Kit Swartz

mercy ministry

You Give Them Something to Eat

November 04, 2025

There is much right criticism of our civil government, but this does not rob us of the opportunity and duty to meet the needs of our neighbors. Anyone who needs food, clothing or shelter should be able to go to any church that preaches the Gospel and teaches the Bible and get the help they need.

gambling

Problem Gambling

October 28, 2025

Recent reports of gross corruption in sports gambling provide an occasion to consider what problem gambling is and how to prevent and recover from it.

Hope

Hope for a Hopeless Nation

September 24, 2025

Thomas Jefferson said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

christian liberty

The Free Exercise of Religion

September 02, 2025

The beginning of the first amendment to the United States Constitution reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.  We will focus on the

comfort

Comfort in Unbearable Sorrow

July 22, 2025

There is comfort for those under the raging flood of unbearable sorrow.  This includes all those grieving lost loved ones in the recent floods in Texas, especially the families of the girls at Camp Mystic.

Addiction

Be Freed from Addiction!

June 24, 2025

Is addiction sin or sickness?  Do addicts need confrontation or compassion?

The Lord's Supper

Remember Jesus!

May 27, 2025

In every place and at every time but especially in the Lord’s Supper, remember Jesus.

debt

Forgive us our Debts

April 22, 2025

While some forms and conditions of employment can approximate slavery, an especially clear case of bondage in our current culture is debt slavery.

testimony to grace

Streams in the Desert

March 25, 2025

It is a profitable exercise to consider the many providences of God that He ordained to bring a person to faith in Christ.  This includes not only the proximate ones but also those that are more distant.  There are many long streams that supply the river of God’s saving grace into a person’s life.

Handel

Handel's Messiah

February 25, 2025

The author masterfully weaves together the stories of a number of people who made a significant contribution to the production of Handel’s Messiah.  He is skillful also in setting these stories in the broad historical context. The book is an engaging, informative and satisfying read.

Immigration

Immigration

January 28, 2025

Immigration continues to be a pressing matter in our country.  Problems are easily identified but solutions are hard to find.  It seems timely to reconsider basic principles as we seek wisdom to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.

gospel

In the Bleak Midwinter

December 22, 2024

In the Bleak Midwinter is a Christmas carol that deserves more attention than it gets.

thanksgiving

Abundant Thanksgiving

November 26, 2024

Thanksgiving is a frustrating time of year for gardeners.  The vegetables are long gone except for some root crops that can endure early frosts.  Kale, of course, is so nasty that the frost

associate pastors

Bits & Pieces 1

October 22, 2024

Thoughts on Associate Pastors The pattern of pairs in pastoral ministry sets a model for this.  Sometimes the pairing is mentor and intern (e.g., Moses & Joshua, Paul & Timothy) but also

abortion

Reproductive Bondage

September 24, 2024

I am seeking to expose the gross brutality of those who clothe this abomination in politically seductive terms. This is an effort to be serpent wise and dove innocent.  It is challenging to do both.

ten commandments

The Big Difficult: Louisiana & The Ten Commandments

August 27, 2024

First, and most important: the foundational element of the ten commandments is almost always missing from public discourse and display.  This most important element is the preface.

Visible Church

Body Parts

July 23, 2024

In polls with a political purpose, it is astounding to hear the significant number of people who claim to be Christians who also said they hadn’t been to church in years or even decades.  Is being a vital part of a church’s life and ministry necessary or even important for a Christian?

The Amen

Say "The Amen"!

June 25, 2024

The Amen is a biblically warranted element of public worship.  It is to be vocalized by the congregation together, in response to the things heard from another, at the direction of the one leading and to the praise of God.

unbroken

Not Unbroken

June 04, 2024

“Unbroken” is a powerful movie about the amazing fortitude of the human spirit under vicious and relentless abuse. The book by the same title continues where the movie ends, recounting the struggles Mr. Zamperini had when the war ended and he returned to his home in California.

Memorial Day

Remember

May 28, 2024

What does it mean to “remember”?  It is more than a mere thought or even a lengthy meditation.  Remembering is a purposeful bringing to mind in order to take relevant action.

love neighbor

A Good Neighbor

May 07, 2024

Christians are not just another special interest group that makes demands of our community and culture.  We are here to serve, not be served.  And we serve by being good neighbors. As a good neighbor, we must be there.

pastoral ministry

An Apology for Retirement

April 30, 2024

These things are not universal truths.  They are merely the testimony of my experience and of limited and particular application.  If it fits, wear it.  If not, don’t.

pharoah

Fearing Pharoah

March 26, 2024

The hardening of Pharoah’s heart, by himself and by the Lord, is often thought of as a moral dilemma.

Marriage

Divorce

March 05, 2024

Our concern for our churches and communities should not focus on just one departure from the original splendor.  It is in the whole that beauty is perfected.  Still, the beauty of marriage requires our particular attention in these times.

God's Love

When Will I Be Loved?

February 27, 2024

Everyone wants to be loved.  This is an important truth for every community because, if someone is not loved, they find it difficult to love.  You can’t give what you’ve never received.  Just as surely as most abusers have been abused, so also those who love have been loved.