New Look For Blogs, Website Updates

If you're a regular visitor to this site, I'm sure you have noticed some color changes on this blog. This is an attempt to have a more uniform look to all of our ministry websites. You'll also see the same look on the blogs for the podcast and video ministries. These sites, along with our guest book, ministry resource links, and site search pages, are all designed to now open within the ministry website. This allows site visitors to view them without leaving jamescroft.org and keeps the navigation system accessible at all times.

I've also added a few pages in the last week that you might find interesting. The media coverage page has been redesigned and new content added. This page lists newspaper articles, radio interviews, multi-media presentations and television stories about the ministries of the James Croft Evangelistic Association. A page listing photo galleries has also been added to the site. Twelve galleries are currently listed and more will be added on a regular basis. Eventually all photos that have appeared on this blog will be added to the list, as well as, some new photos that have not been used here. The galleries are viewable by date or category. I'll update future additions in posts on this site.

I hope you will take a few minutes and look over the changes and additions. Give it a test drive and let me know what you think by clicking "comments" below or send me an e-mail. Also, please feel free to share this internet ministry with others. My prayer is that hearts will be touched, lives changed and the lost saved by use of these web tools. Boy, that's exciting!

One More Picture...

Serious Tithing

Try This

NOTE: If you have a good digital photo of a great church sign, send it to me and I may post it on this site.

Preaching On "The Hill" In Tallahassee Sunday

I will be preaching on "the hill", Chapel Hill that is, this Sunday morning at 10am. This is Chapel Hill Baptist Church's "Pack-The-Pews Sunday" They will be combining their morning worship services and having dinner on the grounds afterward. Chapel Hill Baptist is located at 224 Chapel Drive in Tallahassee, Florida. For more information or directions call (850) 222-6900.

Father And Son Bowl-off

Florida Baptist Witness Article About Home Rehab

NOTE: This article is on the front page of the March 26, 2009 edition of the Florida Baptist Witness, the state newspaper of the Florida Baptist Convention.

Churches come together to redo evangelist's home
By JON M. FLETCHER
Special to the Florida Baptist Witness

OLUSTEE (FBW)—Coming together to help a brother in need, folks from several local churches joined forces to make repairs and improvements on the home of Olustee-resident and Southern Baptist evangelist James Croft.

Around 50 men from Raiford Road Church, First Baptist Church in Lake Butler (Croft’s home church), New Oak Grove Baptist Church, First Baptist Church in Cuyler and Cedar Creek Church labored together for five days, using about $4,000 in material donated by churches.

Read the entire story and view photos at the Florida Baptist Witness.

Additional info about this story:

• Churches Lend Helping Hands
• "Working On A Building" video
• Photo Galleries: "Home Improvement"
  
• "Volunteers rehab evangelist's home" Baker County Press
  

New Oak Grove Baptist Scheduled For June

I will be preaching at New Oak Grove Baptist Church on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 6pm. This will be a special service following the Camp Sunrise Children's Camp. New Oak Grove Baptist Church is located at 18100 NW 262nd Ave. near Alachua, Florida. For more information call Pastor Terry Elixson at (386) 462-3390.

First Baptist Macclenny In April

I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Edsel Bone on Sunday, April 19, 2009 at First Baptist Church of Macclenny. The service will begin at 10:45am and is also broadcast on WJXR 92.1 FM beginning at 11am. First Baptist Church is located at 372 S. 6th. Street in Macclenny, Florida. For more information call Pastor Edsel Bone at (904) 259-2933.

The Tacks Collector

The Memorial Stone

Sam died. His will provided $30,000 for an elaborate funeral.

As the last guests departed the affair, his wife Sarah turned to her oldest and dearest friend, Jody, and said, "Well, I'm sure Sam would be pleased."

"I'm sure you're right," replied Jody, who lowered her voice and leaned in close. "How much did this really cost?"

"All of it," said Sarah. "Thirty thousand."

"No!" Jody exclaimed. "I mean, it was very nice, but $30,000?"

Sarah answered, "The funeral was $6,500... I donated $500 to the church... the food, drinks and snacks were another $500... and the rest went for the Memorial Stone."

Jody computed quickly. "$22,500 for a Memorial Stone? My Goodness, how big is it?"

"Two and a half carats."

"Pack The Pews" This Sunday In Tallahassee

I will be preaching at Chapel Hill Baptist Church's "Pack-The-Pews Sunday" this Sunday, March 29th at 10 a.m. They will be combining their morning worship services and having dinner on the grounds afterward. Chapel Hill Baptist is located at 224 Chapel Drive in Tallahassee, Florida. For more information or directions call (850) 222-6900.

