We’re excited to share an important update: our Phase 1 ACBC Training is now completely free. First Baptist is a certified training center with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, and we’ve removed the previous program costs because we want to make this training as accessible as possible for anyone who wants to grow in ministry. We want to eliminate barriers and equip you for all of life. The world is in need, and God’s Word is sufficient. If this training blesses you and you’d like to help others receive it too, you can give a voluntary donation—but there is no cost to participate. Why Do This? All the wisdom needed for the Christian life is found in Jesus Christ alone, and it is him, his gospel, and his Word that we proclaim. This teaching is found in Colossians 1:28,...

Every year, our church goes all out for Advent. We slow down. We prepare. We linger over the wonder of Christ’s coming. And that’s good. But Easter—the center of the Christian faith, the victory over sin and death—deserves the same kind of intentional focus. That’s why this year we want to extend the time we celebrate Easter by inviting our church and our community into a season we’re calling “From Dust to Glory.” Just like we celebrate the birth of Christ during Advent in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this year we will also celebrate the resurrection of Christ during Lent in the 40 days leading up to Easter. This season reminds us of something we often avoid: our frailty. Scripture is clear—we are dust. We are finite, dependent, and deeply in need of grace. But God doesn’t leave...

As we begin a new year, we naturally find ourselves thinking with a broader view toward ministry than at any other time of the year. It is a normal tendency to contemplate a bigger picture at this time. When I look back over 2025, I might suggest two sweeping (perhaps over-) generalizations about the practice of music and worship in our churches: 1) there is a lack of a compelling, cohesive vision for what music and worship should be in Southern Baptist Churches (SBC); and 2) everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Southern Baptists are famously independent, even as we are miraculously cooperative. Our history is marked with varying demonstrations of this tension. At times, we appear more idiosyncratic; at other times, more galvanized. But historically, we have maintained a view...

The Great Ministry Transition We are witnessing today one of the most remarkable ministry developments in church history. It began with the introduction of the American Mega Church in the 20th Century. Many of these ministries grew up under the leadership of remarkably faithful men who preached with bold conviction and led with great effectiveness and integrity. As those leaders move off the scene, a generation of younger pastors is inheriting the leadership of their massive congregations. That is The Great Ministry Transition. That Great Transition comes with many blessings. The blessings are mostly connected to the remarkable fruit of gospel preaching that still exists today in the changed lives of countless people. While not every ministry was characterized by fidelity to...

I suspect I’m not alone when I say that sometimes I am afraid of submission. Why is that? In a word, fear. But before I tell you my particular brand of fear, let’s start with a brief discussion on submission. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am to submit to God himself. James says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:7). This command comes on the heels of James’ discussion on warring passions and desires in our hearts and the dangers of being a friend of the world. Submission to God, then, is acknowledging his authority and arranging myself under his will for me. Biblical submission is also an expression of trusting the Lord. Listen to the warning from Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” The author is contrasting...

I love to read devotional books personally, with my wife, and with my children. This habit is important to us because theology is not meant to be merely intellectual. It is meant to be alive with passion. God’s Word is meant to capture our hearts and press into the practical details of our lives. I brought Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening with me into the hospital when I received my bone marrow transplant. It was a real comfort to me, day and night, in those isolated hours. Jenny would read to me every day – especially when I could not read it myself. There was one night I was filled with fear about the future. I had been released from the ICU, but wondered what was next for me. What would happen to me? Would my cancer ever go away? It was the middle of the night, and Jenny read...

If you grew up in church, you might remember a simple children’s song with a simple, yet powerful message: “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” It’s catchy, easy to sing, and fun for kids, but the truth behind those words is life-changing for all ages. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of intentional, daily habits that draw us closer to God. When people express to me a dissatisfaction with their spiritual life, one of the first diagnostic questions I ask concerns their Bible reading habits. If we want to grow in our relationship with God, we need to be regularly reading his Word. Why Does Daily Bible Reading Matter? Just as food nourishes your body, God’s Word nourishes your soul. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by...

For all of human civilization, death has been a regular part of life, one that you couldn’t escape. In our modern times, we avoid suffering at all costs. We simply don’t know how to lament biblically. I want to offer you a helpful way to pray through your grief biblically by using the lament Psalms. Read Psalm 13 and see the pattern of biblical grief; I call it the H.O.L.Y. method of praying the lament Psalms. H.O.L.Y. Lament Honestly Call Out (Psalm 13:1-2) The first step in praying the lament Psalms is to honestly call out to the Lord in your grief. In the lament Psalms, the writers are brutally honest with their pain. David speaks in the first two verses of Psalm 13 as if God has abandoned him. In any painful moments, it can certainly feel that way. The Psalmist shows us that the...

A Risk Worth Taking For most of my life, I have loved surfing. There is something about standing up on a surfboard and riding a wave that thrills me. But one of the lessons I’ve learned is that to enjoy surfing, you have to figure out how to overcome fear. When you jump into the ocean to ride a 10-foot wave, you are taking a significant risk. I could tell you stories and show you scars to prove it. So how do surfers overcome the fear of riding big waves? One of the main ways is by recognizing that the risk is worth it. The risk is real. You can get seriously hurt. But the reward is worth the risk. The absolute exhilaration you experience is worth the moderate danger you put yourself in. You might not agree with this calculation that surfers make, but the principle remains true: in...

Are Babies Bad? “Have more babies than you can afford.” Those were the words of Erika Kirk spoken at the memorial service of her recently assassinated husband, Charlie. Her words were shocking. Not because I disagreed but because they were so refreshingly pro-baby. In a single sentence, Erika subverted a major tenet of secular culture: babies are bad. Our current thought leaders say, “Children are a drag on your freedom and if you have kids, by all means, please don’t have very many!” I believe Christian couples would do well to reject that vision and embrace Erika’s advice, however hyperbolic, because the spirit of what she said is profoundly biblical. Babies are not bad but are a gift from God, and the couple who has lots of them is blessed (Psalm 127:3-5). But when it comes to having...