Blog
Three Lines….
3/29/2026
Three Lines….
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
Matthew 21:1-11
March 29, 2026 (Palm Sunday)
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all experience together by the...
Lamott and Bass
3/23/2026
The book review this week focuses on two books that the Symposium Sunday School Class has read. The Helen and Jack Goodman Library has an entire shelf of the Symposium books, and we invite you to check them out yourself.
Anne Lamott is a writer and activist who reflects on life, faith, trust, and hope. Our church often features her quotes in the...
Situational Limitations
3/22/2026
Situational Limitations
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
John 11:1-45
March 22, 2026 (Lent)
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all together experience by the power of your...
This review concludes the books featured at the FaithWorks’ Compassion and Justice Conference. Standing Up to Hate: The Charlottesville Clergy Collective and the Lessons from August 12, 2017, (Michael Cheuk, ed., published by Good Faith Media, 2023), is written by a group of interfaith clergy and lay people who met in Charlottesville,...
Hall and Cawthon Freels
3/9/2026
In our effort to bring diverse voices to the Helen and Jack Goodman Library, we have included two new books in this review that the recent Compassion and Justice Conference featured on bookstands. These books can help all of us to better understand gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, and other queer (LGBTQIA+)...The Beautiful Mess Effect
3/8/2026
The Beautiful Mess Effect
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
John 4:5-42
March 8, 2026 (Lent)
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all together experience by the...
Foley, Jones
3/3/2026
This review focuses on two authors who were guest speakers at the recent 2026 Compassion and Justice Conference in Austin, Texas, sponsored by FaithWorks. Both books contribute compelling insights into our public conversations about religion and justice; and each can be read as compatible with Stephen K. Reeves and Rev. Katie Ferguson...Recalculating Route
3/1/2026
Recalculating Route
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
John 3:1-17
March 1, 2026 (Lent
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all together experience by the power of your Holy...
Boyle and Riley
2/24/2026
The two books reviewed this week have been read by FBC’s Symposium Sunday School Class. Each book highlights stories of liberation, universal kinship, and redemption. Debbie Cavin recommends Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, by Father Gregory Boyle. It is a “supremely readable book that has stayed with me over a...Tempted to Be Less, Called to Be More
2/22/2026
Tempted to Be Less, Called to Be More
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
Matthew 4:1-11
February 22, 2026 (Lent)
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all together experience...
Goodman, Levine, and Lipovsky
2/18/2026
Two of our Sunday School classes are studying books in the New Testament: Mark and James. Phil Adkins asked his class to think about what a church based on Mark’s gospel would have looked like during that time. Jim Heath reminded his class that James was likely written as a response to Paul, with both debating sharing the gospel...The Dance of Dissonance
2/15/2026
The Dance of Dissonance
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
February 15, 2026 (Ash Wednesday on Sunday)
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all...
Black Scholars
2/11/2026
February is Black History Month. Several new books in the Helen and Jack Goodman Library remind us, however, that Black history is made every day, not just during February. These books tell us much about how Black men and women overcame obstacles to find their voices, respond to the signs of the time, and use a theology that embraces diversity...The Passing Period (Enews 2.11.26)
2/10/2026
There’s a specific kind of magic that is happening in our narthex each Sunday morning.
I’ve been watching it lately — that 30-minute window between Sunday school and worship. I see the quick laughs, the “how was your week?” huddles, and the contagious energy as you all cross paths. Not only has it created an organic space for us to...
Let It Shine, Let It Shine, Let It Shine
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
A Sermon for the Beloveds of First Austin: a baptist community of faith
Matthew 5:13-16
February 8, 2026
[This document comes from an oral manuscript.]
Our God, we ask that you take the Word and transform it into a living and breathing reality we can all together experience by...