. Today, I want to suggest a conversation that every Christian should have. It won’t take but a few minutes, but it might just change your perspective. And it can be with any number of people. Here is who you go talk to: an older Christian who now struggles to get out of…
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Selah
“8 Days with the Preacher” : Day 3, Tuesday February 21
A Thing about Things
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It’s Not about the Groceries
Recently, I saw the following “online headline:” A grocery chain is removing self-checkout after realizing executives hate it as much as customers do: ‘We like to talk to people’ – Steve Mollman – Fortune – 11/10/23 The grocery chain which is the subject of the headline and following article is located in England. However, I’ve recently seen and read information about various businesses in The United States doing the same thing. Some are not totally removing the self-checkout lanes, but are significantly reducing the number of them. Even corporations such as Costco, Walmart, and others are studying and/or implementing this. To be fair, every source of information I’ve checked includes…
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Just a Picture on the Wall
If you’re like me, your home is decorated with pictures and plaques that have special meaning to you and your family. Some of them may be gifts that have been given to you. One of the largest paintings in our home hangs in our dining room. It was a gift from Jim on Christmas many years ago. I still love it and enjoy it. It isn’t just a painting on a wall, it is a memory of how much Jim pleases me with his wonderful gifts. In our study we have all different kinds of plaques and pictures that are mostly work related or inspiring. Some are drawings from friends,…
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Parents, This Christmas…
My post today is really simple and short. It is just a reminder to parents, including the one writing this article. This time of year, we feel pressure to make everything perfect for our kids. We think our house has to look like a New York City storefront. We try to bake perfect cookies. We want to go to dozens of events and watch 5 Christmas movies per day. We will search long and hard for gifts (some of which we can’t even afford). Stop it…and just spend time with your kids. If the lights on the tree go out, who cares? Make it a laughing memory. If the cookies…
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The Guys at the Back of the Line
I am not nearly as much of a college basketball fan as is our son, but I do enjoy watching games if a team I support is playing (Go Big Blue!!). There is much more about the game that I do not know than there is that I really understand. For example, I understand how the scoring works, what a foul is (even though I’m not sure some officials know that), and other very basic things. High on the list of those things about which I have no clue is how specific plays are designed and executed. When I watch a game, things just sort of happen. I never quite…
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Our 2023 Thankful List [Video]
So, a number of months ago, we paused recording our podcast. However, today, we bring back one of the yearly features, and we do so for two reasons. First, we love sharing our “thankful list,” and so we have that for you in video form. That’s the main reason, and we hope this encourages you to think of things for which you are thankful this year. But also, we are sharing this in video form because…we have our own YouTube channel! The Faughn Family of Four will begin releasing more videos in January (maybe a couple will be sprinkled in before then), so we ask you to subscribe and let…
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Where the Downhill Slides Started (or Starts)
This is scheduled to be posted on the Monday of what promises to be a very busy week for most of us. For that reason, I will not be as “wordy” as I normally am. At the same time, I want to accomplish a couple of things. I want to use Thanksgiving Day as a springboard for my thoughts. I also want to use this space to get all of us (yes, including me) to think. You may already be very well aware of the passage in the first chapter of Romans in which The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to depict how depraved many people had become. Both the practice…
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The Lesson of the Seasons of Life
As I sat in the sunroom this morning with my coffee, I was amazed at the beauty of the leaves as they fluttered to the ground. The sun was shining and gold leaves fluttered down like raindrops of gold. It’s autumn and this beautiful season is all around us – the colors, the harvested fields, the cooler temperatures, the geese flying south for the winter. My mind turned to the other seasons of the year: spring with its new life and beautiful green colors, summer with the blue sky and the deep colors of beautiful flowers and trees, and winter with the black branches of a barren tree against the winter…
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Don’t Just be an “About” Christian
Christianity is far more than an “about” religion. Let me explain. There are countless books “about” the Bible. From commentaries to study helps to various other writings, shelves are filled to overflowing with books about the Bible. And, for sure, a good number of them are helpful. But nothing can replace actually reading the Bible. The same would be true with not just reading, but studying the Bible. It is one thing to watch videos or listen to podcasts “about” studying the Bible. That can be helpful and can give you both information and motivation to study. But it is another thing to actually do it; to actually study Scripture.…