Most Recent Videos

Have you seen our most recent videos? If not, you can check them out on the player below. Don't have time today, no problem, you can always find the player on our ministry website. Feel free to share these videos with others too. Our videos can be embedded or linked to on your website, or you can download them to watch later without being online. Just check out the following links for more info.

• JCEA Video Blog
• iTunes Link
• YouTube Channel
• GospelTube Videos
• Tangle Videos (formerly GodTube)
• Video Ministry RSS Feed
• Vimeo Videos
  

You can receive e-mail notifications when new videos are added:
Subscribe to Walking With The Giant Videos by Email

You may also contribute financially to this ministry to help with evangelism projects by following this link:

• Credit Card, Check or Money Order

Brandy Branch Baptist Tomorrow Morning

I will be preaching in supply for my friend Rusty Bryan, pastor of Brandy Branch Baptist Church tomorrow morning. His son is in a Jacksonville hospital, so please join me in praying for his recovery. The morning worship service will begin 10am. The church is located at 1906 Brandy Branch Church Place in Bryceville, Florida.

Fisher Of Fish?

A Sunday school teacher was teaching her young students about Noah and the ark. She asked them what they thought Noah may have done to pass the time in the ark for forty days. After waiting a few moments, the teacher suggested, “Maybe he did a lot of fishing. How about that?”

One little boy gave her a funny look and said, “I don't think so. It’s kinda hard to fish with just two worms!”

Anjelah Nicole Johnson

Anjelah Johnson is a comedian that also professes to be a Christian. Read more about her on her Official Website or on MySpace. Her website even has a link to The Word and states it is her daily source for focus and credits God with her success. Her MySpace page contains the following:

When artistic talent is enlivened by the Spirit of God, it becomes an act of worship.

The measure of our lives is not the absence of failure but the presence of GODs gracious forgiveness -unknown

Just when you think, “There’s no way,” Jesus steps in and calls Himself--- "The Way."

This is GREAT comedy and I hope you enjoy it. Share your thoughts by clicking "comments" below.

Are You A "Real" Leprechaun?

By far the two most popular questions asked of me yesterday at Baker County Pre-K/Kindergarten Center were "Are you a 'real' leprechaun?" and "If you're a "real" leprechaun, where's your gold?" There is no telling how many of the children asked me those questions during my annual St. Patrick's Day visit.

Running a close second to the "real" questions was "Why are you so little?" I always love hearing this question because it gives me an opportunity to tell the students how God made each one of us different: some tall; some short; some skinny; some heavy; some different colors, and so on. No matter what the questions may be, the children really seemed to enjoy our visit and teachers tell me it is talked about long after the session ends. In fact, after last year's "leprechaun" visit I received a very nice e-mail from the parent of a student saying her child's excitement continued for some time.

During yesterday's visit with the children, we were joined by a representative of the Florida Times-Union newspaper in Jacksonville. Today's edition of the newspaper features a photo from the event on the front page of the Metro section. The photo is of Baker County Superintendent of Schools Sherrie Raulerson and the leprechaun as one session got underway. She took time from her busy schedule to thank me for volunteering my time for this annual event. The Times-Union also produced a video of the event. I have embedded the video at the end of this post. A High Definition version of the same video may be viewed on Vimeo. It may take longer to buffer and play if you have a slower internet connection speed. An online photo gallery from the leprechaun's day at school is also available on the newspaper's website.

I always enjoy reading a leprechaun story on St. Patty's Day at this school because the teachers go all-out with the theme and make it very easy for me. Principal Fay Sinclair, Assistant Principal Bonnie Jones, the teachers and staff are certainly a joy for this ol' leprechaun to work with and to be around. May God bless you all for your efforts in teaching these blessings from God!

A Visit from the Leprechaun

Florida Times-Union

Summary of links in this story:

• Baker County Pre-K/Kindergarten Center
• Florida Times-Union (newspaper)
• Florida Times-Union (video)
• Vimeo (video)
• Florida Times-Union (photo gallery)
  

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today I become a "real" leprechaun for the day at a local school. Boy, am I excited!

I'll share some photos with you later.

An Irish Blessing

May the blessing of light be upon you
Light on the outside and light on the inside
With God's sunlight shining on you,
May your heart glow with warmth like a turf fire
That welcomes friends and strangers alike.

May the light of the Lord shine from your eyes
like a candle in the window,
welcoming the weary traveler.

May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you
Falling gently on your head
refreshing your soul with the sweetness
of little flowers newly blooming.

May the strength of the winds of heaven bless you,
carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean
sparkling after, in the sunlight.

May the blessing of God's earth be on you
and as you walk the roads, may you always
have a kind word for those you meet.

May you understand the strength and power
of God in a thunderstorm in Winter,
the quiet beauty of creation and the calm of a Summer sunset.

And may you come to realize that insignificant
as you may seem in this great universe,
you are an important part of God's plan.

May He watch over you and keep you safe from harm.

