Richmond's First Baptist Church

Jim Somerville: "Many people think that if you love God everything will work out 'good,' but you and I both know people who love God dearly, and yet have suffered terrible tragedy. I think that in the midst of tragedy those who love God can see that he is working on their behalf, that he is reaching down into the muck and mire of that situation in an effort to bring something good out of it. And that's what God does here..."

Jim Somerville: "In his earthly, ministry Jesus was a blessing wherever he went, and as a result crowds of people followed him. They couldn't get enough of him. And yet those of us who call ourselves by his name -- Christians, "little Christs" -- rarely get that same reception..."

Lynn Turner: "I just returned from a week with my twenty-seven closest relatives. We spent some time reminiscing about past family vacations. We laughed a lot. But that is not always the case when you begin remembering family times, is it? It's in our families that most often we can recall our most deeply wounded times. Those times when we have been hurt by those we love the most…"

Jim Somerville: "[This] a lesson to all of us about God's will and our will. There are times when God may want very much for us to do a certain thing, but we are still free to say no. That's the way God made us, and even though he would want us to obey, he wouldn't have it any other way..."

Robert Thompson: "Today we look at a story about a father and a son. It takes us from grief to joy, and from sorrow to hope. It's one of the most powerful, profound, and perhaps scary stories in the Bible..."

In this week's "Talkback", topics include the deaf mission, declining church attendance, small groups, and 'Is Jesus the only way to God?'.

Jim Somerville: "Even when we close our eyes so we won't have to see the suffering of the world, God sees. And even when we stop up our ears so we won't have to hear its cries, God hears..."

Dr. Jim Somerville's "Talkback" from Sunday, June 18, 2017. In this visit with the Seekers class, discussions Sin with a capital "S", what to do about millennials who don't come to church, the authority of Scripture, and how to perform the funeral of the town drunk.

Jim Somerville: "Father Abraham is our spiritual ancestor. [His] kind of hospitality is in our DNA. It makes me wonder how many miracles would happen if we would simply do what Abraham did and show kindness to strangers..."

Jim Somerville: "It makes a huge difference in the way you think about God to think that Jesus died to magnify his love rather than satisfy his wrath. And that's why the Doctrine of the Trinity is so important..."