Scott's Thoughts
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(More Than) A Few Misc Items & Details of Note
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Parking Lot Paving at Greeneville Campus
Just a quick heads up that blacktop sealing has been happening this past week and continues into this week. So, thank you, GVL folks, for being patient and flexible. We’ll have people, cones, strings, flags, or some such directional indicators—be on the lookout! ;o)
Ruth Series Guide
Starting today, 2 Sundays before we begin “Ruth: From Emptiness to Fulness—God’s Sovereign Hand from Moab to Messiah,” we are handing out a new “Series Guide”. Before I tell you what it is, a smidge of background and disclaimer: I’ve done something like this a couple times in the distant past, have been trying for years to get back to being able to do so, and can’t promise this will happen before every series, but I’m happy we’re able to offer something like this and I’m working toward it being normal soon. Alrighty—enough of all that.
From the Series Guide intro: “This FCC Series Guide is intended to help you meaningfully participate in a preaching series and gain a better handle on God’s Word. Following an introduction to the book, the Series Guide is broken down into weekly segments that follow the Sunday preaching plans:
The “Hermeneutical-Devotional Commentary,” taken from my Dad’s Daily(ish) Devos (see below), is a 2-3 minute devotional read intended to reinforce the theological trajectory of the text, the redemptive-historical import, and a nugget for interpretation. So it’s a normal devotional thought for one’s day/week, but with a slight bent toward teaching how to read the Bible well. Between all the above, the Weekly Bible Study Podcast, and the Sunday Sermon Guide, we’re slowly closing in on my long-term goal of providing everything needed for a lifetime of daily study of God’s Word. (No big deal—just a herculean lifetime-of-work type task that I’m a good 20 years late getting to!) :o)
Here it is for the rare weirdo like me who may want it as a PDF (5.5” x 8.5”): fccgreene.org/ruthguide. (No, it’s not a fill-in-able-PDF. The best way to take notes on a phone/tablet is to edit it on an app like GoodNotes or Notability.) Also, don’t forget to grab an Invite Card and pray for an opportunity to invite someone to join you at church next Sunday!
FYI re “Baby Celebrations and Parents Dedications”
We’ve had a raft of new kiddos born lately—which is so great! At the risk of being labelled a “pro-natalist” and speaking too publicly about something that sometimes requires more careful nuance, I think it’s truly wonderful that we’re closing in on something like 12 new babies in the last year or so, with another 12 on the way. Keep it up, young marrieds! Anyway, as a result, we’ve had a couple inquiries about publicly recognizing these new kiddos in our worship services. While we are a church that intentionally keeps our services narrowly focused on Christ over against all-comers, our Elders have decided to make an exception for new babies, (because who can say no to a cute baby?!) So, for those interested, you can get to the doc by going to fccgreene.org/babycelebrations or fccgreene.org/parentdedications.
A Few Great Questions Answered (GQA) Updates
As mentioned and linked below re the Charlie Kirk assassination, this is a new GQA: “Why Don’t We Highlight Things Like Deaths, Holidays, Birthdays, or National Events in our Worship Services?” FWIW, it was written a good 4-5 weeks ago in response to a number of situations that have arisen in recent months, i.e., before the Charlie Kirk situation. While it is a new GQA, it mostly inscripturates and consolidates how we have operated for years when it comes to such questions. Bottom line, we’re a church that zealously guards against anything taking center stage other than the gospel of Christ. Also, the first few sections of this GQA—“What Should I Look for in a Church and When Should I Leave One?”—have been revamped for better reading flow, including each of the first two “Essential Marks,” which both now end with “What to Look For” and “When to Leave” thoughts. I promise, I’m making progress, but #3, “Christ-Centered Worship” is particularly important and turning into a beast. As the kids say, it’s taking “five-ever!”
Tommy’s Sabbatical
Just a quick heads up that, per the Elders’ new policy re sabbaticals—which is basically 6-8 weeks once every 5 years for me and once every 7 for Campus Pastors—after some 18 years of service, Afton CP Tommy Staggs will be on sabbatical from Oct 26-Dec 21. This will involve family time, marriage investment, personal spiritual retreat, and church leadership research and study. Please pray for the time to be fruitful for Tommy, the Staggses, and for us as a church. In the meantime, as some of you Aftonites may have already noticed him hanging around, Next Gen Director Travis Chapman will be hosting and CP’g for Tommy.
Plea for Hope Center Banquet Attendees, Thu, Oct 23, 6p
For those unaware, the Hope Center and Honeysuckle Studios are our local pro-life pregnancy resource and housing center focused on providing physical and spiritual care to pregnant women. A couple of us FCCers have been on the Advisory Board for a while now. They do great work that is worthy of your prayer and financial support. For the last few years we have supported them from our General Fund as a missionary organization. I mention all that because we need a good 50-60 FCCers to join us for the Annual Fundraising Banquet, Thu, Oct 23. If you wanna learn about what they do, hear an update on recent ministry goings-on, or just wanna be aware of the local fight for life—whether you’ve been before or not—please let us know, and we will make sure to save you a place at one of our 6-7 tables. It’s always an encouraging evening filled with stories of God‘s work to save babies and minister to families in need. FYI, there is no requirement to give, but there will be an opportunity to do so that evening. If interested, sign up here.
