Several years ago, the congregation of First Baptist Church insisted that Martha and I take some extended time to get away. At first, we had to be compelled to do so (what were we thinking?), but since then we look forward to the time. We deeply appreciate our church’s concern for us and look forward to having most of the …

Yikes! Public schools begin August 8! We have a lot to do before August 8 in the form of camps, ministries, and outreach. Let me give you an idea of what we are planning for the remainder of the summer before school begins. First, we have a mission team in Bogota, Columbia, teaching English as a  second language. They are living and teaching …

It’s hard not to feel good about happy, well-behaved children and loving, Godly leaders. That is what we have experienced this week I want to thank all of you who have volunteered. Each of you has other places to be and other things to do, yet you chose to give this week to children, to the church, and to God. …

Prayer characterized our Lord, and it characterized the early church. Again and again, the Book of Acts describes the apostles as praying. They prayed in the upper room and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They prayed Peter and Silas out of prison. Throughout Luke’s look at the church, the people prayed. Why is it that something so …

This weekend is very special because in a special way we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Jesus is crucial to our faith. In fact, Paul stated that without the resurrection our preaching is in vain and we are still in our sin. “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men …

I am excited to begin a new sermon series Easter Sunday. Amazingly, I have never begun a series on Easter Sunday. I have always ended the series on Easter. My pastor friends will tell me that I have done this all wrong in the past–the series should begin on Easter. I can’t wait to give it a try and see …

Let’s all do a 180 this year, in baptisms I mean. Late last year the pastoral team met to talk about what we hope to accomplish in the coming year. You know about our desire to explore opportunities to expand our outreach through multi-site campuses. We believe that we can reach people through extending our healthy church to nearby areas which …

Over the Mardi Gras break part of our larger family visited Florida. One of their stops was Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. They enjoyed an unusual tour of the giant building that we all see when a rocket or the space shuttle space shuttle is launched. The grandsons had multiple stories to tell about the trip and what …

Deciding what to preach is almost as difficult as preparing the individual sermons. The good news is that once you have made your decision about a series or a plan you are ready to do the intensive week by week preparation. I have two series for Easter (one before and one that begins Easter Sunday) that excite me. I like …

God’s grace is amazing and His faithfulness is neverending. God’s Word tells us that. I remember the first time that I really “got” that concept. It came from the mouth of my professor, mentor, and later colleague and friend, John Olen Strange. Dr. Strange served as a chaplain in World War II in one of the bloodiest island battles of …