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May 8, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
It Is Done
I have been rereading C.S. Lewis’ allegorical works, The Chronicles of Narnia. As I have read, my appreciation for these stories has been renewed, with little snippets piercing my heart and mind in ways they had not before. There is a particular moment in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that I wish to briefly share and reflect on, for in it, I think we can find an encouragement that we can so easily forget. “You have a traitor there, Aslan,” said the Witch. Of course everyone present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had got past thinking about himself after all he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said. You see, Edmund was a traitor. He sold out his own blood and kin to the White Witch, who wished to imprison them forever in stone. He thought the Witch would make him a king, one with pleasures eternal at his fingertips. What he discovered instead was slavery, a trench in the endless cold at the behest of a harsh and cruel master. What’s worse is that Edmund chose this journey. He could have ventured on with his brothers and sisters to the place where Aslan, the great Lion, was—a place of warmth, safety, and assurance. Yet, he decided a way in the cold and darkness. But Alan rescued Him regardless. Edmund was free. Once enchained and forced to toil in the snow, now he gets to walk freely beside Aslan. After reconciling with his family, there was nothing more to be said. It was done. Not even the Witch’s taunts could cause Edmund to lose heart. Do you know, Christian, that when Christ saves you, it is done? You need not rehash, relive, and dwell on what used to be anymore. The old is gone, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17). Heed not the temptations from the enemy to think, “I am still a traitor, a sinner, condemned.” In Christ, you are free! What the enemy throws at us matters no more. What we used to be is gone. When Christ says, “It is done,” there is nothing more to be said. Because of this, we can lay aside every sin and hindrance that ensnares us and confidently look to our King who saves us (Heb. 12:1-2). Completely saved, the work is done The curse, the grave is overcome For with that dawn, there rose a King Now heaven's smile shines over me In Christ, Mathew Hurst THIS SUNDAY Growth Group Lesson: The Futility of Human Wisdom • Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 Order of Service Call to Worship • 1 Peter 1:13-16 Prayer of Adoration Only A Holy God Prayer of Confession Assurance • 1 Peter 1:17-19 Completely Known, Completely Loved Revelation • 1 Peter 1:20-21 Jesus Strong And Kind Prayer Message • In Him, We Have Purpose • Ephesians 1:4-6 His Mercy Is More Benediction NEXT STEPS & EVENTS These are highlights from our Church Center Bulletin. See the full calendar and more at www.fbcwatauga.org. VBS Workday • May 16th at 9:00 AM VBS is coming soon, which means you have an opportunity to help out even now! Join us at 9:00 AM in the Chapel to make crafts, assemble decorations, and more as we prepare for Vacation Bible School this summer. Church Family Meeting • May 17th at 6:00 PM Our quarterly family meeting will be at 6:00 PM in the Sanctuary. This is a great time to hear reports on how we are doing as a church missionally, financially, and more. All church members are encouraged to take part. How do I submit a prayer request? Want to pray for others in our church? Visit www.fbcwatauga.org, click Next Steps, and select “Pray With Us” to view requests, submit your own, or sign up for email notifications. SAVE THE DATE May 16 — VBS Workday May 17 — Church Family Meeting May 31 — Church Family Picnic Jun 15–19 — Vacation Bible School Jun 28 — Missions Dinner Jul 6–10 — Student Camp Jul 20–24 — Kid's Camp Jul 25 — Back2School Rally Jul 26–30 — Student Mission Trip
April 3, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
A Blessed Friday
