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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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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
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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
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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
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An Ongoing Struggle: The fight for Life in a Post-Roe Culture.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at a Pro-Life event for our local Pregnancy Support Center. The full text of my address is...
Ben Francis
Mar 3, 202312 min read
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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
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Pregnant Men? The Transgender Revolution Marches On...
A New Fight for Life... In the mid 2000's, Thomas Beatie was announced as the first ever pregnant man. It took the media by storm, but...
Ben Francis
Feb 4, 20238 min read
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Lord, Thank You for this Sickness.
Learning to thank God for our afflictions… Throughout our lives, we all experience the normal pains, sufferings, and struggles of having...
Ben Francis
Nov 14, 20225 min read
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What I'm Reading - October 22’
October is my favorite month of the year, mainly because of the Autumn season and the changing of the leaves. October has also brought a...
Ben Francis
Oct 31, 20223 min read
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Look at the Leaves: Autumn Reflections on the Goodness of God.
Autumn Reflections Autumn is my favorite season of the year, mostly because of the diverse canvas of colors that burst forth from the...
Ben Francis
Oct 30, 20224 min read
167 views
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Help for Christian Parents.
Resources for Christian Parents Our church is currently studying through Ephesians, and this coming week we come to the passage on...
Ben Francis
Sep 20, 20222 min read
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Is In-Person Preaching better than a Screen?
With the advent of new technology, new possibilities are introduced to the human experience. The rise of computers, the internet, and...
Ben Francis
Sep 5, 20226 min read
184 views
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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
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