• Fred's Blog

    A Piece Of The Puzzle

    Twenty years ago in our community it was considered normal that minority students would not finish high school much less go on to college. In fact, there was very little attention given to minority students expressing a desire for going beyond high school. A group of us began meeting and asking the question, “What would it take to increase the number of students who would be first in their family to attend college?” We did not focus on the dropout problem or limit our scope to minority students. We wanted to increase the number of “first in their family” students to enroll and then graduate from college. Over the following…

  • Bible Studies

    From Thessalonica to Athens

    From Thessalonica Paul traveled to Athens and then on to Corinth.  From Corinth, Paul is writing to the church. He mentions Athens but says no more about it. However, we know from reading in Acts that he meets with a group of men there that likely has made him even more grateful and concerned about the new believers in Thessalonica. Some of you probably remember the movie “Sunset Boulevard” with William Holden and Gloria Swanson. It is the tragic story of a fading movie star (Norma Desmond) and a young writer (Joe Willis). Norma desperately believes with a break, a screen test and some powder and rouge, she can make…

  • Fred's Blog

    Great Expectations

    In his book, “A Resilient Life”, Gordon MacDonald recounts his desire to run track for the Stony Brook School. The demanding coach, Marvin Goldberg, was not impressed with Gordon’s great natural talent as it was undisciplined and untested. Gordon waited for weeks for his name to be posted on the bulletin board as one selected for the team and then one day he heard his name called. Not Gordon but Gordie. ‍“Upon hearing my new name, I headed in Goldberg’s direction. He was standing next to the white bulletin board. When I reached him, Goldberg put his hand on my shoulder and began to speak. As best as I can…

  • Bible Studies

    1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

    I want to focus this morning on verses 17-20 of Chapter 2. But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. As most of you know, I worked with pastors of churches…

  • Bible Studies

    1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

    Last week we looked at the four phrases Paul used to describe the believers in Thessalonica: Work produced by faith that believes there is a larger purpose to our work. Work produced by faith produces a different kind of work. It is work that is motivated by more than ambition or necessity. Labor prompted by love is work that binds people together. It is work that builds great teams because it values people and not just productivity and accomplishment. Endurance inspired by hope is not just optimism. It is the ability to endure when everything else has been removed, eroded or burned away. It is the rare ability of a leader to…

  • Bible Studies

    1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

    Paul and Silas spent only three weeks in Thessalonica but he later wrote them at least these two letters. They must have been quite a group of people. The pattern is familiar. Look at Acts 17 for the context. Paul enters a city and heads for the local synagogue to present the Gospel to the Jews. Some Jews believe as do a large number of Greeks – including prominent women. But the Jews who have been hounding Paul along his journey round up some bad characters, form a mob and start a riot accusing Paul of causing trouble all over the world by defying Caesar. It is one of the…

  • Fred's Blog

    The Fool Will Stay

    There are two kinds of fools in the world. One is the Biblical fool who is best described as a person with no self-control. He is “a larger child” governed by the impulse of the passing moment and with no ability to rule his tongue, emotions, pleasures or thoughts. He is stupid and self-conceited, and with no ability to see himself as he is, rushes to his own destruction hardly thinking at all about what awaits him. Many of the kings were fools and I’ve written before about Samson as a fool but a consecrated fool. God can use even the most tragic of fools.  On the other hand, there…

  • Fred's Blog

    We Happy Few

    While it may be true that history is written by the victors, it is often the tragic last stands that capture our imaginations with the victors being forgotten. This is something of a sacred week in Texas for it was this month in 1836 that a group of 200 volunteer soldiers including Davy Crockett from Tennessee (“You can go to hell. I am going to Texas.”), Jim Bowie, and William Travis held out for thirteen days against a Mexican army of thousands. On the morning of March 6, the Mexican forces broke through a breach in the outer wall of the Alamo and overpowered them. Ordered to take no prisoners…