In Awe of Your Words: The Power and Freedom of Teaching and Trusting the Text, Fri-Sat, Oct 31-Nov 1, at Longview Ranch, $75/person
According to the sociocultural rancor and drama around us, what I’m about to say sounds ridiculous. Nonetheless, I think it’s just the truth about how God works in the world: when it comes to human flourishing, careful interpretation and communication of God’s Word is the most powerful force history has ever known, and as Ephesians 3:10 makes clear, it is “through the church [that] the wisdom of God” is being made known to the world (Colossians 1:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:8). So we have long been a church that rests on the idea that “God’s Word does the work“ and we are continuing to create our own small movement of people who know how to properly read and apply the Bible. In basic practical terms, I’m teaching the gist of the Bible study method that I use for preaching. Last year was a lot of fun and this year’s workshop content is more complete and adapted to non-professional laypeople. It’s applicable to anyone, for one’s own study, for being a well-prepared Life Group Leader, and not just for those interested in becoming a preacher. A bunch of our Staff/Leaders will be there to help new folks, and there will be plenty of Residents and newbies there alongside you. More info at fccgreene.org/workshop.
Team Bash Turned Vision Potluck, Sun, Nov 9, 5-7:30p, at Chuckey-Doak High School
We’ll be telling you plenty more about this when the time comes, (like how the potluck part will work), but I wanted to give you some basics about the why and what, and so you can put it on your calendar. Consider this your “Save the Date” notification. This is an important all-church meeting where we’re folding Team Bash fun and recognition into an annual Vision ‘Banquet’ of sorts—well, a Vision “Potluck”—where we’ll (continue to) celebrate volunteers as before, but also report on how God has been working among us and tell you where we think God is taking us next. We’re doing this for a number of reasons: it allows us to continue celebrating volunteers à la the Team Bash, to simplify the Annual Report into a 6-7 mins video, to save a few thousand dollars a year, keeps us from having to add yet another big thing to the calendar, and most of all, it allows us to reinstitute something like a ‘Vision Night,’ which we’ve previously done in various ways in the past but has been a bit lacking and is needed for helping to keep us unified in our mission. We believe this will help us move forward together faster. You’ll wanna make plans to attend this important all-church event because we’ve got a lot of cool stuff to tell you. And for the record, while we’ll definitely be challenging one another to contribute to our mission and vision, there is no end-of-night giving moment where we pass around pledge cards. The closest thing will be fridge magnets with prayer points and reminder of our emerging vision. So please know we want you there for what will be an inspiring night of fellowship, fun, celebration, and Kingdom vision! Keep watching for details.
Catalyst Coffee Prayer Board as Reminder of Mission
I was recently walking-slash-working in the wee hours at Catalyst and I stopped to check out the latest prayer requests. They were a reminder that we exist, as a church, to pray and care for people in our community, many of whom we don’t yet know. I hope they are reminders for you, too!
Just a quick heads up that blacktop sealing has been happening this past week and continues into this week. So, thank you, GVL folks, for being patient and flexible. We’ll have people, cones, strings, flags, or some such directional indicators—be on the lookout! ;o)
Ruth Series Guide
Starting today, 2 Sundays before we begin “Ruth: From Emptiness to Fulness—God’s Sovereign Hand from Moab to Messiah,” we are handing out a new “Series Guide”. Before I tell you what it is, a smidge of background and disclaimer: I’ve done something like this a couple times in the distant past, have been trying for years to get back to being able to do so, and can’t promise this will happen before every series, but I’m happy we’re able to offer something like this and I’m working toward it being normal soon. Alrighty—enough of all that.
From the Series Guide intro: “This FCC Series Guide is intended to help you meaningfully participate in a preaching series and gain a better handle on God’s Word. Following an introduction to the book, the Series Guide is broken down into weekly segments that follow the Sunday preaching plans:
- Sermon Title and Passage, space for Sermon Notes
- Passage’s Main Points: Exegetical Focus, Theological Principles, Redemptive-Historical Focus
- Hermeneutical-Devotional Commentary
- Life Group Discussion Guide: Leader Summary and Questions.”
The “Hermeneutical-Devotional Commentary,” taken from my Dad’s Daily(ish) Devos (see below), is a 2-3 minute devotional read intended to reinforce the theological trajectory of the text, the redemptive-historical import, and a nugget for interpretation. So it’s a normal devotional thought for one’s day/week, but with a slight bent toward teaching how to read the Bible well. Between all the above, the Weekly Bible Study Podcast, and the Sunday Sermon Guide, we’re slowly closing in on my long-term goal of providing everything needed for a lifetime of daily study of God’s Word. (No big deal—just a herculean lifetime-of-work type task that I’m a good 20 years late getting to!) :o)
Here it is for the rare weirdo like me who may want it as a PDF (5.5” x 8.5”): fccgreene.org/ruthguide. (No, it’s not a fill-in-able-PDF. The best way to take notes on a phone/tablet is to edit it on an app like GoodNotes or Notability.) Also, don’t forget to grab an Invite Card and pray for an opportunity to invite someone to join you at church next Sunday!
FYI re “Baby Celebrations and Parents Dedications”
We’ve had a raft of new kiddos born lately—which is so great! At the risk of being labelled a “pro-natalist” and speaking too publicly about something that sometimes requires more careful nuance, I think it’s truly wonderful that we’re closing in on something like 12 new babies in the last year or so, with another 12 on the way. Keep it up, young marrieds! Anyway, as a result, we’ve had a couple inquiries about publicly recognizing these new kiddos in our worship services. While we are a church that intentionally keeps our services narrowly focused on Christ over against all-comers, our Elders have decided to make an exception for new babies, (because who can say no to a cute baby?!) So, for those interested, you can get to the doc by going to fccgreene.org/babycelebrations or fccgreene.org/parentdedications.
