Posts by Caleb Phelps

The Joy of a “Normal” Sunday (a prelude) This Sunday was different. No special emphasis. No added elements. Just a regular Lord’s Day. And yet, that is exactly why it is worth talking about. The past several weeks have been full in the best way. Between Easter and special services like last week’s Teen Service,…

On Easter Sunday, most pastors turn to familiar ground — Golgotha, the garden tomb, the early morning discovery that changed the world. I expected to do the same. Our church has been walking through the life of David for months, and as Easter approached, I fully intended to step aside from our series and preach…

Last Easter Sunday, we opened God’s Word not in the Gospels, but in the scrolls of Isaiah—specifically, Isaiah 11:1-6. The message was titled “The Risen Root of Jesse,” and it invited us to behold the beauty of the resurrection through the eyes of the prophet Isaiah, written centuries before the empty tomb. Isaiah paints a powerful…

There are endless resources available for children’s ministry today. Curriculum that promises maximum fun. Programs that promise deep theological literacy. Systems that promise simplicity for volunteers. None of those are bad things. But if we are not careful, we can begin asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking, “What will glorify God most?” we begin…

We have crossed a strange and significant line. For centuries, those who gathered to hear the preaching of God’s Word could safely assume that the messages they heard were prayerfully prepared by a human pastor. That pastor was someone called by God, shaped by Scripture, and burdened with the task of proclaiming it. In 2026, that…

I’m getting ready for our Inductive Bible Study at Faith Baptist Church, Taylors, SC this week where we’ll be at the end of Hebrews 12. I’m struck with this thought: Hebrews 13 is overflowing with practical, boots-on-the-ground application. But none of that application stands on its own. It is all intentionally built upon the deep,…

Our society has comprehensively rejected God’s design for the family. The decline is striking when we compare the words of two influential figures separated by just 69 years. In 1851, Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political thinker who observed early American life, remarked: “There is certainly no country in the world where the tie of…

Learning from an Unsung Hero Years ago, a story was told of an eleven-year-old who made a birthday card for her eight-year-old brother. The note said: “Happy birthday to my eight-year-old brother. I’m so glad to have a brother to love. God gave me you. P.S. Don’t read this out loud or I will twist…

The Barna Group performed a research study in 2014 and found, not surprisingly, that many people were not attending church. The statistics revealed in this study are pre-pandemic – and are quite sobering. Tragically the pandemic only compounded the matter. While churches attempted to offer online streaming during the height of the pandemic, things only…

In 1856, a 22-year-old pastor stood before thousands at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. His name? Charles Spurgeon. But Spurgeon wasn’t content to simply preach to the masses. He knew the pulpit wasn’t a solo mission. While the sanctuary was packed, his mind was focused on something else: the next generation. That same year, Spurgeon…