Old New Hope Baptist Church

Old New Hope Baptist Church A faith family seeking to connect with God, each other and our community, sharing Jesus as we go.

03/18/2026

Well, so far this week, I haven’t pondered on anything. Nothing. Nada. The end. Just joking. I have actually been pondering on a lot of things, but I only have so much room to type, so here goes. We humans like to talk. A lot. If you type a post about any subject, as long as you keep it short, you will receive a boatload of comments, some of which will agree with you, while others will disagree. You don’t have time to add context, because people generally won’t read long posts. So, what you end up with is a bunch of people who have never met each other arguing over mostly out-of-context statements on both sides of an issue, and nothing is accomplished, except a never-ending argument, which makes the social media platforms happy because they are getting a ton of clicks. It’s not just on social media, either. If you go inside nearly any fast-food restaurant when it is busy, you'll find most of the folks talking, and the noise level is usually at a low roar. I’ll type it again. We humans like to talk. A lot. I too am human, and I too like to talk. Let’s go a little deeper. What are we humans talking about? We talk about anything and everything. The weather, March Madness, the stock market, and politics, just to name a few. The subject matter is endless, and so is the conversation. Let’s go down one more level. As Christ followers, what are we talking about? If you are like me, we are talking about the same thing non-Christians are talking about. I read a bible verse this morning that made me stop and ponder.” Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done” Psalms 105:1 NLT. What if I spent a lot less time commenting on vague Facebook posts and carrying on meaningless conversations, and a lot more time talking to others about how great God is and how much He has done for me? What if you did the same thing? One more time, we humans like to talk. A lot. Let’s talk a lot about God, and we will see the quality of our conversations improve. Who knows? We might even be able to lead someone to Jesus. Be blessed and then go be a blessing.

03/10/2026

Marie and I are watching a mystery series on the Hallmark channel called Darrow and Darrow. It’s about a mother-daughter attorney practice that solves the ‘case of the week.” It’s a good series for several reasons, good acting and good writing are at the top of the list. But what is interesting about this series is the character development. The mother, played by the redoubtable Wendy Malick, was once a lawyer for a large, prestigious New York City law firm. However, she was falsely accused of illegal activities and fired. She wasn’t prosecuted, but she was blackballed to the point that no law firm in the city would hire her, so broke and homeless, she went back to where her daughter is running the small law firm started by her late father. Mother and daughter have a tense relationship to say the least, but as the series progresses (there are four movies in this series and Marie and I have watched three), they begin to see past their differences and appreciate each other's good qualities. In the first episode, Mom obsesses over what happened in New York and hopes to get her revenge on those who wronged her. By the third episode, she finds herself warming up to small-town life, and with the help of her unexpected fellow (they are Hallmark movies after all), she begins to obsess less about getting even with those who falsely accused her and more about embracing her present situation and bonding with those around her. I didn’t write all this to be a movie review. I wrote it to give an example that most of us can relate to. When you are wronged, don’t you usually have thoughts of retaliation? Wouldn’t you just love the opportunity to be in a situation where you had all of the control and held their fate in the palm of your hand? What if there is a better way? Paul reminds us, “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good, Romans 12:21 NLT. What does Paul mean when he tells us not to let evil conquer us? Bitterness and resentment are like cancer to the human soul and mind. They eat away at your peace, your joy, and your contentment, often getting to the point that who and what you are bitter about and resentful of occupy your thoughts continuously. Paul tells us that, as Christ followers, it is more profitable to do good to those who wrong us rather than to pay them back with evil. When you do good to someone who has treated you badly, you mess with their minds. They are expecting revenge. Instead, they receive kindness, and when they do, they don’t know what to do with it. Returning evil with kindness is good for you, too. You have the satisfaction of knowing you did the right thing and honored Christ through your actions. While punching your nemesis in the nose might feel better in the moment, the long-term satisfaction of returning good for evil will always be sweeter in the end. Be blessed and then go be a blessing. Bro. Andy

02/25/2026

"O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."