A Few Great Questions Answered (GQA) Updates
As mentioned and linked below re the Charlie Kirk assassination, this is a new GQA: “Why Don’t We Highlight Things Like Deaths, Holidays, Birthdays, or National Events in our Worship Services?” FWIW, it was written a good 4-5 weeks ago in response to a number of situations that have arisen in recent months, i.e., before the Charlie Kirk situation. While it is a new GQA, it mostly inscripturates and consolidates how we have operated for years when it comes to such questions. Bottom line, we’re a church that zealously guards against anything taking center stage other than the gospel of Christ. Also, the first few sections of this GQA—“What Should I Look for in a Church and When Should I Leave One?”—have been revamped for better reading flow, including each of the first two “Essential Marks,” which both now end with “What to Look For” and “When to Leave” thoughts. I promise, I’m making progress, but #3, “Christ-Centered Worship” is particularly important and turning into a beast. As the kids say, it’s taking “five-ever!”
Tommy’s Sabbatical
Just a quick heads up that, per the Elders’ new policy re sabbaticals—which is basically 6-8 weeks once every 5 years for me and once every 7 for Campus Pastors—after some 18 years of service, Afton CP Tommy Staggs will be on sabbatical from Oct 26-Dec 21. This will involve family time, marriage investment, personal spiritual retreat, and church leadership research and study. Please pray for the time to be fruitful for Tommy, the Staggses, and for us as a church. In the meantime, as some of you Aftonites may have already noticed him hanging around, Next Gen Director Travis Chapman will be hosting and CP’g for Tommy.
Plea for Hope Center Banquet Attendees, Thu, Oct 23, 6p
For those unaware, the Hope Center and Honeysuckle Studios are our local pro-life pregnancy resource and housing center focused on providing physical and spiritual care to pregnant women. A couple of us FCCers have been on the Advisory Board for a while now. They do great work that is worthy of your prayer and financial support. For the last few years we have supported them from our General Fund as a missionary organization. I mention all that because we need a good 50-60 FCCers to join us for the Annual Fundraising Banquet, Thu, Oct 23. If you wanna learn about what they do, hear an update on recent ministry goings-on, or just wanna be aware of the local fight for life—whether you’ve been before or not—please let us know, and we will make sure to save you a place at one of our 6-7 tables. It’s always an encouraging evening filled with stories of God‘s work to save babies and minister to families in need. FYI, there is no requirement to give, but there will be an opportunity to do so that evening. If interested, sign up here.
In Awe of Your Words: The Power and Freedom of Teaching and Trusting the Text, Fri-Sat, Oct 31-Nov 1, at Longview Ranch, $75/person
According to the sociocultural rancor and drama around us, what I’m about to say sounds ridiculous. Nonetheless, I think it’s just the truth about how God works in the world: when it comes to human flourishing, careful interpretation and communication of God’s Word is the most powerful force history has ever known, and as Ephesians 3:10 makes clear, it is “through the church [that] the wisdom of God” is being made known to the world (Colossians 1:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:8). So we have long been a church that rests on the idea that “God’s Word does the work“ and we are continuing to create our own small movement of people who know how to properly read and apply the Bible. In basic practical terms, I’m teaching the gist of the Bible study method that I use for preaching. Last year was a lot of fun and this year’s workshop content is more complete and adapted to non-professional laypeople. It’s applicable to anyone, for one’s own study, for being a well-prepared Life Group Leader, and not just for those interested in becoming a preacher. A bunch of our Staff/Leaders will be there to help new folks, and there will be plenty of Residents and newbies there alongside you. More info at fccgreene.org/workshop.
Team Bash Turned Vision Potluck, Sun, Nov 9, 5-7:30p, at Chuckey-Doak High School
We’ll be telling you plenty more about this when the time comes, (like how the potluck part will work), but I wanted to give you some basics about the why and what, and so you can put it on your calendar. Consider this your “Save the Date” notification. This is an important all-church meeting where we’re folding Team Bash fun and recognition into an annual Vision ‘Banquet’ of sorts—well, a Vision “Potluck”—where we’ll (continue to) celebrate volunteers as before, but also report on how God has been working among us and tell you where we think God is taking us next. We’re doing this for a number of reasons: it allows us to continue celebrating volunteers à la the Team Bash, to simplify the Annual Report into a 6-7 mins video, to save a few thousand dollars a year, keeps us from having to add yet another big thing to the calendar, and most of all, it allows us to reinstitute something like a ‘Vision Night,’ which we’ve previously done in various ways in the past but has been a bit lacking and is needed for helping to keep us unified in our mission. We believe this will help us move forward together faster. You’ll wanna make plans to attend this important all-church event because we’ve got a lot of cool stuff to tell you. And for the record, while we’ll definitely be challenging one another to contribute to our mission and vision, there is no end-of-night giving moment where we pass around pledge cards. The closest thing will be fridge magnets with prayer points and reminder of our emerging vision. So please know we want you there for what will be an inspiring night of fellowship, fun, celebration, and Kingdom vision! Keep watching for details.
Catalyst Coffee Prayer Board as Reminder of Mission
I was recently walking-slash-working in the wee hours at Catalyst and I stopped to check out the latest prayer requests. They were a reminder that we exist, as a church, to pray and care for people in our community, many of whom we don’t yet know. I hope they are reminders for you, too!
FCC Residents Partnering with Longview Ranch (LVR) Live Bold Interns
LVR Executive Director Matthew Nasekos and I have long been quietly scheming to find ways to partner in training up young Kingdom leaders, and God has laid an opportunity into our laps. There are 4 LVR Live Bold Interns, all of whom are interested in gospel ministry in some form or fashion, whether local church or community leadership, so Travis Chapman, Next Gen/Residents Director, is helping spearhead ways to integrate church ministry into their internship and to partner with our existing Church Leadership Residency program (info at fccgreene.org/residents). Those 4 young men will be joining the existing students who are taking graduate theological classes through Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, bringing our current total to 12 students getting academic credits through our Church Partnership with CBTS. I think that’s super cool! As you’ll soon be seeing them in normal FCC ministry environments, make sure to seek them out, introduce yourself, and be praying for them.
