Jesus is universally respected. Even the followers of Islam claim him as a prophet. And millions who have no use for the church still like Jesus. But the question remains, “Was Jesus right?” “Did he know what he was talking about?”

Most folks probably don’t know how to make a device to safely filter water, but La Marque’s Family Unity Baptist Church is holding an enrichment seminar and workshop which can fix that. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 1221 Cedar Drive.

League City’s Anchor Point ministries began as the local crisis pregnancy center some eight years ago. Since then, it has expanded to include a private school and many other efforts. Its annual fundraising gala is coming up, so Our Faith revisited with Debbie Simmons, its CEO.

Everyone has felt rejection. For many, it is first encountered on the playground. Children choosing their friends or choosing teams until one remains, unchosen, unwanted, rejected. We discover life can be like musical chairs. When the music stops — there is no place to sit. All the included …

Galveston’s First Lutheran Church will again sponsor the FeedGalveston event from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 22 at The Lyceum, 2415 Winnie St.

Editor’s note: This week concludes our overview and update on what’s new at faith-based schools. A number of local church schools were impacted by Hurricane Harvey, so we wanted to revisit all the schools on record. If you know of one that includes elementary school (not those offering just …

The NASA Lighthouse Aglow will present its theatrical presentation “Oh to Have it All” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 13 at Webster’s Praise Chapel, 18516 state Highway 3.

Laughter is not taught. It is a part of us from birth. Within a few months, long before they can talk, babies laugh. It is contagious. Adults join in, doubled over with the laughter and joy of a giggling baby. The laughter of children on a playground is a balm to the soul.

Editor’s note: This is the second of three columns on our post-Hurricane Harvey update series on faith-based schools in Galveston County.

Among the many Hurricane Harvey anniversary events offered this week, this one may be a bit unique. On the lawn of Dickinson’s First Presbyterian Church, a healing service and communion will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday at 215 FM 517 E.

Like most Americans, I have been reflecting on the life and legacy of John McCain since his death on Aug. 25. I have always admired the senator, especially for his courage and heroism as a Vietnam prisoner of war.

The first general education schools to open back in the 17th Century American colonies would now be classed as faith-based schools. And our first colleges were focused on training ministers. A century or so later, schooling became a mostly secular matter, but there’s still a strong set of re…

I have a habit of browsing the news. It is perhaps an addiction or obsession. I don’t seem to be able to stop. I prefer written news articles, some in print, most online. Television newscasts move too slowly, too many commercials, and they tend to skim the surface. Written news is usually mo…

Theology doesn’t carry the respect it used to. For instance, the late science-fiction author, agnostic Robert Heinlein, ventured this very harsh assessment on the topic: “Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians ca…

Byron Fulk, has been by turns, a school teacher, summer missionary, seminarian, attorney and pastor. He’s also known, along with his wife, Carol, as the long-time leader of the Friendswood Prayer Breakfast.

Over the years our family has included both cats and dogs that helped us raise our children. They became our companions. Our cats seemed willing to allow us the privilege of living with them. Our dogs seemed grateful for the privilege of living with us. They taught us the difference between …

In the next few weeks, a wave of 17 and 18 year olds will enroll at our colleges and universities as freshmen. They have grown up in a post 9/11 world, too young to remember the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. They were mere infants, or yet to be born when that fateful…

Three small children have their noses pressed up against the glass door of Friendswood’s Red Oak Cafe on FM 518 W. The eatery closed hours ago. The grill is cold, the tables all pushed to the sides of the central space and dozens of salt shakers have been formed into a neat line atop a brick…

The women of Greater Mount Gilead Missionary Baptist Church will honor its pastor’s wife, Lynn Dwyer, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 3506 Ave. N1/2 in Galveston. Connie Sanders will be the guest speaker. And the church will in turn, celebrate the Rev. Michael W. Dwyer, Sr., its pastor on…

Our Faith has an ongoing, dual-tradition: we welcome new clergy and offer departing ones an opportunity to look back on their ministry in our community.

Fifty-five years ago this month on Aug. 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. took his place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and addressed a crowd of 250,000 people. His name is permanently linked with the civil rights movement. Boulevards, schools and institutions are named for him. But Mar…

A story in Christianity Today Magazine last week offered this worrisome headline: “Study: U.S. churches exclude children with autism, ADD/ADHD” The research, published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, suggests American congregations have not been receptive to this growing seg…

You’ve seen listings for free food and clothing giveaways as well as other services from the Rev. Edward Lawson of Galveston’s Gulf Coast Homeless Coalition. The group is still offering distributions on most weeks, but Lawson has also put out a funding appeal to the public.

