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Shepherding Thoughts
by Pastor Ben Francis
Welcome to Shepherding Thoughts: An inside look at a Southern Baptist Pastor's comments on navigating popular topics in Christianity and Religion.
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What I’m Reading: April-May 2023
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of...
Ben Francis
May 31, 20235 min read
Parents: Don't Give Your Kids a Smartphone...
We are living in a day and age that revolves around technology, especially smartphones. Our days are filled with them: Tasks, jobs,...
Ben Francis
May 16, 20237 min read
What Does it Mean to Be Pastored?
Life in the Local Church Belonging to a local Church of the Lord Jesus Christ entails all sorts of things: Membership, fellowship,...
Ben Francis
Apr 28, 20238 min read
A Lament for the Hard Things: The Joy of Pastoral Ministry; A Follow-Up…
When I sat down to write the previous post, “A Lament for the Hard Things,” my goal was to share a tangible illustration of what I had...
Ben Francis
Apr 15, 20238 min read
A Lament for the Hard Things…
This painting hangs in my study reminding me of days like today. Like the man in the painting, pastoral ministry calls men to come in...
Ben Francis
Apr 11, 20235 min read
What's Shaping My Life?
This question lodged itself in my mind during our Sunday morning Bible study. "Are Christians in danger of living in a delusion?" We were...
Ben Francis
Apr 4, 20238 min read
What I'm Reading - March 23'
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” -George R.R. Martin Theology Powerful...
Ben Francis
Mar 31, 20235 min read
What I'm Reading - February 23'
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Seuss Here's this...
Ben Francis
Feb 27, 20234 min read
What I’m Reading: January 2023
Well, another year has come and the pages continue to turn! I have been encouraged lately that many of my friends have posted about their...
Ben Francis
Jan 31, 20235 min read
Food, Exercise, and Struggle: A Personal Health Update - January 23'
I’ve been on a health journey for the past few years. I’ve written about it on the blog, so I won’t rehash everything here. But, it's...
Ben Francis
Jan 25, 20235 min read
Sing Louder, Men!
A Guest post by Rev. Justin Morehead Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another...
Ben Francis
Jan 19, 20237 min read
The Sanctity of Human Life.
Sunday, January 22, 2023 is Sanctity of Human Life Day. Sanctity: The quality or state of being holy or sacred : INVIOLABILITY. What is...
Ben Francis
Jan 18, 20236 min read
Manliness: The Needed Virtue of Our Day
“Be a man!” - The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 13) What does it mean to be a Man? I like how the ancient Romans defined manliness, which was...
Ben Francis
Jan 9, 202310 min read
The Fragile Mission of the Church...
Can We Keep It? “The Church exists for a mission. Jesus did not give a mission to His church; He formed a Church for His mission…”. -...
Ben Francis
Dec 22, 20227 min read
The Importance of Fathers...
We are living in a time when our society is not only devaluing the role of the father, but also the very idea of manhood. For most every...
Ben Francis
Dec 21, 20222 min read
A few Days Among the Giants: Our Trip to California's National Parks...
Sequoia Kings and The Yosemite This past summer (June 22'), my wife and I, along with some of our dearest friends (Jason and Charity...
Ben Francis
Dec 11, 20224 min read
What I’m Reading…November-December 2022
Life being what it is, I forgot to post a reading update for November, so I’ve combined these last two months into one. The end of the...
Ben Francis
Dec 9, 20224 min read
Giving Thanks for the Small, the Difficult, and the Sometimes Ugly.
The Discipline of Spiritual Gratitude It doesn’t take long to look around a Church or spiritual community and find problems. Whether it's...
Ben Francis
Nov 27, 20224 min read
A Glimpse of Life without Worry...
Wild things, Peace, and Wendell Berry “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.Day to day pours...
Ben Francis
Nov 23, 20224 min read
One Step Closer…The Senate moves to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
Today—Wednesday, November 16th, 2022—the United States Senate took a major legislative step in the effort to write into law federal...
Ben Francis
Nov 16, 20223 min read
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