LVR Executive Director Matthew Nasekos and I have long been quietly scheming to find ways to partner in training up young Kingdom leaders, and God has laid an opportunity into our laps. There are 4 LVR Live Bold Interns, all of whom are interested in gospel ministry in some form or fashion, whether local church or community leadership, so Travis Chapman, Next Gen/Residents Director, is helping spearhead ways to integrate church ministry into their internship and to partner with our existing Church Leadership Residency program (info at fccgreene.org/residents). Those 4 young men will be joining the existing students who are taking graduate theological classes through Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, bringing our current total to 12 students getting academic credits through our Church Partnership with CBTS. I think that’s super cool! As you’ll soon be seeing them in normal FCC ministry environments, make sure to seek them out, introduce yourself, and be praying for them.
The Cure for Political Violence and Cultural Decay is Not Politics
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Like many, when I learned of the Charlie Kirk assassination last week, I had a visceral “What have we become?!” kind of response. It was the same kind of feeling I remember having on 9/11.
However, when I went looking for level-headed sociopolitical and theological analysis, I found a dearth of serious or helpful reflection and a deluge of ‘We need a revolution!’ in search of clicks and conscripts.
On the one hand, I get it. Personally, I’m a full-blooded Burkean political conservative American whose twelfth-great grandfather Richard Warren was a signatory of the Mayflower Compact. My forebears fought in the Revolutionary War. I’m related to Abraham Lincoln through Mary Todd. My dad was National Chaplain for the Sons of the American Revolution. My son is in Army ROTC. And to top it all off, I’m related to Ruth Wakefield, who created the chocolate chip cookie. Emotionally, I want peace. Politically, I want justice. Spiritually, I want revival.
But, friends—let’s not for a second pretend that politics can fundamentally change human hearts and bring about moral integrity. That’s the gospel’s job—and only the gospel’s. And if we do not go to God’s Word first, our emotions and politics will quickly and easily click-bait us into supporting someone’s platform. It’s like I have occasionally needed to tell my kids—that YouTube personality with whom you have zero personal relationship doesn’t actually care about you.
So while our emotions certainly need relief and space for expression, in a world hard at work to algorithmically disciple us into its categories, we need to be vigilant about ensuring that the Scriptures are the context within which we process them. If we are not being Christians first, and citizens second, we easily become commodified tools in someone else’s game of clicks, even by many who sanctify their political causes with spiritual terms and motives.
Can political work mitigate sociocultural problems like violence? Duh—of course. But it can’t cure them because the problem is sin, not legislation and funding, and the only cure is the gospel. What our world truly needs is the clear and powerful proclamation of the truth of the gospel unadulterated by political anything.
So, related to what people seem to be expressing in the wake of the Charlie Kirk situation, lemme make clear—based on 6 principles—how we as a church have long been, currently are, and will continue to be in the eternal spiritual war for peoples’ souls.
We make worship about Jesus, period.
We long ago decided to keep our worship services as strictly about Jesus as possible, period. Frankly, every heartfelt person, ministry, cause, or need is competing for stage time in our service and we have to make hard decisions every single week about keeping everything other than Jesus out lest we lose our eternal focus. Sure, we announce the occasional FCC initiative we deem important, but rarely during the main body of the service. That’s why the Pulse Video and “What’s Next?” portions are at the beginning and end of the service. So much of life is so focused on everything other than Christ that we are jealous to guard our time in worship to make clear that there are no rivals and He gets all the stage time. Straight up, I think that Charlie Kirk, now more than ever, would be scandalized if churches focused on anything other than the only object worthy of worship. For more, see “Why Don’t We Highlight Things Like Deaths, Holidays, Birthdays, or National Events in our Worship Services?”
We are unafraid to speak boldly from the Scriptures.
We’ve long been a rare church who has preached about and publicly posted moral and doctrinal beliefs about a whole host of socioculturally significant issues: homosexuality/LGBT issues (6-week series some 9-10 yrs ago), role of men/women in church/home (6-week sermon series during 2024, as well as multiple retreats covering similar content), pro-life/anti-abortion (Brown Bags & Bibles podcast series, supporting Hope Center from our budget, written GQA, Elders Position Paper, occasional mention during sermons), cessationism (Brown Bags & Bibles series), and yes, even the role of politics. Where the Scriptures are speaking clearly, so are we. Where unclear or silent, we are likewise.
If any one of us had 100% of our wildest political dreams come true, it wouldn’t fundamentally change one single heart.
The church’s goal has never been political and social revolution—an endeavor that will inevitably fail even relative to its own promises. Laws may deter sin, but they cannot change the sinful heart. What is history if not the story of example after sobering example of the limits of political revolution? The Bible points to a more radical cure: the regenerating power of God’s grace. We need new hearts and a new nature that only come through spiritual rebirth (Ezekiel 36:26; John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Only the gospel can transform a Tyler Robinson from the inside out.
We do life-changing gospel work with more than 300 young people every week.
In any given week, from Sunday through Wednesday, there are well over 300 young people in their 20s and below who attend one of 4 ministry environments, every single one of which is focused on the life-changing truths of the gospel. To the extent that the future of this community and nation are tied to the health and flourishing of our young people, we are here for it every single day.
We preach the gospel of Christ every Sunday—and that is the source of actual moral change and lasting personal comfort.
If, because of the Kirk incident, people were at church this past Sunday who otherwise haven’t been connected to a local body, we’re here for it, and they heard the gospel preached. That’s the remedy. Regardless of your political leaning, it’s the same remedy Kirk ultimately espoused—the gospel—and simply because no one mentions Kirk during a worship service doesn’t mean that service didn’t offer the ultimate comfort and feeding of the flock that is the Word of God sung, prayed, and preached, and it doesn’t mean that church doesn’t provide places to process such things. We are a complex 3-campus church with a whole world of ministry happening beyond Sunday morning. Just this past week—from Sunday through Friday—I know that the Charlie Kirk situation was processed in Serve Team Huddles, with Staff and Residents/Interns, during re:gen small groups, in our Pillar Young Adults environment, in our 180 middle/high school youth group and small groups, and in at least a few Life Groups that I know of.