I typically don’t think much about sleep. But when you fly through seven or more time zones in a single day, you think about it. When everyone else is getting up, your body is begging to go to bed. When everyone else is settling down for a good night’s sleep, your body is wide awake and look…

We recently visited the house where we lived 42 years ago. There were no trees then, only 6-foot saplings recently planted on what had been flat farmland. Those saplings have grown into mighty oak and maple trees. Their limbs stretch from curb to curb forming shaded arbors. They have transfo…

Keith, Karla, Kemuel, Keturah, Kenan, Kilion, Keziah, Kishon, Kelaiah, Koa, Kaleb, Kamron, Kendra and Kyla White. This family of 14 has created a little legacy in Galveston.

Many larger churches now offer so many amenities that it can be hard to completely catalog them all. Gym and fitness equipment, group cruises, in-house classic coffee bars and much more can be enjoyed weekly. But few congregations offer psychological counseling or even comprehensive referral…

League City’s Anchor Point will present a free comedy event for families at 7 p.m. Aug. 3 at Bay Harbour United Methodist Church, 3459 FM 518 E.

One of the more well-known stories in the New Testament is the parable of the good Samaritan. It tells of a selfless traveler who came alongside to assist a victim who had been battered by bandits. The hero sees to the rescue and recovery of his suffering fellow traveler. Jesus tells the tal…

For the last two weeks, the World Cup has been upstaged by a 12 member boy’s soccer team trapped along with their coach in a cave in Thailand. The situation was desperate. A 2.5 mile labyrinth largely submerged under flood waters separated them from freedom. It looked hopeless.

Texas City’s Hopewell Baptist Church is bringing in talented speakers for its Youth Revival which will run at 7 p.m. nightly July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 at 316 S. Pine Road.

Many faith-based films share the fate of art house movies. They are often enthusiastically embraced by their target audiences, but generally not classed as box office hits. This trend has led large Hollywood studios like Fox and Disney to create specialty labels just for these niche-market p…

A gala reception for HERStory quilts will begin at 7 p.m. July 12 at the Webster Presbyterian Church, 201 W. Nasa Parkway. Later, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 13-14, there will be workshops where average and experienced quilters can learn how to create intricate designs such as those featured …

Left to myself, I will sit around and vegetate. I know that other people don’t do this, but I do. When I look across the room at my dog who follows me from room to room and is happy to be wherever I am, I know that he needs to walk. So, I get up, put on my shoes, find his leash and off we go…

If we could turn back the calendar to that first Fourth of July, how would church be different? Although the Bible speaks of the “faith once delivered,” churches and cultures do change. We asked American history experts to weigh in.

Clear Lake’s Congregation Shaar Hashalom will hold its annual 150 family garage sales from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 15 at 16020 El Camino Real, Houston.

I always liked Stephen Hawking. I admired his brilliance and the courage he demonstrated in his fight with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. In March, Hawking died at 76. A couple weeks ago, June 15, his ashes were buried in Westminster Abbey between the graves of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton.

Texas City’s First Baptist Church M25 Outreach Services will offer help to the community at 11 a.m. Saturday at 2120 36th St. North.

The America I grew up in was seen as the shining light on a hill. We took pride in the inscription on the Statue of Liberty. Instead of decimating our enemies after World War II, we helped them rebuild. Germany and Japan embraced freedom and prosperity and became two of our strongest allies.

A casual search of the Bible reveals the word prison shows up almost 80 times. Many of these citations are not personally applicable, such as the suggestion in the Book of Acts 22:4, that Saul put more believers in prison than anyone else before he became St. Paul. Still, some of the remaini…

There was a day when we felt we could trust those who spoke to us, the Presidents who led us and the journalists who interpreted the news. We believed Washington “could not tell a lie.” Lincoln was known for his honesty. We always knew we could trust Walter Cronkite, whether he was reporting…

Not long after Hurricane Harvey’s waters receded, the Rev. Leanna Brewer, a pastor from Burleson, drove around our island looking to deliver a load of diapers and food to someone in need. What she found was a large man standing just outside a building. In front of the man was a table. In fro…

Anchor Point’s Pathway to Hope Summer Family Camp will run June 25-29 at University Baptist Church at 16106 Middlebrook Drive in Houston this summer. This program has been developed for children from hard places such as foster care, adopted, trauma, abuse or neglect.