Sesquicentennial Celebration MC

My home county, Baker County, Florida, held a Sesquicentennial Celebration on Saturday and I was honored to be the Master of Ceremonies for the opening ceremonies.  The full day of activities included a parade, demonstrations, arts & crafts, civil war re-enactors, historic displays in the old jail, art exhibit, antique car show, a variety of music, historic tours, a fly-over by World War II P6’s, plenty of food, and much more!

I have a few photos from the event in this Baker Sesquicentennial Celebration photo gallery.

You can find additional photos and information at the links below:

• Baker County Press photos on Facebook
• Baker County Sesquicentennial on Facebook
• 150 Years of Baker website
• A "reminiscing" Blog post

Island Grove Revival Begins Friday Night

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I will be preaching revival services at Island Grove Baptist Church beginning Friday night.  The services will begin on Friday, September 30th and continue through Sunday night, October 2, 2011.  The Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening services will begin at 7pm and the Sunday morning service begins at 11am.  The church is located at 20905 SE 219th Ave. in Island Grove, Florida 32654.  Island Grove is 10 miles south of Hawthorne on US 301.  For more information call Pastor Steve Matchett at (352) 317-5525.

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

150 Years of Baker Celebrated on Saturday

A full day of activities will celebrate the 150th anniversary of one of Florida's First Coast Counties tomorrow.  Baker County is celebrating its' Sesquicentennial Celebration on Saturday, September 24th.  I have been asked to serve as a Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the day.  The events will be centered around a historic area of the City of Macclenny, and will include a parade, demonstrations, arts & crafts, civil war re-enactors, historic displays in the old jail, art exhibit in the library, antique car show, a variety of music, historic tours, a fly-over by World War II P6’s, plenty of food, and much more!  Visit the celebration website for more information about the events.  You'll also find some historic photos from the county on the site and links to even more photos of the area and families from the past.

Meeting Begins Sunday at New Oak Grove Baptist in Alachua

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I will be preaching  revival services at New Oak Grove Baptist Church beginning this Sunday morning, September 25th.  I'm looking forward to ministering again with my good friend and JCEA board member Pastor Terry Elixson.  The Sunday services will begin at 11am and 6pm and continue Monday-Wednesday at 6:30pm.  The church is located at 18100 NW 262nd Ave. in Alachua, Florida.  For more information contact Pastor Terry Elixson at (386) 462-3390.

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

I'm No Longer "Stoned"

I'm sorry it has taken a few days to update you on my exciting kidney stone adventure, but thankfully I have been a little busy getting caught up on some things.  I had my follow-up appointment, for the second kidney stone procedure, with the urologist on Monday.  The X-rays look clear, so apparently I have been "de-stoned".  I doubt that's a real word, but it sounds appropriate for the circumstances.  The doctor also removed the stent and I almost immediately felt better.  I'm serious!  I've felt a little stronger each day, but then I received the hospital bill for the first procedure!  WOW!!  Some weakness may be returning.  8-)

I want to thank you all for your prayers over these past five weeks, but most of all, I praise the Lord for His blessing me more than I deserve!

Southern Baptist Convention Name Change?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright has announced the appointment of a presidential task force to study the prospect of changing the 166-year-old convention's name.

Wright, who was re-elected to a second one-year term during the SBC annual meeting in Phoenix this past June, said he believes the study will be helpful for two main reasons.

"First, the convention's name is so regional," he said. "With our focus on church planting, it is challenging in many parts of the country to lead churches to want to be part of a convention with such a regional name. Second, a name change could position us to maximize our effectiveness in reaching North America for Jesus Christ in the 21st century."

Wright announced the task force during the opening session of the SBC Executive Committee's Sept. 19-20 meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

Read more of this story on Baptist Press.

First Baptist Lake Butler Wednesday

I will be preaching in supply for my pastor, Jason Johns, at First Baptist Church of Lake Butler, Wednesday evening, September 21, 2011.  The service will begin at 6:30pm.  The church is located at 195 East Main Street in Lake Butler, Florida.  For more information or directions call the church at (386) 496-3704.

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

A Season for Everything

The Back Pew

Baker Sesquicentennial Celebration September 24th

I have been asked to serve as a Master of Ceremonies (MC) during the Baker County Sesquicentennial Celebration on Saturday, September 24, 2011.  A full day of activities will celebrate the 150th anniversary of one of Florida's First Coast Counties.  The events will be centered around a historic area of the City of Macclenny, and will include a parade, demonstrations, arts & crafts, civil war re-enactors, historic displays in the old jail, art exhibit in the library, antique car show, a variety of music, historic tours, a fly-over by Jim Leward Air Ranch flying World War II P6’s, plenty of food, and much more!  Visit the celebration website for more information about the events or participating.  You'll also find some historic photos from the county on the site and links to even more photos of the area and families from the past.

