Lake Butler First Tonight

I will be preaching in supply for my pastor, Jason Johns, tonight at First Baptist Church of Lake Butler. The service begins at 6:30pm. The church is located at 195 East Main Street in Lake Butler, Florida.

Gainesville Revival Scheduled For October

I will be preaching revival services at Lighthouse Baptist Church on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 10:45am and 6pm.  The services will continue Monday-Wednesday, October 26-28, 2009 at 7pm nightly.  The church is located at 2611 NW 68th Ave. in Gainesville, Florida  32653.  For more info call Pastor Mike Killian at (352) 372-6090.

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.

Cedar Creek Pastor Appreciation Sunday

I will be preaching for Pastor Appreciation Sunday at Cedar Creek Church this Sunday, October 4, 2009.  The celebration for Pastor Wayne Williams will begin at 11am.  The church is located at 14742 County Road 124, north of Sanderson, Florida.

Circle The Cat Game

Here's one of those games that can become very addictive, it is called "Circle The Cat".  The object is to box-in the cat where he can no longer move about.  I must say the cat is very smart, so the game is quite challenging.

God In A Box?

The Back Pew

Red Barn Gospel Sing In October

I will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the annual Red Barn Gospel Sing on Saturday, October 10, 2009.  Featured musicians include Southland Quartet (Cross City, FL), The Anchors (Wildwood, FL), Gail Moore (Olustee, FL), Dave & Sherrie (Sanderson, FL), Barbara Croft (Olustee, FL), Bobbi Croft (Virginia Beach, VA), and Eddie Croft (Sanderson, FL).  The covered-dish meal begins at 4:30pm and the music at 6pm.  The Red Barn is located on Willie Griffis Road off CR127 north of Sanderson, Florida.  For more info call (904) 275-2372 or (904) 275-2079.

Read a story about the Red Barn Gospel Sing at The Baker County Press.

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.

High Attendance Day At Sardis On Sunday

I will be preaching at Sardis Baptist Church this Sunday,September 27, 2009 at 8:30am and 11am. These services are serving as a "high attendance day" for the church. Sardis Baptist Church is located on State Road 121 in Worthington Springs, Florida. For more information call Pastor Paul O'Steen at (386) 496-3685.

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.

True Confession?

New Website For Jon Fletcher

My  good friend Jon Fletcher now has a redesigned website.  Jon is a photojournalist for the Florida Times-Union newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida.  He also made two mission trips with James Croft Evangelistic Association to Ghana, West Africa (2003 & 2004).  In 2008 he received a prestigious award voted by his peers, the National Press Photographers Association's (NPPA) 2007 Region Six Still Photographer of the Year.  He has won many other awards during his career.

Visit his redesigned website at http://www.jonmfletcher.com.

Sardis Baptist Sunday

I will be preaching at Sardis Baptist Church this Sunday,September 27, 2009 at 8:30am and 11am. These services are serving as a "high attendance day" for the church. Sardis Baptist Church is located on State Road 121 in Worthington Springs, Florida. For more information call Pastor Paul O'Steen at (386) 496-3685.

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.

Responsive Reading?

The Back Pew

Talk Like A Pirate Day 2009

Today, September 19th, is the official International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

This certainly is not a Christian holiday, but it is a funny story. For more information visit the official website.

Arrr, I hope you have a great "Talk Like A Pirate Day" and if you don't, you may be forced to walk the plank. Shiver me timbers that's no fun a'tall.

Hey, what if we had a "Talk Like Jesus Day" (which should be every day)?!?! I think the Gospel of Jesus Christ would be shared with the lost of the world very quickly if born-again believers would truly talk and WALK like Jesus EVERY DAY and not just on Sundays!!!

NOTE: You never know what you may read on the "Walking With The Giant" blog!!!

Judge rules in favor of Pace school officials on trial for meal prayer

PENSACOLA (FBW) – Delivering a stern warning before issuing a ruling finding two Santa Rosa County School District employees innocent of willfully disobeying a lawful order, U.S. District Judge Margaret C. “Casey” Rodgers called the debate over their trial “healthy,” but warned America is a “democracy” and not a “theocracy” and the court is not a church, mosque or a temple.

“At the end of the day in this court,” it’s the opinion of the United States Supreme Court that decides the constitutionality of prayer in schools, Rodgers said.

Read more of this story at Florida Baptist Witness.

Share your thoughts by clicking "comments" below.

On Constitution Day, Sept. 17, two school administrators face jail time for lunch prayer

PENSACOLA (FBW)-On the anniversary of the day 39 men signed the United States Constitution, Sept. 17, two Santa Rosa County School District administrators will face criminal contempt charges in court for a prayer offered at a booster lunch.

Principal Frank Lay and athletic director Robert Freeman of Pace High School may face jail time if a federal judge rules they violated a court order issued Jan. 9 that forbid employees from "promoting, advancing, aiding, facilitating, endorsing, or causing religious prayers or devotionals during school sponsored events."

Charges were filed against Lay and Freeman after Lay, who is in his 20th year as the school's principal, asked Freeman to offer a prayer before the meal at a Jan. 29 luncheon in the school's field house honoring boosters and other adults. Lay is a member of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.

