Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ)

Equipped 2026: Ladies: "Lessons on Pride from the Tower of Babel" by Rebekah Colley

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 3:30 PM Session

This episode is a sermon-style exploration of Genesis 11 (the Tower of Babel) that traces the biblical problem of pride from creation through the flood and back into post-flood humanity. Rebekah defines pride biblically as "an attitude or action that elevates oneself above God," and unfolds six key lessons drawn from the Babel account: pride transgresses God’s commands, forgets its place in the world, hurts other people, makes us insecure, is sneaky, and must be stopped.

The episode weaves Scripture with personal stories and practical application. Passages referenced include Genesis 1, 9, 11; Micah 6:8; Proverbs; James 4; John 13 (Jesus washing the disciples’ feet); Romans and Colossians on humility and compassion; Philippians 2 on Christ’s humility; and Daniel 4 (the humbling and restoration of Nebuchadnezzar). The speaker also quotes C.S. Lewis on humility and shares candid personal anecdotes — about parenting a teething baby, life as a preacher’s wife, and a childhood track story — to illustrate how pride can hide in suffering, service, and everyday attitudes.

Listeners should expect a mix of theological teaching and practical exhortation: the sermon shows how pride often opposes God’s explicit commands (for example, God’s command to fill the earth), how it redirects praise from God to ourselves, how it fractures community (the literal confusion and scattering at Babel), and how it ultimately undermines our security. The talk confronts subtle forms of pride (seeking recognition in worship or service, spiritual pride, and disguised bitterness in trials) and urges self-examination whenever we are tempted to ask, "What can I get?" rather than "How can I worship and serve?"

Practical applications include renewed focus on worship (prostrating before God rather than seeking personal acclaim), hospitality and friendliness to newcomers in the church, humility in Christian service, and honestly tracing personal struggles back to possible pride. The speaker emphasizes that God often humbles people for their good — using the Tower of Babel and Nebuchadnezzar as examples — and calls listeners to bow now, embrace humility modeled by Jesus, and trust God’s lasting recognition rather than temporary human praise.

No external guests are featured; the message is presented by the speaker as a pastoral, scriptural exhortation aimed at encouraging humility, repentance, and gospel-shaped community. The episode closes with an appeal to follow Christ’s example of self‑emptying love (Philippians 2) so believers might shine like stars by leading many to righteousness.

Duration 44:42

Equipped 2026: "Genesis Characters in Acts" by Richard Melson

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 2:30 PM Session

Location: Room 116

Instructor: Richard Melson

Title:  Text Messages - Genesis Characters in Acts

Summary

Richard Melson delivered a lecture emphasizing how Genesis undergirds the New Testament, particularly Acts, by presenting God’s plan of redemption conceived before the foundation of the world. He clarified a misunderstanding about the session’s title (“Genesis characters in Acts” versus “text messages”), asserting the focus is character studies of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph as referenced in Acts 3 and 7. Melson highlighted God’s sovereignty, covenant promises, and faithfulness, and urged believers to be consistent, courageous, and convinced—traits exemplified by the patriarchs despite their flaws. He traced key Genesis passages, connected them to Acts 3:13, Acts 3:25, and Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7, and discussed “character” as tested and approved, with Jesus as the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3). He underscored redemption in type (Genesis 3:21), the seed promise (Genesis 3:15), genealogies’ role in preserving the seed line, and parallels between Joseph and Jesus. The lecture concluded by stressing obedient, trusting faith (e.g., Mark 16:16 alluded in “believes and is baptized”) as the proper response to God’s promises and plan.

Duration 41:00

Equipped 2026: Panel Discussion: "Tough Questions from Genesis" by Todd Crayton, John Moore, and Denny Petrillo

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 2:30 PM Session

Join a seasoned panel of speakers including Todd, John, Denny, Howard, and references to Brother Wayne Jackson, Brother Caleb Colley, O'Connor, Mike, with Sam Wilkins closing in prayer, as they tackle difficult questions from the book of Genesis. This episode investigates foundational topics that stretch from the opening words of Scripture to the unfolding scheme of redemption.

First, the panel examines how literally we should read the days of creation in Genesis 1. Speakers discuss the Hebrew term yom, Exodus 20:11, arguments for a 24‑hour day reading, and how that view interacts with science and young‑earth apologetics. They address the perception that literal biblical faith opposes science and point listeners to resources and evidence used by creationist scholars.

Next, the conversation moves to troubling narratives of judgment in Genesis—such as the global flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—and how these events relate to God’s holiness, justice, love, and wrath. Panelists unpack why divine judgment is not arbitrary, emphasize God’s patience and long‑suffering (including Noah’s 120 years of warning), and explain how love and righteous anger can coexist.

