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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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Has Big Eva Made Too Much of her Human Leaders?
“Big Eva” …Big Evangelicalism. The structures and Institutions that make up American Evangelicalism with all of its power, prestige, and...
Ben Francis
Sep 1, 202211 min read
What are the Essentials of Christian Faithfulness?
Have ever wondered, “What does it really mean to be a Christian? Like, day-to-day? What does that look like?” I often fear that the...
Ben Francis
Aug 29, 20225 min read
How Much Longer Can Christians Participate in Public Education?
Thinking critically… How Much Longer Can Christians Participate in Public Education? —This is not a question that would have made any...
Ben Francis
Aug 23, 20228 min read
What I’m Reading - August 22’
It's back to school month! Life changes with the shifting of the seasons, and as we prepare for the fade of summer into fall, so too life...
Ben Francis
Aug 22, 20225 min read
Is My Life Too Busy?
Is my life too busy? Probably… Busy; busyness: The state of having or being involved in many activities I remember stepping off the plane...
Ben Francis
Aug 3, 20226 min read
Christians Should Judge each Other...Right?
“Only God can judge me!” That’s what the license tag said on the car parked in front of me. It's not an uncommon thing to hear in the...
Ben Francis
Jul 15, 20228 min read
A Society in Decay…
246 years ago, as America was becoming an official country unto itself, our founders had an idea about what it would take for a free and...
Ben Francis
Jul 8, 20224 min read
How Should Christians Perform their Weddings?
Thinking through Weddings from a Biblical perspective.
Ben Francis
Jun 21, 202211 min read
We're Living in Babylon...Not Heaven.
People Preparing for Exile… Christian faithfulness has taken on various shapes throughout the many chapters of history. In one sense,...
Ben Francis
Jun 7, 20227 min read
Does Social Media Deny my Physical Body?
“Are you angry, Dad?” That’s what my 10-year old son asked me early one morning as I forcibly prepared his breakfast. I had not said...
Ben Francis
Jun 6, 20226 min read
Should Christians Care About Physical Health?
The Western world in which I live is torn between two opposing realities: One reality is the overwhelming abundance of food. Food is...
Ben Francis
Dec 31, 20215 min read
A Year of Health
This past fall, I wrote a post outlining my struggles with food. You can read it here in case you missed it. A new year always brings...
Ben Francis
Dec 27, 20213 min read
A Big Week for Abortion: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
What you need to Know... This Wedneday, December 1, 2021, the biggest abortion case since Roe v. Wade will arrive at the Supreme Court of...
Ben Francis
Nov 29, 20214 min read
Do My Facebook Posts Matter?
Civility as Gospel Witness “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love...
Ben Francis
Nov 8, 20215 min read
My Struggles with Food…
A personal journey of stewardship. We all have personal struggles that plague us. Often, it's multiple things that plague us. For me, one...
Ben Francis
Nov 2, 20216 min read
Why Christians Can't say, "Let's Go Brandon."
It's become quite popular recently, especially among political conservatives and others who oppose President Biden, to use the shrouded...
Ben Francis
Oct 30, 20212 min read
Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin?
A follow up word... In a recent sermon from Psalm 5, I cited the cultural statement, “Love the sinner, but hate the sin,” and noted that...
Ben Francis
Oct 25, 20215 min read
When They Come for Our Bibles…
Christians, we must be wise and understand the times in which we live. The Apostle Paul instructs the church, “Look carefully then how...
Ben Francis
Oct 12, 20214 min read
Draw the Battle Lines with Care, An Essay.
Treasuring Jesus in a Divided Age. Battle lines. That seems to be how life unfolds right now. Along the battle lines. Democrat/...
Ben Francis
Oct 11, 202113 min read
The Conveniently Forgotten Aspect of Abortion
Several weeks back, the 87th Texas State Legislature passed what is known as Senate Bill 8, or, the Texas Heartbeat Bill. The bill...
Ben Francis
Oct 8, 20218 min read
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