Our theme for our new strategic plan is to be strong in the Lord. I love the realism of the Apostle Paul. He told the Corinthian church there was a wide-open door for a great work there. Yes, he saw opportunities and was ready. But he continued, there are many adversaries. How true. The headwinds of our culture […]
I never thought I would see what I saw this past week in the US Capital. It was shocking – it was grieving. Regardless of who was to blame the bottom line is how are we as believers to respond. My thoughts as I watched the news took me back to our spring/summer series in Daniel. You […]
Disney World opened its doors on October 1,1972 in Orlando, FL. Walt Disney himself, died 6 years before the amusement park was finished. After its completion one official remarked, “It sure is sad that Mr. Disney never lived to see this.” Mark Vance, creative director of Disney studios at the time replied, “He did see it – that’s […]
At the end of the year I always challenge you to read God’s Word on a regular basis. Reading God’s Word consistently is essential for spiritual growth. I am thankful that habit was instilled in me as a young teen. Yes, I’ve had times when it was a struggle and there still are days when I miss, […]
I saw a recent poll: 51% of Americans are scared; 49% are angry. Now both emotions are not necessarily sinful but can be. “Watch out the stove is hot!” is a healthy fear but wringing your hands in anxious worry is wrong. Scripture tells us to be angry but not to sin. Unresolved anger will turn into […]
This fall several of our men read together the book by Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word. I was particularly interested when he wrote, “When I speak at conferences and churches, I’m often surprised how few people bother to look at their Bibles when I’m speaking … It is not a good habit.” Folks, I have […]
What is your dream for Holt Baptist Church? As a pastoral candidate back in December 2006, I answered a question about the church’s future with proposing the idea of developing a strategic plan. It took a year of prayer and discussions but a three year plan was created and implemented. Now 14 years later we can look back […]
What a year this has been, eh? 2020. No one could have predicted this. It has been difficult. And yet I am reminded of the Apostle Paul in a Roman jail writing a book that mentions joy more than any other! Paul’s dream was to go to Rome to preach the gospel. Instead of going to Rome as a […]
It is appropriate with the holiday this week for me to say how thankful I am for the ministry of Jay Adams who passed away a week ago at the age of 91. Jay Adams was the father of the modern biblical counseling movement. As a pastor Adams was dissatisfied with the counseling training he had […]
Alex Trebek, host of Jeopardy died a week ago from a long-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. I’m sure you have seen the numerus tributes for him on TV, in print or on your phone/computer. In one of those tributes, Trebek said his favorite animal was the water buffalo. Why? He said, water buffalos work together to care for each […]