There is something spectacular about sitting outside on a brisk, dark evening and staring at a fire. I’m not sure what it is about fire that is so amazing, but many of my favorite memories involve late-night conversations and s’mores around the fire pit in my backyard. If the experience of sitting around a fire is spectacular, the way fire is produced is shocking, almost miraculous. Fire comes when three elements are combined: oxygen, heat, and fuel– you probably remember this from your middle school science class. The combination of these commonplace things produces something amazing. Love and care in relationships are similar. It is a spectacular thing when God fills our hearts with ever-increasing love. In order for this to happen, we need God to work a few commonplace things in our hearts...

They get to the core of us, evoking tears of admiration, shouts of praise, or swelling pride that grips the heart and takes us to the very center of being human. Few among us have not been moved to tears when hearing Tom Hank’s character, Captain John Miller, say to Private James Ryan with his last breath…“earn this,” or hearing Rocky Balboa cry out from the boxing ring, “Adrian, yo, Adrian, I did it!”; or hearing Samwise Gamgee say to Frodo Baggins “I can’t carry it (the ring) for you, but I can carry you,” then lifts Frodo onto his shoulders and proceeds to carry him up Mount Doom. These, and a thousand other heroic acts of love (fictional or real), greatly inspire us. Why do they? What about them affects us so? Jesus gives some insight. He said, “Greater love has no one than this,...

An Impossible Decision I was still in first grade when I mastered the art of recognizing an impossible decision. Way back then, long before my mom became a Christian late in her life, she was a drunk and violently abusive. On one occasion, she tossed me through a glass coffee table, leaving the table smashed and my face and arms covered with cuts. When I showed up at school, some anonymous teacher did what my teachers always did and called social services. I don’t remember all the social workers that we met when I was a kid, but I do remember the one who came by after my mom threw me through the table. She got me alone and asked me all sorts of questions, including what had happened to my face. I told her the truth. Then she went and talked to my mom. I couldn’t hear their conversation,...

What is a real friend? If you Google that question, you will find several common answers: They listen. They are loyal. They are accepting. They are supportive. They are interested in similar things. They stick with you. They want what’s best. These lists all contain nice traits that have their place, but they all neglect the most important ingredient in relationships – the foundation, the root that produces the fruit of fellowship: The Bible. Are your relationships orbiting around the Bible? If they aren’t, you are missing out on one of the most important ingredients in the types of relationships that glorify God and bind people together for decades. Why do you need the Bible in relationships? Because You Need Friends Who Watch You Do you remember the first days of quarantine during...

A Personal Issue Decades ago, I survived childhood abuse. I have been open about this. Today, I pastor the remarkable First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL. That delightful congregation is full of the most wonderful men, women, and children I have ever met. When I think of those precious people, I would rather die—die—than have any of them endure anything approaching my experience of abuse. That makes abuse a deeply personal issue for me. I have been horrified by every report of abuse that has happened in any church by every religious leader. It is the embodiment of utter wickedness. I am fully committed to creating an environment in my church—and in the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention—where it is impossible to abuse a single person. Guidepost and the Southern Baptist Convention I...

Every week at First Baptist we are teaching Midweek courses that are designed to strengthen your faith. We want to grow deep in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. The courses we offer are approximately nine weeks and focus on a particular theological, ethical, or practical issue in the Christian life. We are a little more than halfway through a course on Creation, Evolution, and the Age of the Earth that is being taught by me and Dr. Ernie Baker. We believe this class is important because it will address many of the issues that people are facing on a regular basis in school, at work, and even in normal activities such as movies or streaming shows. The culture is continually attacking the authority and truthfulness of Scripture and we want the next generation to be prepared to answer...

I am not a gardener, and the only thing that I seem to be able to grow in my yard consistently is weeds. Part of my problem is that I do not take the time to prepare the soil so that plants have a chance of growing. Behind every beautiful garden are hours of hard work. Beautiful gardens do not just happen, they are made to happen. We can say the same thing about marriage. Movies and books lead us to believe that affection and romance just spontaneously erupt between two people who will then live happily ever after in a constant state of marital bliss. However, reality tells a different story. Behind every good marriage are years of faithful effort that produces the sweetness of affection. Good marriages do not just happen, they are made to happen. In the early days of a relationship, affection...

Since First Baptist approved the statement on biblical sexuality, we have received many questions about what the Bible teaches concerning sexuality and marriage. In response to this, we have put together numerous videos and a resource webpage. On this page, you will find resources on LGBTQ+ issues, the Sexuality Statement, and biblical wisdom for living in a world confused about gender and sexuality. Below are several video clips for you to watch and share with family and friends who have questions.   Is First Baptist Church Jacksonville Targeting the LGBTQ+ Community?   What is the Truth About First Baptist Church Jacksonville and the Sexuality Statement?   Is First Baptist Church Jacksonville Judgmental?   Is First Baptist Church Jacksonville Discriminating?   Who...

Mitigating the Shock Since the media began publicizing the First Baptist Statement on Biblical Sexuality, one of the most common reactions we have received is shock. Some have expressed shock that a Christian church would describe any biblical limits on sexual expression. Others are shocked that, believing such limits exist, we would say so. A response of shock comes to someone caught off guard. Likewise, shock at our statement comes from people who do not really understand what is going on regarding the church’s interaction with issues of sexuality. Every church out there has a position regarding LGBTQ+ issues. I want to make clear what the positions of those churches are in an effort to minimize the sense of shock that many feel. Every church out there fits into one of our options available. Open...

First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida will host an open mic event on Sunday evening, January 29, at 6:00 PM. This event will provide an opportunity for members of the community to come and publicly voice their concerns and questions to Pastor Heath regarding a recent action of the church to require their membership to sign a statement on biblical sexuality. “First Baptist Church of Jacksonville recently approved a statement on biblical sexuality that is required of all their members. Christian communities typically require statements of faith for membership, and this statement expresses a view of sexuality that is old as the Bible. Nevertheless, when word of this action became known in our community it inspired concern, questions, and anger. First Baptist Church desires to love our...