What is the difference between New York City and Houston? A lot and a little. I have been reflecting quite a bit since UBC staff members returned from our visit with the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association (MNYBA) in Manhattan. Our cities are similarly diverse, but New Yorkers often...
--Posted by Steve Laufer-- If you’ve followed our global missions involvement at UBC for any length of time, then you probably already know about former UBC staff member Sterling Edwards’ church planting efforts in Long Island, NY. Crossroads Church of Long Island has gone from...
We tend to overcomplicate things. Ever heard those words? Maybe you’ve spoken them. We Houstonians live in the midst of the NASA community, as well as one of the most petrochemical business-laden areas of the world. We are home to world-renowned medical facilities and, more locally, boast...
In 1951 Christian ethics professor H. Richard Niebuhr wrote what is considered to be the classic exploration of how Christians should go about engaging the culture around them in their attempts to live the Christian life and accomplish the work of the church. The book, entitled Christ &...
My college-aged daughter, Lindsay, did a crazy thing recently. She adopted a dog. And she didn’t just adopt your run-of-the-mill SPCA dog. She adopted a purebred Australian Shepherd. He is white with brown markings and he’s got crazy blue eyes. And he is deaf. I didn’t know...
This coming Sunday we are going to do something we typically don't. We're going to give the entire message over to talking about some key ideas that will shape the future of who we are as a church. For the past year our membership has been working toward paying off our outstanding debt in the...
Things to Focus On Younger Preschoolers: Jesus is Alive, Jesus Loves Us Older Preschoolers: The picture of the cross in a positive light, describe that sin is when we do something that makes God unhappy, and Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins Activities Resurrection Eggs...
I lost a motivator last week. Dr. Vic Flagiello came to Oaxaca in 2005 as a volunteer with the first medical team we hosted. Every team has it's variety of characters. And Dr. Vic was certainly a character. But so am I. So most of you will not find it as a surprise that we worked so well...
This week I've been missing someone who showed me how important it can be to ask the right questions and keep searching for answers. My struggle is in figuring out the questions. That was easy for him. But he has gone Home to ask more profound questions, I'm sure, and get answers from the One...
The Who’s classic song “Join Together” was released during the summer of 1972 as an anthem to putting differences aside and unifying under the banner of music. In it one finds a hopeful celebration that those things that bind us together as humans might eventually win out over...