First Thoughts

This week concludes our limited-run podcast called “What Happened at First Baptist.” It is a story about how a single congregation grew to become one of the largest and most influential churches in America, only to experience a cataclysmic decline that placed its very existence in doubt. For the past seven weeks, we’ve discussed how that same church endured a brutal and painful season of change and emerged from the transition stronger, more united, and more committed than ever to Jesus’ great…

Jesus Cared for Kids We live in a culture where children are devalued, cast aside, and treated as burdens. The Bible teaches that the ancient world bears striking similarities to this modern mentality. In Mark 10, the disciples are trying to stop kids from seeing Jesus. Here was their logic: Jesus is important. Children are not important. Jesus needs to do important things and see important people. Therefore, we need to keep children away from Jesus. This logic gets turned upside down with Je…

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 20:1: “In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the King of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and captured it–” What? This is unlike John 3:16 or Romans 8:28. Why would it be one of my favorite verses? Until 1843, Christians were mocked for believing that there was once a ruler in Assyria named Sargon, but then his palace was uncovered, and you can now visit museums to see the evidence. Time has repeatedly shown that it’s…

How many times have you heard this statement: “Well, heaven has gotten a new angel today?” I’ve heard that so many times in my ministry life following the death of a loved one. But this is not a truthful statement. God has created the angels as heavenly beings, and He did that so they worship Him and protect us from the Evil One. He uses them as messengers, and they are fearsome in appearance (Luke 2:9-10). We should certainly agree with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21 that when our love…

When Conflict Comes to Church The local church is an amazing place. There is nothing like it in the entire world. The church is a spiritual family adopted by God, purchased by Jesus, and united by Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-7). The church is a spiritual greenhouse where Christians are discipled into maturity and engage in mutual care. Because all these things are true, conflict in the church can be particularly disorienting and damaging. As Christians, we are called to be “eager to maintain t…

Puddleglum is one of the most interesting characters in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. He’s always jolly and always looking for the opportunity to cheer up anyone who might be sad. But there’s only one problem. The more he attempts to encourage his sorrowful friends, the more he ends up making them feel even worse! Puddleglum tries to use his words to spread glee, but instead, all he does is spread gloom. As Christians, we cannot be like Puddleglum. We must care well for those in the …

In a world of hate, it is a joy to minister to brothers and sisters with compassion! Twenty-eight years ago, when God relocated our family to Jacksonville, we found First Baptist church to be a wonderful family of faith. People lived out in their lives what they believed as they loved God and loved each other while faithfully serving Him. The Covid lockdowns brought so much turmoil and despair to our world. It seems like we found ourselves in a downward spiral rather than one moving up.  Many…

Last week, we had the privilege of taking 220 students and over 100 adults to Lake Placid, Florida for our annual student camp. It was a remarkable week of fun, fellowship, and tremendous spiritual growth. Our theme for the week was Thrive from Jeremiah 17:5-8. This passage describes two plants that are in a parched, dry land. The first plant is a shrub that is wilting away and bears no fruit. This is the person who trusts in man. The second plant is a tree that has deep roots, bears much fru…

Shouldn’t Christians just focus on studying the Bible and the truths of Christianity? Why should Christians worry about what other religions and cults believe? Here are three reasons why Christians should examine the claims of other faiths. To Grow in Understanding the Claims of Our Faith Contrast is a great revealer of truth in lots of areas of life. This is especially true when it comes to the truths of our faith. One of the ways to understand the true claims of Christianity is to contr…

The Hard Years The years of 2018-2021 were difficult years of transition at First Baptist. Those years were painful for everyone at our church. I call them The Hard Years. In God’s great kindness, those years are now over, and our church is in a remarkable season of growth, health, and happiness. In August, I’ll release a podcast called What Happened at First Baptist. That podcast tells the story of the challenges our church confronted during the hard years and all the good things God did to …