We need to stop responding viscerally and reinvest in the real work of local relationships.
Since the late 2000s and early 2010s when Facebook passed 1 billion users and social media went worldwide, algorithms and advertisers have been directed at sensationalizing everything for the sake of money and power—and we need to make sure we aren’t bowing to any human platform. True ministry is not digital spectacle but flesh-and-blood faithfulness—God’s people rooted in God’s Word, living it out in community. Friends, don’t listen to your YouTube guru; listen to me, from Psalm 2—while the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain—God’s people will stand strong on the rock of the gospel, period. No matter what this or that celebrity pastor, YouTube personality, or Instagram influencer says, it will be over my dead body that this church focuses on any human in a way that distracts from the mission of advancing the Kingdom of Christ. If moments of adversity reveal the gods of our hearts and expose the foundations of what we really believe and who we truly worship (Matthew 7:24-27), may we be people who go first to God’s Word and our identity in Christ.
Ok, enough of all that. Here are a few more decent sources of help and comfort more lasting than the clicks-driven drama meant to commodify and amp you up.
However, when I went looking for level-headed sociopolitical and theological analysis, I found a dearth of serious or helpful reflection and a deluge of ‘We need a revolution!’ in search of clicks and conscripts.
On the one hand, I get it. Personally, I’m a full-blooded Burkean political conservative American whose twelfth-great grandfather Richard Warren was a signatory of the Mayflower Compact. My forebears fought in the Revolutionary War. I’m related to Abraham Lincoln through Mary Todd. My dad was National Chaplain for the Sons of the American Revolution. My son is in Army ROTC. And to top it all off, I’m related to Ruth Wakefield, who created the chocolate chip cookie. Emotionally, I want peace. Politically, I want justice. Spiritually, I want revival.
But, friends—let’s not for a second pretend that politics can fundamentally change human hearts and bring about moral integrity. That’s the gospel’s job—and only the gospel’s. And if we do not go to God’s Word first, our emotions and politics will quickly and easily click-bait us into supporting someone’s platform. It’s like I have occasionally needed to tell my kids—that YouTube personality with whom you have zero personal relationship doesn’t actually care about you.
So while our emotions certainly need relief and space for expression, in a world hard at work to algorithmically disciple us into its categories, we need to be vigilant about ensuring that the Scriptures are the context within which we process them. If we are not being Christians first, and citizens second, we easily become commodified tools in someone else’s game of clicks, even by many who sanctify their political causes with spiritual terms and motives.
Can political work mitigate sociocultural problems like violence? Duh—of course. But it can’t cure them because the problem is sin, not legislation and funding, and the only cure is the gospel. What our world truly needs is the clear and powerful proclamation of the truth of the gospel unadulterated by political anything.
So, related to what people seem to be expressing in the wake of the Charlie Kirk situation, lemme make clear—based on 6 principles—how we as a church have long been, currently are, and will continue to be in the eternal spiritual war for peoples’ souls.
We make worship about Jesus, period.
We long ago decided to keep our worship services as strictly about Jesus as possible, period. Frankly, every heartfelt person, ministry, cause, or need is competing for stage time in our service and we have to make hard decisions every single week about keeping everything other than Jesus out lest we lose our eternal focus. Sure, we announce the occasional FCC initiative we deem important, but rarely during the main body of the service. That’s why the Pulse Video and “What’s Next?” portions are at the beginning and end of the service. So much of life is so focused on everything other than Christ that we are jealous to guard our time in worship to make clear that there are no rivals and He gets all the stage time. Straight up, I think that Charlie Kirk, now more than ever, would be scandalized if churches focused on anything other than the only object worthy of worship. For more, see “Why Don’t We Highlight Things Like Deaths, Holidays, Birthdays, or National Events in our Worship Services?”
We are unafraid to speak boldly from the Scriptures.
We’ve long been a rare church who has preached about and publicly posted moral and doctrinal beliefs about a whole host of socioculturally significant issues: homosexuality/LGBT issues (6-week series some 9-10 yrs ago), role of men/women in church/home (6-week sermon series during 2024, as well as multiple retreats covering similar content), pro-life/anti-abortion (Brown Bags & Bibles podcast series, supporting Hope Center from our budget, written GQA, Elders Position Paper, occasional mention during sermons), cessationism (Brown Bags & Bibles series), and yes, even the role of politics. Where the Scriptures are speaking clearly, so are we. Where unclear or silent, we are likewise.
If any one of us had 100% of our wildest political dreams come true, it wouldn’t fundamentally change one single heart.
The church’s goal has never been political and social revolution—an endeavor that will inevitably fail even relative to its own promises. Laws may deter sin, but they cannot change the sinful heart. What is history if not the story of example after sobering example of the limits of political revolution? The Bible points to a more radical cure: the regenerating power of God’s grace. We need new hearts and a new nature that only come through spiritual rebirth (Ezekiel 36:26; John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Only the gospel can transform a Tyler Robinson from the inside out.
We do life-changing gospel work with more than 300 young people every week.
In any given week, from Sunday through Wednesday, there are well over 300 young people in their 20s and below who attend one of 4 ministry environments, every single one of which is focused on the life-changing truths of the gospel. To the extent that the future of this community and nation are tied to the health and flourishing of our young people, we are here for it every single day.
We preach the gospel of Christ every Sunday—and that is the source of actual moral change and lasting personal comfort.
