The holidays bring comfort food, familiar songs, and a calendar full of connection—and they also invite us to remember why our hope matters. We kick off with table talk about non‑negotiable dishes (yes, derby pie and next‑day turkey sandwiches make the list) and trade stories of long childhood drives across Mississippi that shaped our sense of family and faith. Those simple memories set the stage for a December rich with community moments designed to gather, encourage, and point us to something deeper than nostalgia.

We map out the season with care: support for those grieving the loss of a spouse, children leading in morning worship, and a family caroling night with clear meet‑up options. The gingerbread house party returns with candy, conversation, and easy fellowship, and our annual Country Christmas blends hymns, spirituals, and a few festive favorites, plus a Biscuit Fellowship to start the evening right. At the heart of our calendar stands the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering—100% to international missions—with practical guidance on giving, from special envelopes to online designations and our March to the Manger moment. We also share key schedule updates: office closures, Sunday services on December 28, and Wednesday nights resuming January 7, so you can plan and bring friends.

Then we turn to the Midweek Moment and open the Bible together. Using Greg Gilbert’s “What Is the Gospel?” as a guide, we read 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 and walk through Romans 1–3 to see why God’s righteousness and our unrighteousness make the good news necessary and beautiful. Romans shows how we suppress the truth, how outward religion cannot save, and how all of us stand in need—so that grace in Christ shines brighter than any Christmas light. It’s a clear, compassionate exploration designed to strengthen your faith and give language for conversations with your family and neighbors.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review. Invite someone to Country Christmas, pray about a gift to Lottie Moon, and join us on Sunday at 9 or 10:30 a.m.—who could you bring with you this week?

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The season is here, and we’re mixing the joy of twinkle lights with the depth of Advent hope. We kick off with favorite decorations, early-Tree confessions, and warm nostalgia—from real football helmets to the family’s first VCR—before charting a December packed with meaning: Carols by Candlelight at regular service times, children singing in worship, a family caroling night at Golden, the always-lively gingerbread house party with registration by December 7, and a Country Christmas complete with a biscuit fellowship that showcases homemade jellies and neighborly pride.

Beneath the events, we turn to the heartbeat of the season: the gospel. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 1, we begin a monthlong series asking what the gospel is and why it shapes our daily lives, not just our holiday calendar. We start with God—one, holy, righteous, Creator, and final judge—whose character makes sense of both joy and grief. That’s why our church pairs celebration with care: grief support for surviving the holidays and a loss of a spouse gathering that offers space, community, and steady hope.

Along the way, we get practical: how to join the caroling at Golden, why the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering matters, and what to expect during the march to the manger. Traditions aren’t fluff when they point to the incarnation; they train our loves toward worship, generosity, and service. Come laugh about coconut-bomb movie memories, sing with the choir, and let Advent realign the heart around Christ’s good news.

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Adoration isn’t a holiday mood; it’s a habit that keeps the heart soft. We start with the familiar chorus “O come, let us adore Him” and trace its roots to Psalm 95, where the call to sing, shout, bow, and kneel offers a whole-life pattern of worship. Rather than treating “joyful noise” as a wink at tone-deaf singing, we dig into its ancient sense: a victory shout for the King who saves. That lens recasts praise as a response to God’s decisive work in Christ—the Rock of our salvation—so gratitude rises from more than circumstance; it rises from rescue.

From there, we move into the reasons that anchor worship. The Lord is not one god among many; He is the only true God, Creator and King, who holds mountains and seas—and us—in His hands. Then the psalm gets personal: He is our God, and we are the sheep of His pasture. That one small word our turns theology into relationship. Reverence becomes tangible through posture—worship, bow, kneel—as we enter the presence of the King with humility that trains our desires to yield.

The message also carries a necessary warning. We revisit Meribah and Massah, where Israel, just months after the Red Sea, asked, “Is the Lord among us or not?” We stand with the spies at the edge of promise, where unbelief cost a generation the rest God offered. The point isn’t to shame but to sober: hardened hearts miss blessings obedience would have received. And yet grace threads through the story; God sustained His people even in the wilderness. Our aim is to choose adoration today, guarding against forgetfulness and cynicism by returning, again and again, to praise rooted in salvation and the nearness of our Shepherd.