Stone Procedure #2 Update

I had the second kidney stone procedure on Monday.  Praise the Lord that the pain level afterward was not as strong as the first one.  I still have some discomfort and I feel very fatigued.  The doctor said this time the stone did crumble.  I will return to the doctor the first of next week and he may remove the stent at that time.  I would appreciate everyone’s prayers for complete success as I am scheduled to begin a revival at New Oak Grove Baptist the following Sunday, September 25th.

New Oak Grove Meeting Begins September 25th

I will be preaching  revival services at New Oak Grove Baptist Church beginning in two weeks.  The meetings will begin on Sunday, September 25, 2011 and continue through Wednesday, September 28th.  The Sunday services will begin at 11am and 6pm with the Monday-Wednesday services beginning at 6:30pm.  The church is located at 18100 NW 262nd Ave. in Alachua, Florida.  For more information contact Pastor Terry Elixson at (386) 462-3390.

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

Where Was God?

The Back Pew

A Stubborn Kidney Stone

Well, it appears I have one stubborn kidney stone.  As reported earlier, I underwent a "sound blasting" procedure over two weeks ago that was supposed to destroy the 11-millimeter stone and allow it to pass.  Unfortunately it reduced the stone to 7-millimeters but did not destroy it.  I will undergo a different procedure called "Ureteroscopy" next Monday, September 12th.  If this procedure goes as planned, a laser will be used to destroy the stone and the larger pieces will be removed.  I will have a kidney stent for another 7 days to aid in the passing of the smaller pieces.

I'm really praying for this procedure to work as I have two back-to-back revival meetings beginning on Sunday, September 25th.  This means I will have two weeks for recovery before the meetings.  Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.

NOTE: The history of this "living stone".

Camp Sonrise 2012 Scheduled

The dates for Camp Sonrise 2012 have been set and I will once again be serving as the camp pastor.  The  annual children's camp sponsored by several churches in North and Central Florida will be held June 25-28, 2012.  "Camp Sonrise" is held at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Campground near Madison, Florida.  I will be leading devotions in the morning and preaching each night for the campers.  This will be my 4th year of ministering to the campers and staff and I'm excited to be participating again.  Please be in prayer for this opportunity.

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

Wrong Worship

Two Upcoming Revivals

Snow Tire?

The Back Pew

Oak Grove Baptist in October

I will be preaching one service of a week-long revival meeting at Oak Grove Baptist Church on Friday, October 7, 2011 at 7pm.  The revival meeting begins on Monday, October 3rd and will feature different speakers each night.  The church is located at 1007 N.E. Needmore Rd. about 12 miles north of Lake City, Florida.

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

Australia To Remove Christ From Textbooks

By Todd Starnes

Christians in Australia are accusing national education officials of “Christian cleansing” in response to pending changes in school books that would remove references to the birth of Jesus Christ.

The government would replace the terms BC, Before Christ, and AD, Anno Domini, with non-religious language. The new terms will be BCE (Before Common Era), BP (Before Present) and CE (Common Era).

A spokesman for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority told The Herald Sun that the new terms were an increasingly common standard for the representation of dates.

Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, told The Daily Telegraph that taking references to the birth of Jesus Christ out of school books was an “intellectually absurd attempt to write Christ out of human history.”

Read more of this story on FOX News Radio.

2,000-Year-Old Biblical Burial Box Reveals Clue About Death of Jesus

Rare inscriptions on a 2,000-year-old burial box may provide fresh insight to the death of Jesus Christ, researchers said.

Called an ossuary, the limestone box could reveal the home of Caiaphas, the high priest involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. The Israel Antiquities Authority, which confiscated the ossuary from looters three years ago, passed it along to Prof. Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Archaeology who led the authentication effort.

"Beyond any reasonable doubt, the inscription is authentic," Goren said, after conducting a thorough examination of the limestone box, which boasts decorative rosettes in addition to the inscription.

Goren’s findings mean the unusually descriptive inscription sheds light on one of the men behind Jesus’ death. The full inscription reads: "Miriam daughter of Yeshua son of Caiaphus, priest of Maaziah from Beth Imri," naming the deceased within the context of three generations and a potential location.

Read more of this story on FOX News.