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Blessed is He who not only became poor in spirit, but gave up His spirit on account of us. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Blessed is He who mourned for us lost sheep so that we might be forever comforted in Him. “Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.” Blessed is He who humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, so that every knee on the earth will bow to His name. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Blessed is He who filled Himself with our sin, the sour wine, so that we might be filled with His righteousness. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Blessed is He, the all-merciful One, who instead of scorn, cried out, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!' “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Blessed is He who was the purest in heart, so that those with hearts defiled may be made clean and stand before God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Blessed is He who made peace between us and God so that we might be adopted in His family. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Blessed is He who was despised and rejected by men so that we may be with Him in paradise. “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Blessed is He who has earned the due reward for His suffering - power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! Oh, glorify Him crucified! It is finished. Amen. Today is Good Friday, and we will remember, mourn, and rejoice in the cross of Christ with Northside Church at 6:30 PM at their place of worship (6750 Denton Hwy, Watauga, TX 76148). Today is Good Friday, but Sunday is coming. Let us rejoice and be glad for this saying is trustworthy: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Blessings to you all, Mathew Hurst
March 27, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
The Throne of Grace
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. – Hebrews 4:14-16 I would reckon many of us struggle with that passage these days. How could Jesus be tempted “in every way” as we are? After all, Jesus didn’t have a cell phone or unlimited internet access. Technology has made it so much easier to sin against God, and didn’t Jesus lack all of this technology? So then, how could He possibly have been tempted in every way we are? Of course, did Christ not have godly power and authority? Could not the Jesus who was involved at creation also gain access to all the many things we cherish today by a simple abuse of His power? Wasn’t this the point at which Satan targeted the Lord for temptation? In Matthew 4 (Luke 4; Mark 1), Scripture details how the devil sought to tempt Jesus into utilizing His power and status as the Son of God. He advised Him to make bread from stone, or to throw Himself off the temple to watch angels come to the rescue. Just as Christ was tempted in all of His ability and authority, we are tempted through the various privileges we receive. Our material blessings, earthly authority, or personality traits all become targets of temptation. We, like Jesus, are tempted to use what is ours for personal pleasure instead of purpose. Jesus certainly has faced what we face, as the Son of God has always had far more ability and privilege than we do. Let us then rejoice that we can indeed approach the throne of grace that He might help us in our time of need. Blessings, Nathan McEndree THIS SUNDAY Growth Group Lesson: Don’t Desert Your Mentor • 2 Timothy 4:9-22 Order of Service: GOD Call to Worship • Zechariah 9:9 Prayer of Praise May the Peoples Praise You MAN Confession • Zechariah 9:10 Prayer of Confession Behold Our God CHRIST Assurance • Zechariah 9:11 Nothing But the Blood of Jesus Prayer Message • Paul - A Prisoner of Christ | Acts 21:7-14 RESPONSE Christ Is Mine Forevermore Benediction • Hebrews 13:20-21 NEXT STEPS & EVENTS These are highlights from our Church Center Bulletin. See the full calendar and more at www.fbcwatauga.org. Provo, Utah Mission Trip Interest Meeting • This Sunday! Is God calling you to the mission field this August? Join us immediately after our service on Sunday for a vision meeting about our trip to Provo, Utah, where we'll bring the Gospel of Christ to the Mormon community alongside our partners at Mosaic Church and the Walker family. Whether you feel led to go or to support those who do, come hear the vision and seek the Lord. Joint Good Friday Service with Northside Church of the Nazarene • 6:30 PM Join us next Friday at Northside Church at 6:30 PM, where we will have a joint Good Friday service with a dear sister church. Invite your neighbors as we look to the cross of Christ together. Church Softball Our men's softball team has been back at bat this Spring season! They would love your support by coming out to the games and cheering them on (and praying for them that they don't pull something). Every game is located at the Hurst Softball Complex (2104 Precinct Line Rd, Hurst, TX 76054). You can check out the rest of the game schedule here, or below: 3/27 • 8:45 PM (Field 1) 4/10 • 9:45 PM (Field 1) 4/17 • 8:45 PM (Field 1) 4/24 • 7:45 PM (Field 1) 5/1 • 9:45 PM (Field 1) 5/8 • 6:45 (Field 1) SAVE THE DATE Men’s BBQ Fellowship • May 2nd National Day of Prayer • May 7th at Keller City Hall Church Family Meeting • May 17th Church Family Picnic • May 31st at Northfield Park Vacation Bible School • June 15th - June 19th Missions Dinner • June 28th Student Camp • July 6th - 10th Kid's Camp • July 20th - 24th Back2School Rally • July 25th Student Mission Trip • July 26th - July 30th