If, because of the Kirk incident, people were at church this past Sunday who otherwise haven’t been connected to a local body, we’re here for it, and they heard the gospel preached. That’s the remedy. Regardless of your political leaning, it’s the same remedy Kirk ultimately espoused—the gospel—and simply because no one mentions Kirk during a worship service doesn’t mean that service didn’t offer the ultimate comfort and feeding of the flock that is the Word of God sung, prayed, and preached, and it doesn’t mean that church doesn’t provide places to process such things. We are a complex 3-campus church with a whole world of ministry happening beyond Sunday morning. Just this past week—from Sunday through Friday—I know that the Charlie Kirk situation was processed in Serve Team Huddles, with Staff and Residents/Interns, during re:gen small groups, in our Pillar Young Adults environment, in our 180 middle/high school youth group and small groups, and in at least a few Life Groups that I know of.
We need to stop responding viscerally and reinvest in the real work of local relationships.
Since the late 2000s and early 2010s when Facebook passed 1 billion users and social media went worldwide, algorithms and advertisers have been directed at sensationalizing everything for the sake of money and power—and we need to make sure we aren’t bowing to any human platform. True ministry is not digital spectacle but flesh-and-blood faithfulness—God’s people rooted in God’s Word, living it out in community. Friends, don’t listen to your YouTube guru; listen to me, from Psalm 2—while the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain—God’s people will stand strong on the rock of the gospel, period. No matter what this or that celebrity pastor, YouTube personality, or Instagram influencer says, it will be over my dead body that this church focuses on any human in a way that distracts from the mission of advancing the Kingdom of Christ. If moments of adversity reveal the gods of our hearts and expose the foundations of what we really believe and who we truly worship (Matthew 7:24-27), may we be people who go first to God’s Word and our identity in Christ.
Ok, enough of all that. Here are a few more decent sources of help and comfort more lasting than the clicks-driven drama meant to commodify and amp you up.
- While I certainly don’t suggest getting all your news from NotTheBee.com, they had a spot-on 700-words article worth your time called “As Nations Rage and Kingdoms Totter, There is One Way to Stand Firm in the Midst of Chaos,” which I’ve PDFicized for ad-free easy reading at bit.ly/notthebeecharliekirk.
- For some good thinking about the role of politics and public life, see this fairly brief First Things editorial article: “Putting First Things First”. (If reading in a web browser, it may help to put in “Reading” mode.)
- For much more re the Bible’s approach to politics, see this Brown Bags & Bibles series:
- For more re my approach to the role of politics in church life, see this section in “Intro to GQA”. (GQA stands for “Great Questions Answered”.) See also this GQA re Biblical Principles of Politics (which is rather unfinished but I’m working toward hopefully maybe someday maybe finishing it.)
“Dad’s Daily(ish) Devos”: Emerging Use and Example
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20 years ago, I started making marginal comments in a Bible with the intention of giving it to our oldest daughter Sophie. Though life took over and the project fizzled after about 2 weeks, I always intended to get back to something like that for my kids and family, and I’ve just (sorta) picked it back up at the beginning of this year as “Dad’s Daily(ish) Devos”.
I’ve mentioned my DDDs a couple times, but I bring them up again for a few reasons. First, it occurred to me that I have a growing ongoing repository of devotional blurbs that I could share here in Scott’s Thoughts. So I’ll probably regularly do so here, as with Psalm 14 below.
Second, and more importantly, I want to encourage dads/husbands out in Scott’s Thoughts World to do their own version of DDDs. Doesn’t have to be at all like mine; in fact, it’s better coming from your own daily time in the Word. Feel free to steal from me 100% guilt-free if you need the help getting started, are too busy, etc., but sending even just a quick text like the following to let your kids and family know you’re praying for them and that you are in God’s Word is a wonderful long-term legacy: “Psalm 116:1 – ‘I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.’ // For the Christian, gratitude for grace is the only true motivation. For me today, I am grateful that God has blessed me with you!” Dads and husbands, let’s lead our families with God’s Word!
Third, a change in tactic and goal: hermeneutical-devotional commentary covering the whole Bible. Not only do I want my DDDs to provide a normal 2-3 minutes-long daily devotional application, but, as noted in the blurb above, it is “intended to reinforce the theological trajectory of the text, the redemptive-historical import, and a nugget for interpretation. So it’s a normal devotional thought for one’s day/week, but with a slight bent toward teaching how to read the Bible well.” And while I’m only 10% through and have about 4 more years to go to finish, someday we’ll have a small FCC commentary on the whole Bible—or something like that. (Plus, I can use my DDDs for future Sermon Series Guides.)
So, all that being said, here is an example for your edification. You can find the whole shooting match at fccgreene.org/ddd.
2025.07.20 – Psalm 14 – 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? 5 There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. // Psalm 14 teaches us that rejecting God is not fundamentally a rational conclusion—it’s moral folly rooted in the default condition of the human heart. The “fool” isn’t unintelligent; he is willfully corrupt, saying “There is no God” not because he’s persuaded, but because he’s defiant (v 1). This corruption—“none who does good” (vv 1, 3)—isn’t just an Israelite complaint about Gentile oppressors; Paul cites it in Romans 3 to show that all—Jew and Gentile alike—are under sin and in need of grace. But this sobering diagnosis is not the end of the story. Verse 6 declares, “The Lord is his refuge” for the poor and faithful who suffer at the hands of the wicked. And verse 5 promises that God is “with the generation of the righteous,” not because they’re naturally good or particularly smart, but because they “call upon the Lord” (v 4). That’s true wisdom—humble dependence on God’s promises. When we read the psalms in light of later revelation like Romans 3, we learn to read Scripture canonically: letting clearer Spirit-inspired interpretations in the New Testament clarify the universal scope of sin hinted at in the Old. So the psalm ends in verse 7 with longing for redemption “out of Zion” (i.e., from Zion), which God fulfilled ultimately in Christ, “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). The world calls it foolishness—but it is the salvation of all who believe.