The discussion then focuses on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and whether God set humanity up to fail. Panelists outline four purposes of the tree: enabling genuine devotion, inviting trust, establishing moral boundaries, and defining God’s role as Lawgiver. They argue the tree provides a real context for moral freedom rather than a trap.

Listeners will also hear reflections on Genesis as a record of human failure alongside divine faithfulness. Using examples like Cain and Abel, Abraham’s struggles, Jacob’s deception, and Joseph’s long wait, the panel shows how Genesis portrays flawed people candidly while demonstrating God’s covenantal loyalty and redemptive work through imperfect agents.

Finally, the episode addresses how to maintain trust in God’s promises when fulfillment is delayed. Speakers reflect on biblical timeframes (Abraham, Joseph), New Testament perspectives (2 Peter), and practical pastoral insights for patience and spiritual growth during waiting seasons.

Practical takeaways include ways to engage skeptics respectfully, resources for further study, and pastoral encouragement that Genesis aims to reveal God’s character—both his justice and his mercy—while inviting listeners into deeper trust. The session closes with a prayer from Sam Wilkins and information about follow‑up sessions and worship led by Andy Baker.

Duration 42:08

Equipped 2026: "Abram's Call and Covenant (Gen. 12-14)" by Brian Collins

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 2:30 PM Session

In this sermon-style episode Brian unpacks Genesis 12:1–9 and surveys chapters 13–15 to explore Abram’s call and covenant, showing how God’s prompt, promise, power, and presence shape faithful living. The speaker opens with gratitude to the congregation that invited him and shares a personal connection to the community before reading Genesis 12 aloud and framing the sermon around Abram’s response to God’s command to “go.”

Key topics include Abram’s immediate obedience when God said “go,” comparisons to Noah as an archetype of obedience, and how Abram’s faith was accounted as righteousness (with reference to Romans 4). The preacher traces biblical patterns of calling—from Isaiah’s vision to the New Testament call to the church (ecclesia)—and emphasizes that God’s call often moves people from comfort into uncomfortable but faithful places.

The episode examines God’s promises to Abram (“I will show you,” “I will make you a great nation,” “I will bless you…”) and highlights the future-oriented generosity of those promises. The sermon also reviews Abram’s missteps (the Egypt episode with Sarah) and prophetic echoes of later Israelite history, showing both human frailty and God’s sovereign power and protection.

Listeners will hear practical applications: how to respond to God’s prompt, the role of baptism and obedience in receiving God’s righteousness, the comfort of God’s promised presence, and the assurance of divine providence in daily life. Stories from Genesis—Lot’s fateful land choice, Abram’s separation from Lot, the rescue in chapter 14, and the covenant sealing in chapter 15—are used to illustrate consequences of choices and the reality of God’s faithfulness.

Scripture and sermon references include Genesis 12–15, Genesis 5–9 (Noah), Isaiah 6, Hebrews 1:1, Romans 4, Matthew 5 and 28, Mark 16, and Romans 8:31. Expect a blend of exposition, pastoral application, and encouragement: a call to trust God’s voice, obey His commands, lean on His promises, and live with confidence that God is with His people.

 

Duration 36:59

Equipped 2026: "Preaching Seriously on Sin" by Mike Vestal

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 1:30 PM Session

Location: Room 116

Instructor: Mike Vestal

Title:  Preaching Seriously on Sin

Summary

On April 24, 2026, Mike Vestal urged taking sin seriously in preaching, using Genesis as a foundational lens. He defined preaching through eight components: the proclamation of divine truth by a man of God, derived through proper interpretive method, proclaimed to people in an engaging manner to achieve a desired purpose, and ultimately for God’s glory and the salvation of souls. He underscored sin’s gravity—idolatry, rebellion, and distorted love—while contrasting its devastation with God’s greater grace and redemption. Genesis was presented as essential for grasping core biblical themes and contemporary issues including origins, the image of God, gender, marriage, family, deception, law, promise, conflict, war, and sexual immorality. Practical illustrations included Jacob’s life and pastoral counsel on loving people, preaching with urgency and authority, and confronting heart idols. The lecture ended with recommended resources for preaching Genesis.