March 13, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
Remain
Sometimes when we read God’s Word, we have to actively look for things that stand out to us. And other times, by the Spirit of God, things just seem to leap off the page and straight into our hearts. That was the case for me earlier this week as I studied 1 Timothy. After Paul greets Timothy, he encourages the young pastor to “remain in Ephesus” (1 Timothy 1:3b), to correct the false teachers there and continue to shepherd the local church. Timothy was dealing with all kinds of issues in the church of Ephesus: false teachers (1:3), petty arguments and discussions (1:6), disorderly church conduct (2:1-16), and even demonic influence (4:1-4). Timothy had his hands full as a young elder! Yet, Paul urges Timothy to remain there in the thick of it, to endure it. Timothy was challenged to face the mire head-on despite his youth (4:12) and illnesses (5:23). He was to feed the sheep that would bite him. In light of this, my eyes turned inward, and I asked the Lord, “When things get hard, Father, do I remain with You and what you called me to, or do I try to take the easy road?” It is so easy for me, and I believe all of us, to want to avoid conflict or think that when things are hard, that is the time to move on, to get out of a situation, to flee, or even to distract ourselves. The only thing Timothy was called to flee was the greed and love of things of this world (6:9-11). Too often, those are the very things we run to instead. Life challenges us, so we pursue distractions on social media, numbing our minds. It often is easier to complain or argue about the political or social lives of other people rather than take stock of how we are living ourselves. We pay attention to so many other things, just to find temporary fulfillment rather than resting in eternal hope. Friends, our flesh longs for comfort, ease, and distraction, but the Christian walk is one with a cross on our backs (Luke 9:23). Each day is a fight to “pursue godliness, faith, hope, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). Every day, we are to flee that which takes our eyes off of Jesus. We are called to remain in this fight, but not without hope, for though we bear our cross, we follow the Savior who bore our sins. We train and fight in godliness “because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (4:10). You may think yourself weak today. The fight at hand may seem too great. The truth is, you are weak, and the fight is too much for us to bear alone. But just as God strengthened Paul to suffer for the Gospel (1:12), so too does He strengthen us to endure and go on, to remain in Him. Whatever your age, your health, or whatever the challenge may be, let’s keep fighting the good fight, friends. Soli Deo Gloria, Mathew Hurst Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17). THIS SUNDAY Growth Group Lesson: Stay Strong • 2 Timothy 3:1-17 Order of Service Call to Worship • Psalm 115:1-3 The God We Love (Nicene Creed) Confession & Assurance • Psalm 115:4-8; Romans 8:29-39 The Steadfast Love of Christ Dedication • Psalm 115:9-13 Psalm 34 (Taste & See) Prayer Message • Acts 19:21-41 | Don't Let Greed Control You I Surrender All Benediction • Psalm 115:14-18 NEXT STEPS & EVENTS These are highlights from our Church Center Bulletin. See the full calendar and more at www.fbcwatauga.org. Provo, Utah Mission Trip Interest Meeting • March 29th Is God calling you to the mission field this August? Join us immediately after our service on March 29th for a vision meeting about our trip to Provo, Utah, where we'll bring the Gospel of Christ to the Mormon community alongside our partners at Mosaic Church and the Walker family. Whether you feel led to go or to support those who do, come hear the vision and seek the Lord. Giving Focus of the Month: Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Each month, we spotlight a different giving focus tied to our Acts 1:8 mission — reaching our community, state, nation, and world. This month, we're giving to the Annie Armstrong Offering, which has supported North American missionaries since 1895. Every dollar goes directly to missionaries spreading the Gospel across North America. If the Lord leads you to give above and beyond your regular offering, you can do so at www.fbcwatauga.org/give. SAVE THE DATE National Day of Prayer • May 7th at Keller City Hall Church Family Meeting • May 17th Church Family Picnic • May 31st at Northfield Park Vacation Bible School • June 15th - June 19th Missions Dinner • June 28th Student Camp • July 6th - 10th Kid's Camp • July 20th - 24th Back2School Rally • July 25th Student Mission Trip • July 26th - July 30th