I’ve mentioned my DDDs a couple times, but I bring them up again for a few reasons. First, it occurred to me that I have a growing ongoing repository of devotional blurbs that I could share here in Scott’s Thoughts. So I’ll probably regularly do so here, as with Psalm 14 below.
Second, and more importantly, I want to encourage dads/husbands out in Scott’s Thoughts World to do their own version of DDDs. Doesn’t have to be at all like mine; in fact, it’s better coming from your own daily time in the Word. Feel free to steal from me 100% guilt-free if you need the help getting started, are too busy, etc., but sending even just a quick text like the following to let your kids and family know you’re praying for them and that you are in God’s Word is a wonderful long-term legacy: “Psalm 116:1 – ‘I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.’ // For the Christian, gratitude for grace is the only true motivation. For me today, I am grateful that God has blessed me with you!” Dads and husbands, let’s lead our families with God’s Word!
Third, a change in tactic and goal: hermeneutical-devotional commentary covering the whole Bible. Not only do I want my DDDs to provide a normal 2-3 minutes-long daily devotional application, but, as noted in the blurb above, it is “intended to reinforce the theological trajectory of the text, the redemptive-historical import, and a nugget for interpretation. So it’s a normal devotional thought for one’s day/week, but with a slight bent toward teaching how to read the Bible well.” And while I’m only 10% through and have about 4 more years to go to finish, someday we’ll have a small FCC commentary on the whole Bible—or something like that. (Plus, I can use my DDDs for future Sermon Series Guides.)
So, all that being said, here is an example for your edification. You can find the whole shooting match at fccgreene.org/ddd.
2025.07.20 – Psalm 14 – 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? 5 There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. // Psalm 14 teaches us that rejecting God is not fundamentally a rational conclusion—it’s moral folly rooted in the default condition of the human heart. The “fool” isn’t unintelligent; he is willfully corrupt, saying “There is no God” not because he’s persuaded, but because he’s defiant (v 1). This corruption—“none who does good” (vv 1, 3)—isn’t just an Israelite complaint about Gentile oppressors; Paul cites it in Romans 3 to show that all—Jew and Gentile alike—are under sin and in need of grace. But this sobering diagnosis is not the end of the story. Verse 6 declares, “The Lord is his refuge” for the poor and faithful who suffer at the hands of the wicked. And verse 5 promises that God is “with the generation of the righteous,” not because they’re naturally good or particularly smart, but because they “call upon the Lord” (v 4). That’s true wisdom—humble dependence on God’s promises. When we read the psalms in light of later revelation like Romans 3, we learn to read Scripture canonically: letting clearer Spirit-inspired interpretations in the New Testament clarify the universal scope of sin hinted at in the Old. So the psalm ends in verse 7 with longing for redemption “out of Zion” (i.e., from Zion), which God fulfilled ultimately in Christ, “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). The world calls it foolishness—but it is the salvation of all who believe.
Miscellaneous Musings
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Adulthood isn’t About Gathering Resources for Personal Expression
Granted, there are understandable reasons to be hesitant about marriage, children, and raising a family—infertility, financial struggle, past trauma, lack of good examples, dearth of committed Christians, and more. However, if we fail to convince our young people that God’s Genesis 1:28 and 2:24 vision for adulthood is about having and raising a family—and not merely about age, vocation, or accumulating resources for personal expression—our community and nation will drift into deeper moral and spiritual trouble. If we don’t cast this vision, the world will overwhelm them with countless counterfeit idols. Our kids are being deceived into imagining they exist cut off from the history that produced them, unaware that their very lives are the fruit of others’ sacrifice—and ultimately—a gift from a benevolent Creator. They are sold the lie that the world is their oyster for self-expression, as if happiness and fulfillment are waiting inside if they can just pry it open through hustle or ingenuity. But that’s a dangerous delusion, because the real brokenness isn’t out there but in here—sinful hearts so quick to believe the screens (Jeremiah 17:9). The world’s oyster only cuts in the opening, and its treasure—if any—is treacherously fleeting. Jesus turns this lie on its head: true life isn’t found in self-expression but in self-denial (Luke 9:23). The world isn’t ours to consume but God’s creation to steward (Genesis 1:28). The real pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46) isn’t found by chasing self-made dreams but by treasuring Christ. Without a Kingdom vision for our lives, we settle for short-term thrills that end in long-term sorrow. So, young people, stop prying at the world’s empty oysters and start opening your hands to the ordinary grace of marriage, children, and family—the everyday boring faithfulness where communities are made strong and the pearl of great price is truly found.
Reading the Bible Isn’t Meant to Be Easy
I’ve come to see “reading the Bible” not merely as a transfer of truth but rather as the sanctifying process of wrestling with God. Like Jacob, we come away limping but blessed (Genesis 32:24-30), struggling with words that strain to express the ineffable glory of God (Romans 11:33-36). And that very struggle is His way of drawing us closer, so that the Word remakes us even when we can’t fully capture Him in ours.
