Mark Botts lives with his wife Rebecca and their three kids in West Virginia, where he serves at Bluefield State University as an Instructor of English.
Mark Botts
Articles by Mark Botts
The Census Taker in a Church Pew, part 6
This rural mountain church continues to be good because it continues to do what is necessary.
The Census Taker In a Church Pew, Part 5
Her heart is for those little ones, that they might come to know The One who became a child for our salvation and for the glory of God.
The Census Taker In a Church Pew, Part 4
Yet our little sister does not play the victim. She presses on, a sufferer who labors as best she can while shadows and thorns press in against her. And she…
The Census Taker in the Pew, Part 3
He does not conflate attendance with salvation or sanctification. But empty pews can neither be saved nor sanctified. They never serve in the nursery or children’s services. They never teach…
Only Men
The children’s pastor made his point about who was serious or not when it came to serving God. He could have closed the service, and I would have been out…
The Census Taker In the Church Pew, Part 2
At the time of this writing, W. and D., with W. staying at D.’s side, remain faithful attenders of our church’s worship services and Bible studies. How long will this…
Advisor Wanting: The Absence of Moral Limits in Lady Macbeth
Our best ally should not be a man or woman who lacks the aptitude to discern right from wrong...one should not draw unto himself or herself a companion like Lady…
A Sabbath Reflection on Artificial Intelligence & the Human Body
Will we distance ourselves from machines that, like carnival attractions, buzz and ping and light up with those grand prizes of ease and efficiency so that we might remember Christ’s…
Wisdom Crieth Without: Features of an Inspirational Speech
We speak to connect with ideas and with the Divine. Of all the speeches I have heard in-person and not in a movie, or play, recording, or manuscript, a few…
The Census Taker in a Church Pew
It is a trouble that visits us all: our fate is to die and be forgotten. Tying ourselves to one another and to life can diminish that trouble’s force, but…
Not Vanity
I worked alongside Dad many times. I have also worked alongside other men and women with a disposition towards work like my father’s. They do their labor with skill, creativity,…
Ride Into the Day: Images That Remain
“Choose you this day whom you will serve,” the Old Testament leader, Joshua, charged his fellow Jews. And that choice, while crucial, while fundamental, must also be borne out during…
Against Fun: The Ubiquitous Specter of Youth Sports
More to the purpose of this essay, organized youth sports should challenge students to be dissatisfied with amusement or entertainment in their pursuit of excellence. Our culture is soaked in…