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.

Was Disfellowshipping the Right Move? Yes.

Ben Francis

Feb 23, 20235 min read

Was Disfellowshipping the Right Move? Yes.

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023 the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention reported out that it had voted to Disfellowship...

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Pregnant Men? The Transgender Revolution Marches On...

Ben Francis

Feb 4, 20238 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Jan 31, 20235 min read

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...

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Food, Exercise, and Struggle: A Personal Health Update - January 23'

Ben Francis

Jan 25, 20235 min read

Food, Exercise, and Struggle: A Personal Health Update - January 23'

I’ve been on a health journey for the past few years. I’ve written about it on the blog, so I won’t rehash everything here. But, it's...

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Ben Francis

Jan 19, 20237 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Jan 18, 20236 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Jan 9, 202310 min read

Manliness: The Needed Virtue of Our Day

“Be a man!” - The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 13) What does it mean to be a Man? I like how the ancient Romans defined manliness, which was...

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Ben Francis

Dec 22, 20227 min read

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…”. -...

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Ben Francis

Dec 21, 20222 min read

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...

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A few Days Among the Giants: Our Trip to California's National Parks...

Ben Francis

Dec 11, 20224 min read

A few Days Among the Giants: Our Trip to California's National Parks...

Sequoia Kings and The Yosemite This past summer (June 22'), my wife and I, along with some of our dearest friends (Jason and Charity...

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Ben Francis

Dec 9, 20224 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Dec 2, 20228 min read

The State of the SBC: A Mid-Year look…

This post will be lengthy, but I hope to provide an accurate summation and overview of SBC happenings at present… Things Going Well… 1 -...

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Giving Thanks for the Small, the Difficult, and the Sometimes Ugly.

Ben Francis

Nov 27, 20224 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Nov 23, 20224 min read

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...

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One Step Closer…The Senate moves to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

Ben Francis

Nov 16, 20223 min read

One Step Closer…The Senate moves to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

Today—Wednesday, November 16th, 2022—the United States Senate took a major legislative step in the effort to write into law federal...

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Ben Francis

Nov 14, 20225 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Oct 31, 20223 min read

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...

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Look at the Leaves: Autumn Reflections on the Goodness of God.

Ben Francis

Oct 30, 20224 min read

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...

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Abortion, the Bible, and the Progressives.

Ben Francis

Oct 4, 20223 min read

Abortion, the Bible, and the Progressives.

Thinking Critically... This week has brought about several concerning headlines that Christians need to be paying attention to. There are...

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Ben Francis

Sep 26, 20223 min read

What I’m Reading - September 22’

September 2022 In his book, The Conviction to Lead, Dr. Al Mohler writes these words, “When you find a leader, you have found a reader....

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