December 20, 2025 • 2 Minute Read
A Care-Full God
“God doesn’t care.” This is a phrase I have been pruning from my vernacular. It has grown to be a common phrase amongst even the most mature of Christians. “God doesn’t care what church you attend. He cares about your faithfulness.” “God doesn’t care what job you have; He just cares how you work.” I myself said in a sermon earlier this year on Acts 2: “God doesn’t care about your age, but will freely pour out His Spirit on the young and old alike.” While all these statements touch on the truth, when we look at the Scriptures, I don’t believe we could ever characterize the Triune God as care-less in any form. We serve the God who pays attention to our cries. (Psalm 5:1-3) We serve the Lord who remembers and looks after us. (Psalm 8:4) We serve the supplicating Savior who prays for and advocates for us before God the Father. (John 17:20-26; Hebrews 8:1-6) How could we ever say that the God who feeds the birds, clothes the wildflowers, and fixed the boundaries of the earth does not care? (Matthew 6:26-30; Job 38:5) How could we speak of the God who, before the foundation of the world, loved us to the point of death on a cross as reckless or careless in any of His attributes or ways? (Ephesians 1:4; Philippians 2:8) Perhaps I am being dogmatic on what some view as semantics. Yet, as believers who should be truth-tellers of the God of truth, shouldn’t we be all the more careful how we speak of the counsel of God? God cares about what job you have. He cares about what music you listen to. He cares about the choices you make in life. He cares about YOU! What better comfort is there than that in our ever-increasingly careless world? God cares.
June 16, 2025 • 12 Minute Read
Life's Unwanted Detours
On the first 4700 miles of a 14k+ trip, Susan and I have faced several unwanted detours. These redirections have come in many ways, and each have had interesting outcomes. Though we may get frustrated, especially when the detour is caused by our own failure, we are continuing to learn the true meaning behind one of the most miss used passages of scripture. We are confident that, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Before I go any further, let me remind you of a couple truths from this text that are often ignored when it is quoted. First, the text does not teach that all things that happen to us are good. Certainly, rotten stuff comes our way. Sometimes, we face pain because of someone else’s sin. Sometimes, our pain is caused by our own sin or simple mistakes. Other times, we face pain and suffering simply due to circumstances that come from living in a fallen world. What may be the most challenging for a believer is that sometimes our Heavenly Father not only allows but plans and orchestrates things that cause us to suffer to discipline us and mature our faith (1 Peter 1, Heb. 12:3-6). Jesus assured His disciples that “in this world you will have trouble.” (John 6:33) Second, Romans 8:28 does not promise that all things work together for good for everybody! The text is a promise made specifically to believers who meet two criteria. They must be His kids (called according to his purpose). And, they are actively pursuing a relationship with Him (those who love God). Susan and I can have confidence in God’s plan and purpose for us even in the unwanted detours of life because we know that we are His and we are seeking to follow His will because of our love for Him. In just the past week, we have been challenged with at least four different types of challenging detours. Each could have cause great frustration and anxiety. In all but one case, we found that by keeping our focus on our Lord we have been able to walk in the peace and joy that only He provides. [I’ll confess that when the detour was caused by my own stupidity that I got frustrated for a short while.] Additionally, in EVERY case, the Lord has provided something through the detour that worked out much better for us than our original plan. The Planned Detour Our plan included leaving Johnston Campground in Banff National Park on Monday morning and driving up through Jasper National Park. I’ve told many people that I believe this is the most beautiful and awe-inspiring stretch of road that we have every traveled – and we’ve travelled much of all 50 states and several Canadian provinces. Leaving Jasper, we planned to head North to the beginning of the famous Alaskan Highway beginning at Dawson Creek and travel the length of the ALCAN through