Letters from the Pastor

Election Day in our country is next Tuesday, November 5. It is important for us to cover the entire process in prayer. As a subscriber to Christianity Today, I read the following prayer which is Christ-centered, unifying and appropriate to share with you for such a...

Today, about 28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religion. This segment of our population is described as the “Nones,” people who, when asked to describe their...

Chances are, you or someone you know has been a victim of bullying.  According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the...

In the October 4th Pastor’s Devotional on YouTube, I invited us to reflect on a powerful passage from Exodus 18:1-27, where Moses receives wise counsel from his father-in-law, Jethro. The key verses are Exodus 18:17-18 –  where Jethro says to a borderline burned-out...

Hurricane Helene made landfall on the night of September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140mph. It struck the panhandle of Florida in the “Big Bend” area, southeast of Tallahassee. This made it the strongest hurricane on record to strike...

In Sunday’s sermon (9/22), we focused on James chapters three and four where James differentiates between “heavenly wisdom” and “earthly wisdom.” According to James, we have a choice: to live in submission to one kind of wisdom or the other. Often, we find ourselves...

In part three of our study of the Book of James (James 3:1-12), we learned that our words have power. Through our words, we can build up or tear down. We can praise or curse. We can sow goodness and kindness, or sow hate and condemnation. In his letter to the churches...

In the sermon on September 8, we continued our walk through the Book of James. The message was titled, “Faith That Honors All.” Our key verse was “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” (James 2:1) James is...

This week, I’d like us to reflect on our purpose as followers of Jesus. Is our goal to be “biblical” or to be “Christlike”? Which posture is more likely to influence others for the kingdom? Which is more consistent with what Jesus taught his disciples?   My...

In the August issue of The Baptist Paper, BGAV Edition, the theme on the cover is titled, “Avoiding Burnout.” It refers to an article on the mental health of ministers written by Lindsey Williams. Mental health is an important topic in our time. Mental health...