Lesson Recap
SLOW DOWN, LOOK BACK — AND LIVE FREE
Our Galatians Summer Review
Galatians 5:22–23 • Foundations Class Interactive • Sunday, August 23
Last Sunday, August 23, Foundations took time to slow down and look back over our nine-lesson summer journey through Galatians, Freedom in Christ.
There was even a little fun in how we began. The previous week, Pastor Gregg had reached back into the vocabulary of our generation and used the word “groovy.” So what better background for a slideshow on the Fruit of the Spirit than Simon & Garfunkel’s “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”?
Beyond the nostalgia, its reminder to slow down fit the morning perfectly. We stopped to consider Galatians 5:22–23—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—and asked: Where can I look back and recognize that the Holy Spirit has genuinely changed me?
The answers shared around the room became testimonies of God’s work—faithfulness through difficult circumstances, greater patience and kindness, praying for others, passing faith to the next generation, and responding with self-control.
Then a special Galatians Summer Series review video brought back key teaching points from each of our teachers. Different voices and passages pointed us toward one consistent truth.
Jesus Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Galatians Summer Series
The gospel is Christ—not Christ plus something else. We don’t work for God’s acceptance; because of Christ, we live from His acceptance. And our freedom in Christ is freedom to walk by the Spirit.
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The Application
Stand firm in Christ’s freedom. Walk by the Spirit. Look for His fruit in your life. Carry one another’s burdens. And let the cross—not our accomplishments—be our boast.
Slow down and look back at what God has done. Look within and recognize where His Spirit is working. Then look ahead—and keep walking with Him.
And maybe it’s still okay to call that groovy.
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Before You Go
Test Yourself
Forty-five flashcards covering all nine lessons. Click a card to flip it, then work your way through at your own pace—a simple way to keep this summer’s study close at hand.
This Sunday • Guest Teacher
INVITED INSIDE
Guest Teacher Gary Pate on Why I Don’t See God at Work Doing the Miraculous
Luke 8:51 • Gary Pate • Sunday, August 30
This Sunday, August 30, Foundations welcomes guest teacher Gary Pate for a special lesson: Invited Inside: Why I Don’t See God at Work Doing the Miraculous.
The text is a single verse. In Luke 8:51, Jesus arrives at the house of Jairus, whose daughter has just died—and He does something easy to read right past. He does not let everyone come in with Him. Only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s mother and father go through that door. Everyone else stays outside.
A crowd had followed Jesus all the way there. But only a few were inside the room when the miracle happened.
And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child.
Luke 8:51
That detail raises a question worth sitting with. If you have ever wondered why you hear about God working powerfully in other lives and not so plainly in your own, this lesson is aimed squarely at you. Gary will walk us through what set those few apart, and what it looks like to be the kind of person Jesus brings inside.
Bring a friend. This is a good week to invite someone who has been meaning to visit—a single-verse lesson with a guest teacher is an easy Sunday to walk into for the first time.
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Join Us
Sunday, August 30
Gathering at 10:30 AM • Teaching at 11:00 AM
Rehearsal Hall • Houston’s First Baptist Church, Loop Campus
Pastor's Message
Moving with God Together: Blessed
Numbers 6:22–27 • Pastor Gregg • August 23, 2026
Israel is packing for the wilderness. Pastor Gregg started with a backpack — water bottle, map, first aid kit, Astros hat — then made the point that the one thing they needed most could not be bought at Academy. What they needed was the blessing and favor of God. Moses said it plainly in Exodus 33:14: if your presence does not go with us, do not send us from this place.
The Priestly Blessing holds five gifts. Protection — being kept by God in the middle of difficulty, not spared from it. Presence — the sunshine smile of God turned toward you, not a scowl. Favor — grace that comes before a single step is taken, because it is easier to have the approval of God than the approval of man. Peace — shalom, the presence of Christ in the crisis. And identity — verse 27, the forgotten verse, where God writes His own name over His people.
Peace is not the absence of crisis. It is the presence of Christ.
Pastor Gregg
Two moments landed hard. The Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls, uncovered outside Jerusalem in 1979, carry this exact blessing on a scroll dating to the 600s B.C. — roughly four centuries older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Nobody made this up. And on the softball field, his daughter reached first base and immediately looked to third for her father's eyes: Is that good, Dad? Children should leave home from approval, not for approval. So should we.
Pray the blessing out loud this week — over your spouse, your children, your parents, yourself. Put the fridge magnet where you will actually see it. Then pick up a few of the blessing cards in the lobby and hand them to someone who needs one. The point is not to say I am so blessed. The point is to be a blessing.
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From Our Friends
A NOTE FROM RICHARD AND TRISH
Open the card to read it in their own hand
A card arrived this week from Richard and Trish, thanking the class for the prayers, calls, texts, cards, and meals that have surrounded them through a difficult season. They write that those prayers have been a lifeline.
We’ve scanned all four panels so you can read it the way they wrote it. Tap the card below to open it, then move through the panels—the full note is there, along with the verse they chose to close it, Second Corinthians 9:8.