Read more of this article at Florida Baptist Witness.

Share your thoughts on this story by clicking "comments" below.

Leave Me Alone

The Back Pew

One at a Time, House to House

POCKET DEVOTIONS: Time With God's Word

Acts 20:20
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

Thoughts for Today:

Too often we see the mega-evangelical crowds of five thousand, ten thousand, even one hundred thousand, and we think that in order to do effective ministry we need to generate the glamour, glitz and media hype to attract thousands. In our passage today, Paul provides the example that evangelism has both a public and private ("house to house") component. Jesus showed us through His example that He not only taught the mega-crowds (Matthew 14 Jesus fed and taught five thousand, and in Matthew 15 the crowd numbered four thousand), but also was not too big to get intimate -- one on one. Jesus talked personally to Nicodemus (John 3), the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), a demon-possessed man in the cemetery, and a woman subject to a bleeding disorder (Luke 8).

One of the things I appreciate so much about Jesus is His willingness to have a close, personal, and nurturing relationship with me individually. If we are not careful, in the course of large 'church programs,' we can forget one of the more important aspects of Christian witness and ministry that is the need for our personal involvement -- one at a time "and from house to house."

Questions to Ponder:

Who do you teach one on one? When was the last time you took an interest in someone individually? Too often we expect the professionals (pastors and staff) to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to interpersonal relationships. It is no wonder that churches everywhere suffer from a lack of personal touch. Where should this come from, who should it come from? The answer: you and me. Who could you take a personal interest in today?

Can You Talk Like A Pirate?

This Saturday, September 19, 2009 will be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. What in the world is that all about you may ask. What once was a goofy idea celebrated by a handful of friends has turned into an international phenomenon that shows no sign of letting up. The "pirate guys" were first mentioned in an article by nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Dave Berry seven years ago and the rest is history, well, sort of. You can visit the official website for more details. One of the great ideas mentioned on the website for celebrating the day is Pirates for Parkinsons charity walks all over the world to raise money for a good cause while havin' a rip-roarin' good time.

Are We There Yet?

Serving the Lord or Serving People?

POCKET DEVOTIONS: Time With God's Word

Acts 20:19a
I served the Lord...

Thoughts for Today:

The movie, "The End of the Spear" is the true story of a young boy and his family growing up with the Ecuadoran tribe who murdered his missionary father and friends -- the very tribesmen they had intended to save. Many of us in a similar situation would be more consumed with rage and retribution than we would with preaching Jesus and salvation.

In our passage today one might ask the question, how was Paul able to go on with his mission despite regularly being ridiculed, verbally attacked, threatened, and even physically beaten? The answer: because he served the Lord rather than people. It is the same message retold and relearned in "The End of the Spear" -- serve God not man. It is the only way we are able to overcome the pain and disappointment we are bound to encounter when we try to serve sin-filled man.

Questions to Ponder:

Have you been let down, disappointed and thoroughly disgusted with the people who you have tried to help? Has your experience affected your desire to want to get involved again? In other words, why help someone who is just going to make waste of all your effort, right? Wrong! An appropriate heart for service is to the Lord, not man. Man may be the recipient, but the author is God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

School Prayer

The Back Pew

NOTE: Please share your thoughts by clicking "comments" below.

Athens Baptist In October

I will be preaching on Evangelistic Sunday at Athens Baptist Church October 11, 2009. The services will begin at 11am and 6pm.  The church is located at 9090 SW CR240, south of Lake City, Florida in the community of Columbia City.  For more information call Pastor Walter Bowman at (386) 719-3844.

Cedar Creek Church In October

I will be preaching on Pastor Appreciation Sunday at Cedar Creek Church on October 4, 2009.  The celebration for Pastor Wayne Williams will begin at 11am.  The church is located at 14742 County Road 124, north of Sanderson, Florida.

How Do You Get To Heaven?

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?" I asked the children in my Sunday school class.

"NO!" the children all answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into heaven?"

Again the answer was, "NO!""Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into heaven?" I asked them again.

Once more they all answered, "NO!"

"Well," I continued, thinking they were a good bit more theologically sophisticated than I had given them credit for, "then how can I get into heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "You gotta be dead!"

Christian Checklist

The Back Pew

Huntsville Baptist Tomorrow

I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Jim Steele at Huntsville Baptist Church tomorrow, September 6, 2009. The services will begin at 10:45 AM and 6 PM. The church is located at 5720 NW Lake Jeffery Road near Lake City, Florida.

Turbulent Times

A plane hit a patch of severe turbulence and the passengers were holding on tight as it rocked and reeled through the night. A little old lady turned to a minister who was sitting behind her and said, "You're a man of God. Can't you do something about this?"

He replied, "Sorry, I can't. I'm in sales, not management."

FBCLB Tonight

I will be preaching in supply for my pastor, Jason Johns, tonight at First Baptist Church of Lake Butler. The service begins at 6:30pm. The church is located at 195 East Main Street in Lake Butler, Florida.

Are You "Expected"?

 

The Back Pew