Re:generation is Not What You Think and Is Probably What You Need More Than You Know
As we’ve already just recently implemented a big scheduling change in our re:generation programming, I am well aware this is more than a few weeks late and dollars short, but I wrote down a few thoughts so figured I’d share them, (y’know, for the next time re:generation begins Jan 2026.) In case you’ve never been to re:gen or you don’t know what it’s about, re:gen is one of our main environments for spiritual growth at First Christian Church. It’s an entirely Bible-based and gospel-centered discipleship program that is focused on deeply understanding and applying God’s grace in your life. If you want to know the content of the gospel, why do you need it, and how to apply it to all areas of your life past and present—this is the place. Frankly, it’s probably the most important thing we do that you may not know about and likely undervalue when it comes to who we are as a church and how well it can serve to be a help to you in your walk with the Lord. It’s secret sauce for how to live in healthy community as a church—so much so that we require our leaders to go through it. Now, here’s my slightly-confrontational two cents as a Pastor who gets a lot of anecdotal data over many years: I think a bunch of you think you don’t need re:gen because you think it’s something different than it is. For example, for those who have been believers a long time, have done all the Bible studies, well, we always need more good leaders, and if you’re going to be part of our longer-term growth and health as a church leader, it is our vocabulary for soul care, spiritual growth, discipling others, and doing community together well. For those into being trauma-informed and who may believe society doesn’t adequately recognize the role of childhood attachment, what is re:gen’s mixture of deeply understanding and applying God’s grace, working through one’s resentments, moral inventory, and history of abuse by means of God’s Word, in the context of Christian fellowship, and while telling your story if not healthy community processing of trauma and attachment issues?! For those who have already done re:gen and didn’t find it as helpful as you had hoped, frankly, for many it takes more than once through to buy in and for God to break through one’s pride, and friend, you’ve got room for improvement. … Friends, seriously… I’m not sure how else to say it other than this: I’ve been through re:gen three times and I know enough of you well enough to know that many of your relationships and personal struggles would be greatly served by humbling yourself and being part of re:gen. … So, please consider it—it has been super helpful for so many of our people. (And again, did I mention we always need more good leaders?!)
Granted, there are understandable reasons to be hesitant about marriage, children, and raising a family—infertility, financial struggle, past trauma, lack of good examples, dearth of committed Christians, and more. However, if we fail to convince our young people that God’s Genesis 1:28 and 2:24 vision for adulthood is about having and raising a family—and not merely about age, vocation, or accumulating resources for personal expression—our community and nation will drift into deeper moral and spiritual trouble. If we don’t cast this vision, the world will overwhelm them with countless counterfeit idols. Our kids are being deceived into imagining they exist cut off from the history that produced them, unaware that their very lives are the fruit of others’ sacrifice—and ultimately—a gift from a benevolent Creator. They are sold the lie that the world is their oyster for self-expression, as if happiness and fulfillment are waiting inside if they can just pry it open through hustle or ingenuity. But that’s a dangerous delusion, because the real brokenness isn’t out there but in here—sinful hearts so quick to believe the screens (Jeremiah 17:9). The world’s oyster only cuts in the opening, and its treasure—if any—is treacherously fleeting. Jesus turns this lie on its head: true life isn’t found in self-expression but in self-denial (Luke 9:23). The world isn’t ours to consume but God’s creation to steward (Genesis 1:28). The real pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46) isn’t found by chasing self-made dreams but by treasuring Christ. Without a Kingdom vision for our lives, we settle for short-term thrills that end in long-term sorrow. So, young people, stop prying at the world’s empty oysters and start opening your hands to the ordinary grace of marriage, children, and family—the everyday boring faithfulness where communities are made strong and the pearl of great price is truly found.
Reading the Bible Isn’t Meant to Be Easy
I’ve come to see “reading the Bible” not merely as a transfer of truth but rather as the sanctifying process of wrestling with God. Like Jacob, we come away limping but blessed (Genesis 32:24-30), struggling with words that strain to express the ineffable glory of God (Romans 11:33-36). And that very struggle is His way of drawing us closer, so that the Word remakes us even when we can’t fully capture Him in ours.
Re:generation is Not What You Think and Is Probably What You Need More Than You Know
As we’ve already just recently implemented a big scheduling change in our re:generation programming, I am well aware this is more than a few weeks late and dollars short, but I wrote down a few thoughts so figured I’d share them, (y’know, for the next time re:generation begins Jan 2026.) In case you’ve never been to re:gen or you don’t know what it’s about, re:gen is one of our main environments for spiritual growth at First Christian Church. It’s an entirely Bible-based and gospel-centered discipleship program that is focused on deeply understanding and applying God’s grace in your life. If you want to know the content of the gospel, why do you need it, and how to apply it to all areas of your life past and present—this is the place. Frankly, it’s probably the most important thing we do that you may not know about and likely undervalue when it comes to who we are as a church and how well it can serve to be a help to you in your walk with the Lord. It’s secret sauce for how to live in healthy community as a church—so much so that we require our leaders to go through it. Now, here’s my slightly-confrontational two cents as a Pastor who gets a lot of anecdotal data over many years: I think a bunch of you think you don’t need re:gen because you think it’s something different than it is. For example, for those who have been believers a long time, have done all the Bible studies, well, we always need more good leaders, and if you’re going to be part of our longer-term growth and health as a church leader, it is our vocabulary for soul care, spiritual growth, discipling others, and doing community together well. For those into being trauma-informed and who may believe society doesn’t adequately recognize the role of childhood attachment, what is re:gen’s mixture of deeply understanding and applying God’s grace, working through one’s resentments, moral inventory, and history of abuse by means of God’s Word, in the context of Christian fellowship, and while telling your story if not healthy community processing of trauma and attachment issues?! For those who have already done re:gen and didn’t find it as helpful as you had hoped, frankly, for many it takes more than once through to buy in and for God to break through one’s pride, and friend, you’ve got room for improvement. … Friends, seriously… I’m not sure how else to say it other than this: I’ve been through re:gen three times and I know enough of you well enough to know that many of your relationships and personal struggles would be greatly served by humbling yourself and being part of re:gen. … So, please consider it—it has been super helpful for so many of our people. (And again, did I mention we always need more good leaders?!)
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Scott's Thoughts
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