02/25/2026

At Old New Hope, we are going through a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. So far, we have studied the first two, and Lord willing, will cover number three this coming Sunday. All three of these commands deal with Israel’s relationship with God. Command number one tells us who God is. Don’t worship any gods but me. Number two tells us how to worship God. Don’t make any visual representations of me. Number three reveals God’s holiness. Don’t take the name of God in vain. All three of these commands (and they are commands, not suggestions) remind us that God is a holy God and we are unholy people. But do you know what I have been pondering as I prepare these sermons from the Decalogue (That’s preacher talk for the Ten Commandments. I’ve always wanted to use that word)? I’ve been pondering the fact that it is amazing that this Holy God wants anything to do with a bunch of ungrateful, complaining, whining brats like Israel. Repeatedly, as God gives His law on Mt. Sinai, He says, I am YOUR God, and you are MY people. As badly as Israel treated God, God still loved them and made a way for Israel to fellowship with Him and for Israel to be His chosen people. As I was pondering that fact, I was reminded that I am just as much an ungrateful, complaining, whining brat as Israel was, and He made a way for me to come to Him, too. He is MY God, despite my failures and shortcomings. He even takes my failures and shortcomings and covers them with the blood of Jesus, and He covers me with the righteousness of Jesus, so that, because of the righteousness of Jesus, He considers me a saint! I’m not making this stuff up as I type. Here’s a question for you. How many times does Paul call his readers saints in the New Testament? I’ll get you started. Paul refers to his readers as "saints" (meaning "set apart" or "holy ones") approximately 40 to 50 times in his letters. He uses this term to address all believers in churches, as in Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1, and Philippians 1:1. If you are a Christ follower, you are a saint, too, despite your failures and shortcomings. What an amazing God we serve. I think I will join Isaiah as he says, “O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, " Isaiah 25:1. In fact, when we think of all the wonderful things God has done for us, that should help us to eliminate our ungrateful, complaining, whining, brat-like nature and replace those character flaws with gratitude and praise. Now, quit whining, praise God, be blessed, and then go be a blessing. Bro. Andy
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02/08/2026

I hope to see you tomorrow at Old New Hope. Worship and Praise starts at 11 AM. Church on Sunday is a Saturday decision!

02/04/2026

Due to below-freezing temperatures and icy driveways and sidewalks, Bible Study at Old New Hope has been cancelled for tonight, Wednesday, February 4. Lord willing, we will be back to our normal schedule this coming Sunday Morning.

01/31/2026

Old New Hope Baptist Church won't have service tomorrow, Sunday, February 1, 2026. The parking lot is still icy. As long as the electricity stays on, I plan to have a Facebook message tomorrow at 11 am.

01/29/2026

What a week! Snow, ice, really cold weather, ice, no power. ice, throwing away spoiled refrigerator food, ice, sleeping under forty-eleven blankets, ice, staying with a neighbor for a couple of days, and oh, did I mention the ice? Snow is one thing, but all that ice gets really old, really fast. For those of you old enough to remember, we had a similar ice storm in 1994. By the way, 1994 was 32 years ago…sigh. While we all faced a lot of inconvenience the past week or so, I also saw a lot of things that warmed my heart. I saw neighbors helping neighbors. I saw people checking up on each other. Marie and I spent a couple of days with Mrs. Evelyn’s brother, Johnny, who also invited Evelyn’s son, Don, to stay at his house, too, because, like us, Don’s power was out as well. Johnny must be living right because his power came back on a couple of days before ours did. As I write this on Thursday, January 29, my mom still doesn’t have power at her house, but thankfully, my sister does, so my mom is staying with her and my brother-in-law. A few of our church members still don’t have power restored, but they all either have a generator or are staying with friends or relatives, so, as far as I know, everybody is thankfully safe and warm. I learned a few lessons during this adventure. First, I realized I take some things for granted. Things like flipping a little switch and instantly having light, or being able to get in my truck and drive where I want to, when I want to. Being able to heat my food is a blessing I often take for granted, although that cold baloney sammich was mighty fine. This ice storm also reminded me that it’s ok to ask for help. Most of us, especially most of us men, are taught to be self-sufficient, pull up our boot straps and fix whatever needs fixing, but sometimes, we just can’t, and it’s ok to ask others to help us. On the flip side of that equation, just like we all need help sometimes, we also all have opportunities to help others. God blesses us not so we can store up those blessings, but so we can bless others. The long-range weather forecast calls for pretty cold temperatures for the foreseeable future, so bundle up, stay safe, count your blessings, ask for help when you need it, and look for ways to help others. Be blessed and then go be a blessing.

01/28/2026

Due to icy roads and frigid temperatures, we won't be having Wednesday evening service at Old New Hope. Y'all stay safe.

