Casey B. Hough Casey B. Hough @caseybhough Casey B. Hough is lead pastor at Copperfield Church in Houston, Texas, and a Ph.D. student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also blogs regularly at www.CaseyHough.com. Casey and his wife, Hannah, have three sons and two daughters. Mental Health Spotlight ArticleBearing the Weight of Souls by Casey B. HoughIn one of his lectures to his students, Charles Spurgeon once stated, “Our work, when earnestly undertaken, lays us open to attacks in the direction of depression. Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust?” Without question, the present crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the weight that many Continue… Continue... Christian Living ArticleSeveral resources for a father’s spiritual growth by Casey B. HoughFather’s Day is this weekend, highlighting the important part a dad plays in his family. As Christians, we know that we flourish more in the roles God gives us when we take time to cultivate our hearts in a Godward direction. My aim is to provide you with a few on-the-go resources that will be Continue… Continue... Christian Living ArticleHow to have hope in hard times by Casey B. HoughIn Hebrews 6, we encounter a writer who was addressing a community of believers who were struggling to hope in God. The author tells his audience, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” In Hebrews 6:13-20, the author moves from Continue… Continue... Christian Living Article4 lessons on lament from Psalm 42 by Casey B. HoughYears ago, I preached from Psalm 88. Psalm 88 is a dark psalm with a rather despairing tone. It ends with the psalmist saying that “darkness is his only friend.” I had conversation after conversation with people who told me that the message from Psalm 88 was exactly what they needed to hear. For such Continue… Continue... Christian Living ArticleHow do we cultivate a thankful heart in hard times? by Casey B. HoughWhen things are difficult, one of the first things that Christians are prone to forget is how we are called to be a thankful people. Thankfulness is an active disposition of praise and gratefulness to God for who he is and what he has done, is doing, and will do in our lives and in Continue… Continue... Ministry Article3 ways to lead Christ’s sheep through the valley of the shadow of COVID-19 by Casey B. HoughThe Apostle Paul lived with a pastoral concern for his churches. In several of his letters, we encounter the apostle’s heart for Christ’s sheep, especially when they faced suffering and persecution on account of faithfulness to Christ. As pastors seek to lead through the current COVID-19 crisis, I believe we would do well to consider Continue… Continue... Culture ArticleHow the resurrection affects our relationship to the culture by Casey B. HoughAt times, cultural engagement by Christians can seem vain and hopeless. The ever-changing, never-listening culture into which Christians speak is overwhelming. This reality often results in two extreme actions by Christians: withdrawal from culture or capitulation to culture. Neither of these actions represent the biblical example of the apostle Paul in Acts 17. We, like Continue… Continue... Christian Living Article5 reasons for the fear-destroying death of Christ by Casey B. HoughHebrews 2:10-18 explains Hebrews 2:9, which states that Jesus tasted death for everyone. Specifically, this passage answers the question, “Why did Jesus taste death for everyone?” And there are at least five answers to that question found in verses 10-18, which should give us hope when we face trials like the coronavirus pandemic. First, Jesus Continue… Continue... Religious Freedom ArticleThe Supreme Court and the freedom of religious organizations to employ whom they choose by Casey B. HoughThe Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear another case regarding the freedom of religious organizations to employ people who share their sincerely held beliefs. The most recent case, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, Agnes, comes from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the ruling of the Federal Continue… Continue... Ethics ArticleAre we free to disagree? by Casey B. HoughOn Jan. 7, 2020, Christianity Today (CT) reported that a second student from Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) has joined a lawsuit against the school. The lawsuit claims that if a religious institution receives federal funding, then “even if it’s a seminary” the institution is “required to comply with Title IX prohibitions on sex discrimination as Continue… Continue...