tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-245063422024-09-22T16:42:01.488-05:00Where Life and Christian Faith IntersectBrandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-23230606943804571062012-01-09T19:23:00.001-06:002012-01-09T19:23:40.447-06:00

This week's reading of Genesis 22-36 and Psalms 9-14 offer some honest views of struggle, fear and depression. Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing that true Christians never feel these sorts of emotions, but, thankfully, God gives us real pictures of His people struggling throughout His Word. As you read these stories and psalms learn from the faith of those enduring pain and find

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-90625443302640563342012-01-02T10:46:00.001-06:002012-01-02T10:46:21.683-06:00

Our church is taking on the challenge of reading through the entire Bible in 2012. Here's a link to our website that offers this week's reading list and some notes that I wrote to use as a reading guide. Join us in reading through God's Word this year!

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-42753197318202680832011-10-19T15:27:00.001-05:002011-10-19T15:27:50.003-05:00

In Colossians 2 Paul warns Christians to be careful to guard against being carried away by human traditions. Those early Christians were being influenced heavily by those that wanted to enforce traditions and customs from the Law and the rule of the Jewish Priests. Even if it isn't from Jewish priests, today we face the same challenges. If we aren't vigilant we can make our own human

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-60133726555232645742011-10-12T11:13:00.001-05:002011-10-12T11:13:49.502-05:00

I have a friend that has a running joke with his wife and it goes like this: Whenever one of them asks for something or says, "I want...", the other responds with, "and that's all I need..." The joke is funny because it is so true. We try to convince ourselves that the next object of our eye or heart will bring the satisfaction we've been searching for all of our lives. In the second chapter

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-55043474900816452942011-07-07T10:30:00.001-05:002011-07-07T10:30:42.181-05:00

I grew up attending Baptist churches in Georgia and Kentucky. God graciously brought me to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at the young age of five. I have had the privilege of serving in Baptist churches in Alabama and Kentucky over the past 18 years. Thankfully, I have grown up in and around the church. Yet, a few years ago I found there was something I was missing. While attending

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-39805856742934175992011-05-11T11:41:00.001-05:002011-05-11T11:41:57.938-05:00

Recently on ABC's World News Tonight there was a clip on mediation and its benefits. I've embedded the clip here. This clip immediately made me think of Dr. Donald S. Whitney who has done a tremendous amount of work on meditation and the Christian life. As you see the benefits of the clip from ABC, think about how much more beneficial mediation would be if you align it with God's Word. You

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-82703865358496545692011-04-23T20:59:00.001-05:002011-04-23T20:59:33.010-05:00

What is the Gospel? Here's a short video where John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, offers an explanation.

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-62140700769824003482011-04-11T14:39:00.002-05:002011-04-11T14:39:26.046-05:00

I'm afraid of being nice. It's not that I don't want to be kind or helpful to you. The fear is rooted in being misunderstood. There is no doubt that I should be nice because you are neighbor, friend or family member. But I should be nice for a greater reason. I should be nice because you are a fellow citizen, driver, shopper or thinker. But I should be nice for a greater reason. Where I

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-44437231767321758552011-03-16T15:17:00.002-05:002011-03-16T15:19:09.129-05:00

Jesus says the greatest love a person should possess is their love for God. He says in Mark 12:28-34 that people should love God with all of their being. Here's my question: How do you know that you are loving God this fully? Post some answers and let's discuss it.

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-66232779682520661672010-12-21T10:25:00.003-06:002010-12-22T08:34:11.528-06:00

The final Sunday in Advent 2010 reminds us that Immanuel - God is with us. This is something we find encouraging, but challenging as we struggle to understand what this means. Think of the beginning of the Bible. In Genesis 3:8 God comes to walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. In earlier Genesis passages we overhear regular discussion between God and Adam. Before sin entered

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-31545782068541755192010-12-13T15:46:00.001-06:002010-12-13T15:46:19.735-06:00

The third week of the 2010 Advent season is upon us. This week we are focusing on how Jesus heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, causes the lame to walk, and restores mobility to the lame. There are countless stories in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of Jesus restoring the health of those that were close to Him, those that He passed by along the road and those brought to Him

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-82399068744248088292010-12-13T14:07:00.001-06:002010-12-13T14:07:37.256-06:00

This is the second week of the 2010 Advent season and this week we focus on the change that God has called us to make in our lives. It is a change from a life of sin to a life of love and dependence upon God. It is a change that only God can enable and, ultimately, only He can accomplish in our lives. Yet, we are called to join fully and wholeheartedly with Him in this change. The Son of God

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-16946949610889474412010-12-03T14:05:00.001-06:002010-12-03T14:05:25.906-06:00

