A Recovering Baptist in South Carolina

 For those of you who have been here before, it's been a while.  For those who are new, welcome.  Either way a lot has changed for me in the several years since I last posted.  I bought a house and land and left one employer for a rival employer who offered to pay me more.  One of the things that I want to do with this blog is to share some of the struggles and sometimes the solutions that I've found with growing up as an Independent Fundamental Baptist and then realizing that it's not exactly biblical.  If you have questions or want me to address a specific topic please leave a comment.  Please note, the opinions and views expressed here are mine, and they are not comprehensive nor exclusive.  Unkindness with not be tolerated. On that note, let's talk about my first topic, which time and time again I've seen as something that is consistently lacking in IFB circles and that is Love.  1 Corinthians 13:1-13  gives the big picture view of t...

1 Corinthians 12-14 is the longest discussion about Spiritual Gifts in the scripture. In chapter 12 Paul discusses the gift and how they all fit into the body of Christ. We can't all be eyes, or ears, or hands or feet. We do all, however, have our own part and each part is important. Part of the reason Paul was writing this was that the believers in Corinth were arguing over who's gift was more important. Paul makes all of this irrelevant with the transition from the end of chapter 12 to chapter 13 with this simple phrase. vs.12:31b "And I show you a still more excellent way." Something better than the Spiritual Gifts that they had been fighting over? Yes, there is something better than all of those God given gifts that puts all of us as Christians on equal footing. That one simple thing that make us all equal in our ability to serve God is "Love". Paul says "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a n...

Not to long ago I was talking to a gentleman from my church about the topic of relationships and he made a statement that I found very intriguing and one that has lead to a lot of contemplation. He said "Love is not something you fall into, it's a choice". This is difference is at the root cause of the massive number of broken homes in our country today. To often couples "Fall" into what they think is "Love" when in fact all it is simply infatuation and the want to have physical desires fulfilled. Love is in fact a choice one makes. A choice to Love someone no matter what that person does, no matter how much that person hurt you, and no matter what happens to that person. Love is waiting for marriage. Love is obeying those in authority whether it be parental, pastoral, or governmental. True Love is unconditional. This leads me to think about what God did over two thousand years ago. He "Chose" to love us and send his son to be born i...