Roma Downey and Phil Coulter

NOTE: You can listen to or download a free mp3 of this at beemp3.com.

Two Churches Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Sunday, March 15th, I will be preaching at two different churches for the morning and evening services. Beginning at 11am I will be preaching a special service at First Baptist Church of Olustee. The message will be a challenge to the church as it prepares for revival services in April. The church is located at 23311 Lakeside Lane in Olustee, Florida.

I will be preaching at my home church, First Baptist of Lake Butler, at 6pm. This will be my first time to speak to my home church since my hip surgery and I will be sharing my testimony on how the Lord worked during this time. The church is located at 195 East Main Street in Lake Butler, Florida.

NOTE: For up-to-date information on my preaching schedule visit the schedule page of my ministry website. If you would like to receive schedule information via e-mail follow this link: Subscribe to James Croft Ministry Opportunities by Email.

Too Little, Too Late?

A man arrived at the Pearly Gates, waiting to be admitted. St. Peter opened the gate and said, “I’ve been checking your file. I can’t see that you did anything really good in your life, but you never did anything bad either. I’ll tell you what—if you can tell me one really good deed that you did, I’ll admit you.”

So the man answered, “Once I was driving down the road and saw a gang of thugs attaching a poor man along the side of the road. So I pulled over, got out of my car, grabbed a tire iron, and walked straight up to the gang’s leader—a huge, ugly guy with a chain running from his nose to his ear. Undaunted, I ripped the chain out of his ear and smashed him over the head with the tire iron. Then I turned around and, wielding my tire iron, yelled to the rest of them, “You all leave this poor man alone! Go home before I teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”

Impressed, St. Peter asked, “Really? I can’t seem to find this in your file. When did all this happen?”

"Oh, about two minutes ago.”

tris·kai·deka·pho·bia

tris·kai·deka·pho·bia

Pronunciation: \ˌtris-ˌkī-ˌde-kə-ˈfō-bē-ə, ˌtris-kə-\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek treiskaideka thirteen (from treis three + kai and + deka ten) + New Latin phobia

Date: circa 1911

: fear of the number 13

Source: Merriam-Webster Online Search

Do you have a fear of the number "13"?

Even though it is Friday the 13th, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

How about you?

Interesting Balloons

Step 1. Tie balloons to car.
Step 2. Drive like crazy.
Step 3. Watch people freak out!!!

Elisha and Two She-Bears

A minister was talking to a children's Sunday school class about the Old Testament story of the children who mocked Elisha on his journey to Bethel. For once, he had everyone's attention, as he described how the youngsters taunted the poor old prophet and how they were punished: Two she-bears came out of the wild and ate 42 of them."And now, children," said the pastor, wondering whether he had gotten his point across, “what does this story show us?”

A little girl in the front raised her hand and said, "It shows how many children two she-bears can hold."

Olustee, Lake Butler Services Sunday

I will be preaching in two different churches this Sunday, March 15th.

Sunday morning at 11am I will be preaching a special service at First Baptist Church of Olustee. The message will be a challenge to the church as it prepares for revival services in April. For more information call Pastor Mike Williams at (386) 752-1614. The church is located at 23311 Lakeside Lane in Olustee, Florida.

I will be preaching at my home church, First Baptist of Lake Butler, at 6pm. This will be my first time to speak to my home church since my hip surgery and I will be sharing my testimony on how the Lord worked during this time. The church is located at 195 East Main Street in Lake Butler, Florida. For more information call Pastor Jason Johns at (386) 496-3704.

Please be in prayer for both of these services.

NOTE: For up-to-date information on my preaching schedule visit the schedule page of my ministry website. If you would like to receive schedule information via e-mail follow this link: Subscribe to James Croft Ministry Opportunities by Email.

Leprechaun To Read To Students On St. Patty's Day

A real live "Leprechaun" will make an appearance at a Macclenny, Florida school on St. Patrick's Day. I will be reading a story to students at Baker County Pre-K/Kindergarten Center and, of course, answering some of their questions. The kids always enjoy this event and the leprechaun does too. 8-)

Husbands Love Your Wife

The Back Pew

New Video Outlet For JCEA

I have created a new video outlet for the video ministry of James Croft Evangelistic Association. It is a group on Vimeo.com. At this point only six of our videos have been uploaded. I'll add more in the next few days.

I was first introduced to this site by Jon Fletcher when he presented the Working On A Building video. So far, I like the interface and the service. Let me know what you think by clicking "comments" below.

Don't forget, our videos are also available on the following:

• JCEA Video Blog
• iTunes Link
• YouTube Channel
• GospelTube Videos
• Tangle Videos (formerly GodTube)
• Video Ministry RSS Feed

A Helping Hand From A Friend

Jesus In My Heart?

The Back Pew