This Sunday - the second Sunday of Advent 2010 - we are preparing to take the Lord's Supper together. It is a special and sacred time when we remember what the church has been remembering for nearly 2,000 years. We will remember and rejoice in the life, death and resurrection of our Savior. We will remember our hope. There is a stern warning, though, as we approach the Lord's table. Paul

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-67544587201564847752010-11-29T10:04:00.001-06:002010-11-29T10:04:32.537-06:00

Light Shining in Darkness November 29, 2010 We grew up in the country. Kids that lived in the city would call it the boondocks when they came to visit. I miss living in the country. Especially at night. Far from the city lights the sky was so clear during the winter. There were so many stars and the moon seemed so close. The nights during a full moon were a special treat. The night seemed

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-55527815684677051642010-10-25T06:45:00.001-05:002010-10-25T06:45:22.018-05:00

Have you ever thought about the purpose of someone’s love? When a couple is married they purpose to love one another through any circumstance of life until one of them dies. When a child is born, parents purpose to love that child’s so that their needs will be met and they will know care and encouragement. Whether you realize it or not, there is a purpose to every ounce of love you extend to

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-87174758778119567002010-10-18T11:39:00.002-05:002010-10-18T11:39:52.275-05:00

Did you the know Old Testament of the Bible contains over 600 commands from God? In the first century AD, the Jewish religious leaders had studied these laws in such detail that they tell us there are 365 negative ones and 248 positive ones. The negative ones are things people should not do and the positive ones are things people should do. One day, Jesus was in a discussion with religious

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-39701080322782691012010-10-13T14:11:00.001-05:002010-10-13T14:11:45.223-05:00

Church membership, though not directly mandated in the New Testament, does seem to be implied in the New Testament. Here's a helpful blog from a friend, Ben Simpson, who is the pastor of West Main Baptist Church in Alexandria, TN. Read carefully and it will be a great help to you.

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-31329830511773859392010-10-04T06:18:00.001-05:002010-10-04T06:18:41.084-05:00

God's great desire is to deliver you for His glory. And He is really serious about this. He is at work to deliver you even if you don't know that you need to be delivered. Because the truth is you need to be delivered from something all the time. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-57167278632701616902010-10-01T09:28:00.001-05:002010-10-01T09:28:06.642-05:00

Suffering is never easy, but the Bible says it is useful. Here's a sermon I preached at West Main Baptist Church in Alexandria, TN on Tuesday, September 28, 2010. Listen and let me know what you think. http://westmainbaptist.com/pour/sermon-audio?sermon_id=126

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-41330211913636566882010-08-16T15:34:00.001-05:002010-08-16T15:34:24.232-05:00

What is sin? What comes to your mind? Would you call yourself a sinner? If so, could you name three specific sins you committed today? Are there sinful actions or attitudes in your life recently? While many believe sin exists and would reluctantly acknowledge that we sin we are often slow to list the specific sins we are struggling with at the moment. Let’s ask another question and that is

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-725706947496404772010-08-09T15:02:00.001-05:002010-08-09T15:02:56.877-05:00

Hope for hope’s sake is no hope at all. Do you ever hope for hope’s sake? Do you ever find yourself offering reassurance hoping that everything will somehow work out in the end? Your intentions are good; you just don’t have any basis for your faith. Sometimes we say these things because we don’t have anything else to say and we don’t want there to be empty air in a moment that seems really

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-54001157647019268022010-07-22T09:21:00.002-05:002010-07-22T09:22:52.217-05:00

I was reading in 1 Peter today and read this verse in 1 Peter 4:9, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Let’s see how our definition of hospitality compares with Peter’s intent. In the ancient setting this hospitality could have meant to show kindness to strangers who were in need as they traveled. It seems that much of the ancient nomadic culture was based upon the hope that

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-80675124812088403842010-06-28T13:33:00.001-05:002010-06-28T13:33:48.267-05:00

Is there more to life than this? Have you ever asked, “Is this it?” All of us have probably asked that question at one time or another. Frustration and disappointment make for quick friends and can stay longer than they’re welcome. These feelings especially seem to appear when we count on our own abilities. Everyone’s intellect and strength are limited, but often we act like they are

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-31401151265740705442010-06-18T11:22:00.001-05:002010-06-18T11:22:53.559-05:00

Where will you be on this day?After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24506342.post-74276884605105021052010-06-07T15:19:00.001-05:002010-06-07T15:19:22.328-05:00

Earnest LoveJune 7, 2010Earnest is a word that we don’t use much. I hear it occasionally and even use it sometimes, but I don’t think about its definition very often. Honestly, I thought it meant to be really serious. However, I have recently discovered that the Bible uses this word in a different way.In 1 Peter 1:22-25, Peter talks about the love that Christians should have for one another

Brandon Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09856632818264122682noreply@blogger.com0