Author Archives: Frank Richard Coats
35 Years, Clean and Sober
Proverbs 15:33 — The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. This is the cross-over year. I’m 68 years old, and today I have 35 years clean and sober. I’ve lived more than half … Continue reading
Circumcision of the Heart
I’m preaching a sermon series on the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. This letter is dense, and wonderful and powerful; perhaps no other writing better explains the Christian faith than this letter Paul wrote to a church he did … Continue reading
Reflections from a Virtual Prayer Meeting
Witness from the prayer gathering for the Inspire Movement, seeking to make whole-life disciples of Jesus Christ. We met for the first International Prayer Gathering of 2023, under the able and inspired leadership of the delightful Robin. I suppose because … Continue reading
Gratitude
We are close to Thanksgiving, and while this is a Christmas story, it is a story of gratitude. On Christmas morning I was driving early to our home from the parsonage. The rest of our family gathered there already, but … Continue reading
Trust and Trustworthy
For several years I made a strong but half-hearted attempt at selling insurance and mutual funds; strong because I worked hard, half-hearted because my heart was just not in it. I tried to trick myself that it was, and I … Continue reading
Who You Kiddin’?
Image by LRus of Pixabay Run with the Horses Who You Kiddin’? One of my favorite of Eugene Peterson’s books is Run with the Horses. Petersen gets the title from Jeremiah 12:5 — If you have raced with men … Continue reading
Lead Me to the Rock
Am I following the Spirit’s lead? What a great question! How do I know whether is it the Spirit’s lead or my own wishes? How do I learn to identify the Spirit’s voice? I saw a poster a few … Continue reading
Sharing Fellowship
Core Values of Discipleship Sharing Fellowship This past week we were invited to an awards ceremony for our 9-year old granddaughter Zadie. Zadie had been invited to a Wednesday night Bible study at a local church by one of her … Continue reading
Ascension
My wife and partner Brenda had a total knee replacement surgery April 5. I have done no blog writing since then, but have kept up with the writing of sermons. For those who are interested, the following is a portion … Continue reading
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace -- Frank Coats 