 

Duration 41:21

Equipped 2026: Ladies: "Genesis in the Psalms" by Lori Boyd

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 1:30 PM Session

In this episode Lori at the Eclipse workshop offers a fast-paced, deeply pastoral study connecting the book of Genesis with the Psalms and what those connections mean for Christian women today. Opening with a memorable historical anecdote—Buzz Aldrin quoting Psalm 8 after the moon landing—the talk centers on an exegesis of Psalm 8 (a Psalm of David), highlighting its chiastic structure, its language for God (Yahweh and Adonai), and the surprising theological details woven into the short poem: praise from babes, God’s glory "above the heavens," humanity made a little lower than the angels, and dominion over creation.

The presenter then broadens the view to show how many Psalms echo Genesis themes rather than retell Genesis narratives: creation, the fall, God’s covenant promises, providence, and God’s desire for relationship with humanity. She outlines Genesis (chapters 1–11 as primeval history; chapters 12–50 as the patriarchal promise that culminates in the line of Abraham) and emphasizes five recurring motifs in Genesis—God’s power, plan, promise, presence, and provision—and how the Psalms reflect and respond to those motifs in praise, lament, and prophecy.

Key scriptural touchpoints and cross-references discussed include Psalm 8; Matthew 21:16 where Jesus cites the Psalm; Genesis 1–3 and Genesis 12 (the Abrahamic promise); Hebrews and 1 Corinthians 1:27; and Psalm 51 and other Psalms that show Israel’s covenant memory, worship practices, and longing for the Messiah. The talk also notes editorial and literary features of the Psalter (its fivefold division, psalms of praise versus lament, and how individual psalms function as worship, prayer, and theological reflection).

The episode ends with practical application for listeners: why Genesis matters for personal faith, how the Psalms teach us to pray in joy and distress, and concrete responses—seek God in Scripture, worship corporately and in nature, trust him through lament, and obey as a response of love. The message closes with a pastoral prayer asking God’s blessing on the attendees and their families and pointing forward to the ultimate hope of redemption in Christ.

 

Duration 41:38

Equipped 2026: "The Table of Nations and Tower of Babel (Gen. 10-11)" by Dean Thompson

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 1:30 PM Session

 

In this episode recorded at the Cumberland Trace congregation as part of a Genesis-themed gathering, the speaker explores Genesis chapters 10–11 and traces God’s plan from the Table of Nations to the Tower of Babel and on to Pentecost. Framed around four focal ideas — design (diversity), defiant centralization (pride), divine disruption (judgment and scattering), and divine dissolution (Pentecost’s reversal) — the message shows how Scripture presents diversity as intentional, pride as rebellion against God’s command to fill the earth, and God’s sovereign intervention as the means to restore his mission.

The sermon examines Noah’s charge to be fruitful and multiply, the genealogies of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (including the curse on Canaan), and how Genesis 10 functions as the Bible’s first “world map.” It unpacks Genesis 11’s narrative of prideful centralization at Babel, the confusion of language, and God’s scattering of people as both judgment and redirection. The talk connects these Old Testament events to New Testament fulfillment in Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit reunites the nations in one gospel message, leading to the explosive growth of the early church.

Guests and references mentioned include Sister Rebecca Colley (scheduled to teach on pride and its link to Babel), a referenced sermon by Brother Cliff Goodwin, and earlier remarks by Brother Stephen. The speaker also cites Psalm 33 and Proverbs 19 and points to Genesis, Joshua, Matthew, and Luke for genealogical and covenant context. Illustrations — such as maps, family stories, and the Lost River Cave’s outward-flowing river — are used to emphasize the call to go outward rather than remain inward and to highlight practical implications.

Key takeaways: celebrate and appreciate God-designed diversity; repent of and “amend the tower of pride” in personal, professional, and church life; and actively advance the divine mission by scattering outward to share Christ with all nations. The episode closes with an encouragement to join God’s mission, use whatever gifts one has to serve, and to refocus on building people who bear God’s name rather than building monuments to ourselves.

 

Duration 34:49

Equipped 2026: Leadership: "How to Weather the Storm of Leadership" by Adam Faughn

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 11:00 AM Session

Location: Room 116

Instructor: Adam Faughn

Title:  Leadership - How to Weather the Storms of Leadership

Summary

Adam Faughn presents a lecture on the challenges of leadership, framing them as "storms." He argues that leadership is inevitably stormy, especially for those guiding people in the ways of God. Drawing from Matthew 14, where Jesus’s disciples face a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Faughn highlights three common pitfalls for leaders in crisis: losing direction, losing sight of reality, and becoming distracted. He asserts that the ultimate solution is unwavering trust in Jesus. Through anecdotes and biblical analysis, he concludes that a leader’s duty is to trust Jesus and stand firm through any storm, ensuring they continue guiding people toward heaven.

