June 12, 2025

One of my favorite movies from my childhood is Matilda (1996). It’s the story of a little girl with extraordinary powers, but she is born into a family that, sadly, does not understand her. Her father is a crooked used-car salesman and Matilda questions the immorality of his business practices. At one point, he points his finger in his daughter’s face and says, “Listen you little wiseacre: I’m smart, you’re dumb. I’m big, you’re little. I’m right, you’re wrong. And there’s nothing you can do about it”

Sadly, that is how some people have experienced the Christian church. When some people experience doubts, questions, or struggles, some churches seem to respond with, “We’re right, you’re wrong.” I am thankful that Ardmore Baptist Church is a place that cultivates space for each of us to come with our questions.

A couple of months ago, our youth met for their annual Disciple Now weekend. Dane Martin and I co-preached and, during one of the services, the students were invited to reflect on the struggles, doubts, and questions they have about Christian faith. I told the students that I would preach a sermon series during the summer moving through some of the questions they submitted.

I am willing to bet that the questions these wonderful youth submitted are not relegated to our teenagers. These are deep, provoking questions about faith. I am not going to attempt to definitively answer any of these questions, but to simply offer some reflection thoughts on how God’s grace meets us in the midst of our asking:

• June 15 – Why Do We Pray? (Philippians 4:4-9)
• June 22 – Will I Ever Be Good Enough? – Rev. Dr. Gina Brock preaching
• June 29 – What Happens After We Die? (Revelation 21:1-8)
• July 6 – What’s the Deal with Baptism? (Colossians 2:6-19)
• July 13 – Road Trip: On the Go with God (Joshua 1:1-9); I’ll be preaching on the VBS Theme
• July 20 – Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? (John 11:1-16) – Nora Crouch preaching
• July 27 – How Do We Reconcile the Bible and Science? (Genesis 1:1-8)
• August 3 – What Do We Do When Relationships Become Broken? (Matthew 18:15-22)