It almost sounds very strange to ask this, but are there times you shouldn’t pray? In fact there are times when prayer would be displeasing to God. Let me give you some examples. God is firm and explicit about many areas in His Word. For example, we know that adultery and stealing as well as idolatry and murder are always …
Life Can Become Too Hard
“If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one, for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will …
What Makes A Church?
I get asked a lot of questions about church–both from people in the church and out of the church. People often want to know how the church works (people in the church) and who runs the church (people on the outside). Those are valid questions. You may want to know the same. After my sermon last weekend about “What Makes …
It Is All About Relationships
Martha and I had a great time away, but we are excited about being back. Today marks the beginning of the new school year. In many respects, this is a more significant time then January 1 because this is really the way our year revolves. It’s all about school beginning and ending. For that reason, the beginning of the school …
I Want to Live Happily Ever After
I’ve met plenty of people who are unhappy, but I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want to be happy. Every couple I’ve counseled with before marriage had every intention of being happy. That’s why the ending of Cinderella is so appealing. The idea that we can do anything and live happily ever after strikes us at the core of our …
What Can You Do When You Can’t Change Anything?
By: Waylon Bailey ~ We’ve all been there. We know how this feels. It’s frustrating, and it is often overwhelming. What do you do when events are completely out of your control? You’ve heard many people talk about it in exasperation. Events have overwhelmed them– – events over which they have no power. They can’t do anything about it. So, …
Our Time Away
Martha and I are grateful to have time to be away during the month of July. We have found this extended period is a great refresher for us as we look forward to the fall. I am excited about August and the next two years as we complete the expansion of our building. We anticipate moving into the preschool and …
Can I Really Forgive?
Can I really forgive? I get asked this question repeatedly. People want to know, “can I forgive?” They also want to know, “do I have to forgive?” Most of the time they are talking about the difficulty of forgiveness. We all know how difficult it is to forgive. Sometimes people refer to the difficulty of forgiving and trying to forget. …
An Easter Moon
Tuesday morning for just a few seconds I watched the moon (either full or almost full) setting in the west. It was a clear day and the moon was a bright orange like it often is when the full moon rises. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It reminded me of the events of …
An Opportunity to Make a Difference
By: Waylon Bailey ~ Several weeks ago, First Baptist Church was contacted by the New Orleans Baptist Association about an opportunity to do ministry and to make a difference on the Southshore. We have been asked to accept the New Orleans Korean Baptist Church as a campus of our church. As you know, we have a campus located in Metairie …