If your soul has been asking, “What has God done for me lately?” this conversation invites you to a better question: “How can I adore Him today?” Listen, share with a friend who needs courage, and consider leaving a review so others can find the show. Subscribe for more messages that blend Scripture, story, and practical faith.

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Grace can pull a fractured room back together. Walking through Acts 15, we unpack how the early church held the line on the gospel while inviting believers to lay down personal rights for the sake of peace, conscience, and a stronger family. James’ counsel is both ancient and fresh: salvation is by grace through faith, and family grace thrives when we abstain from what wounds, unify across differences, and communicate with care.

We start with the ache to belong that holidays can stir up, then move into the Jerusalem letter that affirmed Gentile believers without adding religious hurdles. One command lands as timeless—abstain from sexual immorality—while the others address practices tied to idols that deeply troubled Jewish believers. We explore why those boundaries weren’t about earning favor with God but about loving neighbors who carried scars from a history of idolatry. Along the way, we connect Paul’s wisdom in 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14: you might have the right, but love may ask you not to use it.

From there, we turn to intentionality. The apostles don’t rely on hearsay; they send trusted leaders and a clear letter to cut through confusion, strengthen hearts, and stop rumors at the root. We share practical steps for today’s church: speak plainly and kindly, seek reconciliation quickly, and keep our shared purpose front and center. The thread running through it all is witness. When we choose peace and mutual upbuilding over preference and pride, people see the grace we proclaim.

If this conversation helps you rethink how you hold convictions and care for community, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so others can find the message. What step toward peace will you take this week?

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A holiday season can feel like a sprint, but what if the secret is gratitude that slows the heart and sharpens our eyes? We start with familiar rhythms—Thanksgiving routes, the parade playing while breakfast sizzles, and the great debate over early Christmas lights. From C9 bulbs and Christmas villages to why nostalgia matters, we explore how simple traditions anchor families when life gets busy.

We then open the December calendar at DeSoto Hills. Carols by Candlelight returns at our regular service times, the TNT Christmas dinner needs advance tickets, and a compassionate Loss of a Spouse gathering offers space for grief during the holidays. Families can join caroling at the living home, and the gingerbread house party comes with a smart update: register and request the number of houses so every child gets a fair shot at frosting. We rally the church around missions with the Lottie Moon offering and aim for a clear goal of $15,000, with envelopes and online giving available all month. Country Christmas brings a biscuit fellowship at 4:30 and a 45-minute program at 5, packed with carols kids can shout and classics everyone knows, followed by a special Sunday with guest cello.

The heart of our time leans into a devotion on thankfulness. Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863—right in the middle of the Civil War. That bold choice reframes the holiday for us: gratitude isn’t a reward after peace arrives; it’s a practice inside the mess. Psalm 92 calls us to proclaim God’s love in the morning and His faithfulness at night, and we unpack how daily thankfulness nurtures joy, humility, peace, and trust in God’s leading. We offer simple ways to bring this posture to your table and your week, turning a crowded season into one marked by presence, praise, and hope.

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What if the fight over truth and salvation didn’t start with the Reformation but reached back to the first century? We walk into Acts 15 and watch the Jerusalem Council wrestle with a burning question: must Gentile believers take on the law of Moses to be saved, or is grace in Jesus Christ enough? The tension is real, the stakes are high, and the clarity we gain speaks directly to the modern church.

Peter breaks the silence by recalling God’s work in Cornelius’ house: the Holy Spirit fell on Gentiles without distinction, cleansing their hearts by faith. That testimony exposes the law as an unbearable yoke no one could carry and points to a better hope—salvation through the grace of the Lord Jesus. Paul and Barnabas add their field reports of signs and wonders among the nations, not to spotlight themselves but to confirm that the same gospel bears the same fruit everywhere. Then James anchors the decision in Scripture, quoting Amos 9 to show that God always planned to rebuild David’s fallen tent and gather a people for His name from every nation. The conclusion is simple and seismic: do not burden Gentile believers with what God has not required.

From there, we connect the dots to today. We still argue over authority—Scripture or opinion, tradition or preference—and we still slip into subtle legalism, trying to earn what Christ has already secured. This message invites you to lay down the yoke of earning, return to the authority of God’s Word, and rest in grace that cannot be improved by performance. Spiritual disciplines become joyful responses, not bargaining chips; church life becomes worship, not a checklist; and the cross stands as the final word on your standing with God.