Whitehorse, Yukon. However, in Glacier National Park, we began to encounter a lot of smoke. Upon investigation, I learned that almost 100 wildfires were out of control in NE British Columbia. Those fires would be right along our route. Not wanting to deal with the smoke, we planned an unwanted detour to travel west from Jasper and get “behind” the fires. This would be a detour of several hundred miles but only added about 40 miles to our trip. Though we planned the detour, the short notice ended up causing some frustration that I’ll detail later. Besides, we’d miss a few of the iconic mile markers along the first few hundred miles of the Alaskan Highway. In spite of our frustrations, this unwanted detour took us to some incredible places that we’d have otherwised missed. We saw a lot of wildlife and enjoyed the scenery so much that we plan to retrace some of those miles on the way back down to the states. Along the way the Lord provided people and experiences that really blessed us each day. Unplanned Detour – Caused by Me This unwanted detour was caused by my mistake. After getting over the mountains west of Jasper, I began trying to plan for where we would camp that evening. We stopped off at the visitor center at the Mount Robson Provincial Park to get some information. It had a beautiful view and a lot of good information, but the service was a bit lacking and caused a little frustration. I picked a couple providential park campgrounds that would be about the correct distance for our travel that day. I was using a booklet provided by the parks system that had a small inset map of each region. I picked a park that looked right along our route, headed NW out of Prince George. This is where I made my mistake! After traveling over 30 miles toward that campground, we got stopped in a construction zone. As I sat there, I reviewed my travel plan on the “big map” and found that I was going the WRONG WAY! In fact, the way we were headed would take us directly back to the area of the fires near Dawson Creek. We had learned that smoke was no longer the only problem. The highway had been shut down in two locations with over 200 miles of highway closed. We had no other choice except to continue through the construction, get back in line, and travel back through the construction and back to Prince George. By now, we were tired and realized that my mistake had taken us over 60 miles out of the way with a two-hour delay. By the end of the evening, we eventually found a campsite along the correct route. The Lord blessed us with one of the only sites left in the area. A fellow traveler from Texas met us in the campsite and help us find the spot! It was a beautiful site and provided just the rest we needed. Unplanned Detour – Not Caused by Me Though this unplanned detour was caused by my mistake, some detours in my life have been created by other means. The birth, suffering, and death of our first-born daughter is one example of this kind of detour in our life. Though we were earnestly seeking the Lord, we ended up facing years of painful challenges. I started to write that they eventually ended at Katie’s graveside, but that would not be true. Though those years hold many great memories, they also created many scars. Even today, we periodically feel the sting of Katie’s suffering and her passing. Leaving our campsite this morning, I knew I needed to get gas soon. The first two places we came to that were supposed to have fuel were closed. Such is the challenge of traveling in remote places. The problem was that I had planned on one of these two being open and we were about to be in trouble. Instead of panic, we prayed. There was one more place on the map that we hoped would have enough fuel to reach. If we took it easy on the accelerator, we might just make it. Our “Distance to Empty” indicator was showing under 20 miles when we pulled up to the above ground fuel tanks. This wasn’t where we hoped to fill up and it wasn’t what we had hoped to pay for fuel. However, on this unwanted detour, the Lord provided again. While I was filling my tank, a young trucker walked up and told me about a wreck that had just happened a few miles down the road. He said that it could take hours to clear. He gave me some great advice on getting around the wreck that probably saved us at least an hour. The Lord worked through this unwanted detour to save us hours. If that wreck had been before the fuel pumps, well that would be a different story. When I think of these kinds of unwanted detours, I can’t help but remember the life of Joseph in Genesis. He experienced several unwanted detours after the Lord gave him a great vision. From the pit, to a mansion, to prison, to the