Duration 36:52

Equipped 2026: Ladies: "Looking Up with Kathy and Carla" by Kathy Pollard and Carla Moore

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 11:00 AM Session

 

Join hosts Kathy Pollard and Carla Moore live from the Cumberland Trace Church of Christ "Equipped" workshop for an encouraging episode of the Looking Up podcast, recorded in front of a group of women studying the book of Genesis. In this episode they mix warm fellowship and personal updates—including a shout-out to attendee Jennifer Eskew (who traveled from Alaska) and joyful family pregnancy announcements—with a thoughtful study on worship and the opening chapters of Scripture.

The conversation centers on the theme that God made us to worship. Kathy and Carla explore early examples of worship in Genesis—Cain and Abel’s offerings, Noah’s altar after the flood, and Abraham’s sacrifice in Genesis 22 (the first time the word worship appears)—and highlight how our view of God shapes true worship. They unpack Hebrew worship terms like shakah (bowing down), hallel (praise), and yadah (lifting hands) and connect those postures and words to Psalms and New Testament teaching about sincere, God-centered praise.

The hosts contrast the two creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2: chapter 1 presents God as Elohim, the mighty Creator who speaks the cosmos into being with powerful commands, while chapter 2 portrays Yahweh Elohim as intimate and hands-on—forming man, breathing life, planting the garden, and building woman from Adam’s rib. These differing portraits reveal both God’s majesty and his desire for a close, covenant relationship with humanity.

Kathy and Carla also use a vivid analogy—comparing Eden to the idyllic Camelot—to illustrate how God’s original design was perfect, how sin shattered that harmony, and how the rest of Scripture unveils God’s plan to restore fellowship with His people. They remind listeners that nothing took God by surprise and that redemption is woven throughout the story of the Bible.

Practical application rounds out the episode: the hosts offer tangible ways to prepare your heart for worship (prepare the night before, choose a psalm, pray in the morning or in the shower, sing on the drive to church, and even lift your chest to change your posture and attitude). They read and reflect on Psalm 95—calling listeners to come before God with joy, thanksgiving, and an unhardened heart—and discuss how worship brings rest and renewal both now and ultimately in God’s promised dwelling with His people.

Expect a warm, conversational episode that blends biblical teaching (Genesis 1–3, 4, 8, 22; Psalm 95; Lamentations 3:41 and New Testament references), Hebrew word insights, personal stories, and simple, faith-building practices to help listeners reclaim joyful, heartfelt worship in everyday life.

Closing line: "Until next time, He will be known."

 

Duration 40:57

Equipped 2026: "Sin, Grace, And Covenant (Gen. 6-8)" by Bill Burk

April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 11:00 AM Session

 

In this sermon-style episode, guest speaker Bill preaches to a local congregation (with thanks to hosts Neil, Hiram, and the elders) from Genesis chapters 6–9. Centered on the theme "Sin, Grace, and Covenant," the message examines the corruption of the antediluvian world, God’s grief over human wickedness, and the single line of faithful survival through Noah and his family.

Bill surveys competing interpretations of key phrases (the "sons of God," the Nephilim, and lines of Seth and Cain), explains the significance of Noah’s righteousness — "Noah walked with God" — and highlights the genealogical continuity from Adam through Noah to Abram and ultimately to Christ. He argues for a plain-historical reading of Genesis 1–11 and stresses how those chapters set the stage for the rest of Scripture, including Genesis 12 and the promise to Abraham.

The episode carefully unpacks the flood narrative itself: God’s warning (the 120-year period), the ark’s construction and the distinction between clean and unclean animals, the deluge’s mechanics ("fountains of the great deep" and the "windows of heaven"), the timeline (40 days of rain, 150 days of prevailing waters), and the ark’s resting on Ararat. Bill defends the global scope of the flood and draws attention to textual details often glossed over in children’s retellings.

Attention is given to covenant and worship after the flood: Noah’s altar, God’s promise never to destroy the earth again by water, the rainbow as the covenant sign, and how the Noahic covenant is universal and unconditional. The sermon links the flood typologically to New Testament themes — especially 1 Peter 3’s comparison of salvation through the ark with salvation through baptism and Christ’s resurrection — and cites Old and New Testament passages (Psalm, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, 2 Peter) to show the flood’s theological importance.

Finally, Bill offers pastoral application: the possibility and duty of faithful living in an ungodly age, the seriousness of divine judgment balanced by the height of God’s grace, and the enduring trustworthiness of God’s promises. Listeners should expect exegetical detail, theological reflection on history and covenant, and clear invitations to consider how Noah’s faithfulness points forward to Christ and to our own call to walk with God.

 

Duration 39:19