If you’re hungry for clarity on grace, authority, and the freedom Christ gives, this conversation will steady your heart and strengthen your faith. Listen, share it with a friend who needs good news without fine print, and if it encouraged you, subscribe and leave a review so others can find it too.

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What does it really take to move a church from a living room to a lasting home? We sit down with Pastor Brian Hood of Community Point in Hernando to trace a story full of prayer walks, closed doors that became new paths, and a building that arrived by God’s timing. From the long haul of mobile church life at the library to the day volunteers ripped out carpet in minutes and cut windows to bring in light, this conversation shows the grit and grace behind church planting.

Brian shares why he chose to plant a healthy church without predefining its demographics, how partnerships with Longview Point and local congregations made the difference, and why their worship keeps families together—babies, teens, parents, and all. We explore the practical side of starting from scratch: forming a core team, discerning the right space, serving the neighborhood, and holding plans loosely. His four mission pillars—where we live, work, play, and worship—offer a simple roadmap for real community impact.

We also slow down for a human moment: table topics on favorite memories, the dream of Alaska’s quiet, and the underrated skill of listening instead of fixing. The episode closes with a brief devotion on Psalm 92:1, a call to make gratitude a daily practice that reframes frustration into faith. Whether you’re curious about church planting, leading a small group, or just need encouragement to keep going, this story will steady your steps and lift your eyes.

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What does real strength look like in a church? Not flash or noise, but people who return to hard places, open Scripture, and stand together through trials. We walk through Acts 14:21–28 as Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch—cities that once rejected them—and show how disciples are formed, not just counted.

We unpack a twofold challenge: be strengthened and strengthen others. That means moving beyond one-time decisions to steady discipleship marked by perseverance, fruit, and daily obedience. We talk candidly about tribulations—why Jesus promised them, how James reframes them as joy that produces steadfastness, and how Paul urges Timothy to share in suffering like a good soldier. You’ll hear why honest expectations build resilient faith and how hope in Christ’s victory steadies us when the path gets steep.

Leadership and community play vital roles. Paul and Barnabas appoint elders in every church and commit them to the Lord with prayer and fasting. We explore why godly shepherds and praying congregations make churches durable, how Scripture—not our opinions—does the true work of transformation, and why speaking the Word in every place finishes the mission. The journey ends back in Antioch, where the church hears all that God has done and celebrates an open door of faith to the Gentiles—a reminder that gospel fruit is God’s grace at work.

Join us for a grounded, practical guide to strengthening your walk and helping someone else grow. If the message helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs encouragement today, and leave a review to tell us what stood out most. Your story might spark someone else’s next step.

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A week early and a world away, we hit record to share why Dave is actually in Germany while you’re listening—and what a true vision trip looks like when mission work moves from idea to action. We open up about how partnerships start, why trust matters more than speed, and how an established team serving Ukrainian refugees can guide our church toward meaningful, sustainable impact. Along the way, you’ll hear the practical side of alignment: listening before leading, matching strategy with the Great Commission, and deciding when to send teams versus when to strengthen from afar.

The conversation shifts gears into everyday life—our podcast queues, the tension between curiosity and discernment, and how easy it is to snack on stories while starving for truth. That sets the stage for our midweek devotion in Mark 4. We sit with the parable of the sower and those striking lines about the “secret of the kingdom of God,” drawing out a simple but demanding pattern: those who seek, ask, and stay close to Jesus receive understanding. It’s not about ticking the quiet-time box; it’s about a hungry heart that goes straight to the source.

By the end, you’ll see the thread tying everything together: mission strategy and spiritual growth both begin with humility, patient listening, and a desire for wisdom that changes us. Whether we’re meeting pastors navigating postmodern Germany or praying over future steps in Africa, we want our yes to be faithful, our help to be useful, and our hope to be rooted in the gospel that breaks through hard ground.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. Tell us: where do you see a wide open door for the gospel right now?

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Follow Desoto Hills On Our Facebook Page:

Https://facebook.com/desotohillsbaptist

YouTube: @desotohillsbaptistchurch

Find out more information at:

https://www.DesotoHills.com