Dear First Scots family,There are many in our nation today who are quite anxious about how today will turn out as we go to the polls to elect a new President.  In one sense, it’s only natural that we care deeply, thinking of the impacts on communities, families, and our witness as Christ’s followers.  We are greatly blessed to live in a country in which we can make our voices heard and participate...  Read More

Dear Saints,2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”  The chief way that we do this is through the study of God’s Word.  I hope that, if you are taking time to read only one thing, it is your priority to mine the riches that exist in each and every verse of Scripture.Another way that...  Read More

Dear Saints, Each month, I make recommendations of books that I hope will be a blessing to your walk with the Lord.  One thing I’ve learned through this process is that too many recommendations can be overwhelming, so I’ve shortened the list to a few good reads you might enjoy.Also, you may benefit from this video in which Iain Murray speaks about how and why to read books well.Devotional: At Gene...  Read More

“Believers are not only children of God by adoption, but they are also made joint heirs with Christ. This is a rich and glorious truth! Everything that belongs to Christ is ours in Him. As He is the heir of all things, so are we in Him. Our inheritance is sure because it is secured by His merit and sealed by His blood.” -Charles SpurgeonDear flock,This week in our pastoral letter, we will look at ...  Read More

Dear Saints, Each month, I make recommendations of books that I hope will be a blessing to your walk with the Lord.  In some months, I think the list has been a bit overwhelming, so this month I’ve shortened it to make it more accessible. My Main Read for June: While I’m still slowly working through Owen’s Communion with God and plan to be for quite some time, I do have one main read that I’m exci...  Read More

Over the last few weeks, the focus of these letters has been to consider the awesome work of God’s Spirit known as revival.  Using the revival that took place in Beaufort in the 1830’s as a case study, we’ve considered what revival is, how God has historically brought it about, and what the lasting effects of revival have been.  In this final letter in this series, let us go back to the beginning ...  Read More

Preaching and RevivalOver the last few weeks, we have been looking at the awesome topic of revival, and we’ve used the revival that took place in Beaufort in the 1800’s as our case study.  I hope that this study has built within you a hunger for God to once again bring revival to our community.  What we have seen thus far in our study is that revival is a powerful outpouring of God’s Spirit in whi...  Read More

Dear Saints, Each month, I make recommendations of books that I think will be a blessing to your walk with the Lord.  While I do realize that reading books has fallen on hard times today (statistics say that almost half of college graduates never read a whole book after college), I do believe that Christians should have a particular interest in reading good books.  Reading good books is like fello...  Read More

Last week we began a study of the great revival that took place in Beaufort in the 1830s.  We were introduced to Rev. Daniel Baker, the great preacher from Savannah whom God used greatly to spark this tremendous movement, and churches that were affected, such as our friends at The Parish Church of St. Helena and The Baptist Church of Beaufort.  Through this period of revival, our small community b...  Read More

Beaufort’s Rich Spiritual HistoryLiving in Beaufort for the first 18 years of my life made it very easy to take for granted the beauty of this majestic town.  I am probably not alone in that; I am sure that many of us forget that not every town has exquisite views, Spanish moss-covered oak trees, history that dates back centuries, all of which are only matched by the wonderful people who live here...  Read More

Dear Saints,This is my monthly letter with books that I think will be a blessing to your soul.  Before I get to my recommendations of what to read, I want to share a few thoughts from Charles Spurgeon on how & why to read:Why all of us should be readers: “Give yourself unto reading. The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the though...  Read More

Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at the various rest-work rhythms that God has built into our world; night and day, rest and work, seed time and harvest.  These rhythms are gracious provisions for weary pilgrims sojourning through this world. And yet, even those rhythms often leave us longing for more.  We enjoy a vacation, but we know it will soon come to an end.  We love the Lord’s ...  Read More