Answered prayer. Richard and Trish are back and doing well!
Men on a Mission
On the Trail Again: BBQ Trail Ride Recap
Old Hickory Inn • Trail Boss Richard Battle • Thursday, August 27, 2026
Trail Boss Richard Battle pointed the men toward Old Hickory Inn, and they answered the call. Good smoke, full plates, and the kind of conversation that only happens around a table.
Watch the recap above, then watch this space — the next stop on the trail is coming. If you have been meaning to ride along, this is your invitation.
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Coming This Fall
Faith Beyond Sight: A New Series Begins This Fall
Hebrews 11 • Foundations Class • Beginning Sunday, September 13
Galatians has carried us through the summer. This fall we turn to one of the most remarkable chapters in all of Scripture. Beginning Sunday, September 13, the Foundations Class opens a new series: Faith Beyond Sight: Lessons from Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11 is often called the Hall of Faith, and for good reason. It is a roll call of ordinary people who trusted God for things they could not yet see. Noah built a boat on dry ground. Israel walked between walls of water. Daniel spent a night among lions and came out to tell it. Jericho fell without a siege. Samson found his strength again at the end. None of them had the whole picture. All of them moved anyway.
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
That is the thread we will follow week by week. These are not legends kept behind glass. They are witnesses, and the chapter ends by pointing straight at us — their stories were written down so that ours could be lived out. Faith is not just seen. It is lived.
We meet Sundays at 10:45 in the Choir Rehearsal Hall, second floor of the Loop Campus, up the wide staircase from the foyer. Come as you are and bring a friend. There is a place for you here.
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Foundations Fellowship • Save the Date
We Love Our Sundays — But Have You Tried Our Sundaes?
The sundae truck is rolling back around — Friday, September 11!
Every Sunday, the Foundations Class gathers around something sweet — God's Word and great friends. But on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 PM, we're gathering around the other kind of sundae. Back by popular demand, our How Sweet It Is dessert fellowship returns, hosted by the Butchers!
Here's the plan — and it starts before dessert is served. Plan a dinner meet-up first! Gather a small group and head out for dinner together earlier that evening. Invite a class member you've been wanting to know better. Invite a guest or a friend — from church or beyond — who could use some fellowship. This is a wonderful opportunity to open a seat at the table and make room for new and growing Christian friendships.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”
— Proverbs 25:11 (ESV)
Sometimes the sweetest word fitly spoken is simply, “Come join us for dinner.” Who will you invite?
Then, after your dinner meet-ups, everyone comes together at the Butchers' at 7:30 PM for a sweet after-dinner fellowship — sundaes, floats, toppings galore, and laughter in every room. If you were there last time, you already know. And if you missed it, here's your second scoop!
How Sweet It Is — Dessert Fellowship
Friday, September 11 • 7:30 PM
Hosted by the Butchers • Plan your dinner meet-up first!
Address and details on GroupMe
Our friendships aren't just for Sunday mornings. Start planning your dinner group now — because dessert is always better shared with friends.
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Midweek · Every Wednesday
The Midweek Refreshment of Shared Prayer
Join our community as we pause together for the Sweet Hour of Prayer every Wednesday at noon. Please send your prayer requests to Karen at 713-204-8384 by Tuesday so they may be included.
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Giving Opportunity · Family Camp
A Seat at the Campfire — Reserved by You
Every year, Family Camp gives single-parent and blended families at Houston’s First something the calendar rarely allows: a weekend to exhale. Three days to step away from the daily grind, strengthen relationships, grow in faith, and discover they are not walking their road alone.
Last year, nearly 50 families gathered around the theme Endure. They heard Philip and Elizabeth Varjas share how God carried them through hardship — and you could feel the room lean in. Kids tackled the ropes course, went fishing, and braved the putt-putt. Parents finally rested over an ice cream social. By Sunday morning, families who had arrived worn down left with renewed joy, new friendships, and one anchoring truth: God’s Word endures forever (Isaiah 40:8) — and through Christ, so can we.
This year, several families would love to come but can’t cover the cost. And here’s the part worth sitting with:
A scholarship of just $50–75 per person is often the only thing standing between a struggling family and a weekend that could change their year.
That’s the whole gap. We can close it.
Would our class sponsor one or more campers? Every gift — any amount — removes a financial barrier and hands a family a weekend they’ll carry home in their hearts. Your generosity can have an eternal impact.
Read last year’s Family Camp recap →
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Ministry · Encore Activities
Connecting Through Encore Activities
For Encore information click here →
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Stay Connected · GroupMe
You’re in Control — Join or Step Back Anytime
We’ve created a Foundations Class GroupMe message center as a convenient, real-time way to share prayer requests, announcements, and encouraging messages. Join or leave anytime — no pressure. Mute notifications if you prefer silence, or jump into the conversation when something grabs your heart.
Sign up here: https://3zs8.short.gy/FoundationsGM →
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