palace, none of the detours were a part of his plan, but they certainly were used for his good, for his family’s salvation, and for God’s greater purpose for mankind. Helpful Detour – Following Good Advice The providential encounter with this trucker also provided and answer to a prayer that we had been lifting up the past few days. We were struggling with whether to include a trip all the way to the Artic Ocean that would include pulling our trailer over 1080 miles of gravel road. I love the idea of the challenge, but the main reason to go beyond a certain point would be just to be able to say that we had been there. Susan and I had been trying to decide and just were uncertain. While visiting with the afore mentioned trucker, he told me he was from Tuk –the small indigenous village at the end of the road on the Artic Ocean. When I told him we would be camping on the Dempster Highway at the Tombstone Mountains, he answered our prayer. He let us know that the road was in worse shape than usual. There was planned construction this summer to deal with its conditions. He said the best part of the trip was the Tombstone Mountains and a certain distance beyond. Once you pass that area, the scenery just wasn’t worth it. He recommended we camp at Tombstone Provincial Park and leave our trailer there. We could then drive a couple hours beyond the park and enjoy the best of the road without the stress. This was already something I had specifically considered and prayed about. Just a few hours later, the Lord intervened with another individual to meet our needs. When closing our trailer earlier this week, it became evident that a key component of our camper would not last the whole trip. I needed to repair a bracket that would require an experienced welder or metal fabricator. My backup plan was a fix I could do myself, but I was uncertain of its effectiveness. After leaving the trucker and making the detour he suggested, I found a welding shop that I had a peace about. He looked at my bracket and said he was willing but was unsure that he could do what I needed without removing the bracket from the trailer and I know that would be a long task and practically impossible with our schedules. When I told him my “plan b,” he said that was a great idea. He felt that would hold better than a weld on the thin metal. A few miles down the road, as I stopped in a big parking lot to take care of it, I found a couple other issues that I hadn’t seen. By me doing the repairs on my own, I was saved a LOT of issues that were on the near horizon. The Lord used two unwanted detours to work things out “for our good.” He provided great advice from a providential meeting with the trucker that came from one unwanted detour to provide an answer to prayer – a detour that would come from following the trucker’s advice. I am certain the Lord orchestrated these unwanted circumstances to provide the advice needed for tomorrow’s detour. As long as I take the advice, I’m certain we’ll find the “good things” God has for us down the road the next few days. Trusting the Lord in the Detours Every unwanted detour can be frustrating. Many can be downright painful. When we are faced with unwanted detours, whether we have a say in them or not, we have a couple directions we can take. We can get anxious, panic, get made at God, blame the cause of the detour, or blame others for our mistake (or sin) that caused the detour. If we take this route, we will never find peace and will be regularly frustrated throughout our journey on this earth. There is another route we can take. When faced with life’s unwanted detours we can take them to the Lord in prayer. We can turn to His Word for guidance. Scripture is filled with men and women who faced unwanted detours – some trusted God and some didn’t. Consider Job’s unfair life of suffering. Take a look at how David responded to the spear chunking of King Saul. Maybe even revisit the story of Joseph and see how God took horrible circumstances and used them for His glory. This evening, I am grateful for the detours. The unwanted detours have provided new experiences. We’ve found new friends. We’ve learned a little more about ourselves and we’ve learned to lean on the Lord. I think I’ll take the trucker’s advice. He knows the territory and he has been where we want to go. He knows the dangers and the beautiful blessings of the land. I also think I’ll continue to trust in the Lord, His word, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He’s been there. He knows the terrain of the blessings and even the sufferings. When life brings us to a detour, I’m certain that it will result in our good and His purposes – whether we initially like the detour or not.