01/24/2026

Due to icy roads and cold temperatures, Old New Hope Baptist Church won't have service tomorrow, 1/25/26. I plan to have a devotional on this page tomorrow at 11 AM, Lord and electricity willing. Y'all stay safe and warm. Marie and I love all y'all, and if you need anything, please reach out.

12/11/2025

There are a lot of things in the Bible that, on the surface, are hard to believe. A worldwide flood, all those plagues, the parting of the Red Sea so people could walk through it, marching around the edges of a major, fortified city, and then blowing a trumpet, shouting, and then seeing the walls of that city fall down. Really? A talking donkey, no rain for three and a half years, three guys thrown into a fiery furnace, and not only are they not burned up, but they don’t even smell like smoke. Then there is the virgin birth of the Messiah, a man executed on a Roman cross whose blood paid for the sins of the world. Then, three days after being buried in a borrowed tomb, this same man walked out of that tomb, alive and well. Then, forty days later, that same man ascended back to heaven, where He came from, and is waiting for the appointed time to return to earth in order to consummate the coming Kingdom fully. Isn’t that an awful lot to swallow? God expects us to believe all these things and just take His word for it? Well, actually, yes, He does. It’s called living by faith. Faith is confidence in something you can’t see. When I went out to warm up Marie’s car this morning, I had faith the car would start. When I sat down in my computer chair this morning to type this, I had faith the chair would hold my weight and support me. We accept a lot of things in our lives by faith, many of which we don’t even stop to think about. Can I let you in on something? The lynch pin that holds the entire Bible together is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Of all the unbelievable things in the Bible, the most important is the resurrection of Jesus. It is also the one with the most evidence to support it. Over 6oo witnesses, many of whom were executed because of their witness, saw Jesus in the forty days Jesus lived on earth after His resurrection. Why is the resurrection the most important thing in the Bible? Because if the resurrection is true, all the rest of it is true too. If the resurrection is just a made-up story, all the rest doesn’t matter. Paul gives a good explanation of this in 1 Corinthians 15. So, while you put up your Christmas decorations, wrap your presents, and go to your Christmas parties, take the time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Born of a virgin, sinless and spotless. Aren’t you glad we worship a God who isn’t limited by space, time, and matter? Our God can do anything, including save us. You just gotta have faith. Be blessed and then go be a blessing

12/04/2025

You may or may not have heard the story about an eighty-year-old man who was out in the middle of the lake fishing when a frog jumped into his boat. The frog told the man, “If you will kiss me, I’ll turn into a young, beautiful princess, marry you, and we can live happily ever after.” The man picked up the frog and put it in the pocket of his overalls. The frog asked, “Didn’t you hear me about kissing me and turning me into a young, beautiful princess?” The man replied, “I did hear you, but at my age I’d rather have a talking frog.” Let me ask you a question. How would you like to have a genie to carry around with you and grant all your wishes, or get you out of trouble whenever something bad happens? For an awful lot of Christians, that is the way we treat God. We carry around the ability to pray in our pocket, using it when we want something or when we get ourselves into a fix we can’t get out of. A perfect example of this is the way in which many treat God during the Advent season. We see nativity scenes placed right next to Rudolph and Santa. God is in our minds, somewhere deep down, but unless things are headed south in our lives, God is mostly an afterthought. Even the main Christian radio station, which is playing Christmas songs 24/7 right now, plays three songs about White Christmas and Winter Wonderland, to one song about the real reason for the season. While my little survey is hardly scientific (I counted one day on our way to Clarksville to celebrate Leandra’s birthday), it does show that even among Christians, it’s awfully easy to let God slip to the back of our thoughts, even at Christmas time. Here is a verse that might help us. “The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth” Psalms 145:18 NLT. The first phrase of this sentence is pretty straightforward, but then God adds a caveat. God isn’t necessarily close to all who call on Him. He is close to all who call on Him ”in truth”. That little prepositional phrase tells us God isn’t interested in being a genie in our pockets. He is interested in being close to those who call on Him with the right motive and for the right reasons. Here's a little reminder that is appropriate for Christians during the busiest time of the retail year. God isn’t like Santa. He isn’t interested in providing us with the latest handy-dandy do-ma-fling. On the other hand, He is very interested in drawing close to those who want to draw close to Him. May we all spend our days drawing close to God. Be blessed and then go be a blessing.

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7143 New Hope Road
Fairview, TN
37062

Opening Hours

Wednesday 6pm - 7pm
Sunday 11am - 6pm

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