I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Keith Stewart at Morriston Baptist Church
on Sunday, December 2, 2012. The services will begin at 8:30am and
11am. The church is located at 20291 SE 33rd Street in Morriston,
Florida. For more information call the church at (352) 528-4080.
How shall they hear without a preacher? —Romans 10:14
When Thomas Gallaudet graduated from seminary in 1814, he had planned
on becoming a preacher. However, his call to the ministry took a
different turn when he met Alice, a 9-year-old, hearing-impaired girl in
his neighborhood. Gallaudet began to communicate with her by writing
words with a stick in the dirt.
Helping Alice motivated him to help others too. After consulting with
European and American experts in educating the deaf, he refined a
system widely known today as “signing” (a person’s hands spell out the
message). Eventually, he established the American School for the Deaf.
Gallaudet’s school for the hearing-impaired contained a Christian
curriculum that shared the gospel and included Bible instruction. He had
answered the call to preach—but it was to a very special group of
people. Signing was the way he communicated the gospel.
Like Gallaudet, we too should be sharing the Word of God with people
in ways they can understand. Otherwise, “How shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a
preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). How might God want you to reach out to those
around you?
Seeking the lost, and pointing to Jesus, Souls that are weak and hearts that are sore; Leading them forth in ways of salvation, Showing the path to life evermore. —Ogden
Don’t withhold from the world the best news that’s ever come to it.
I will be preaching at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
for Pastor Richard Cason on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 10:30am. The
church is located at 1205 S.W. Mount Carmel Avenue in Lake City,
Florida. For more information call (386) 752-5277.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. —Romans 3:23
One of the fads of 1970s America was the motorcycle jump. This trend
reached its high (and low) point on September 8, 1974. Thousands of
spectators gathered around the Snake River Canyon in Idaho to see if
Evel Knievel could jump across the chasm in a specially designed “sky
cycle.” In the end, however, it was unsuccessful. Knievel made it only
part of the way across the gulf before his parachute deployed and he
dropped to the canyon floor below. Some spectators asked, “How far
across the canyon did he get?” But that wasn’t the point. He didn’t make
it all the way across, so he fell short of his goal.
This scene is a good illustration of sin. The Bible talks about sin
in Romans 3:23, where Paul declared, “All have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.” No one is capable of bridging the gap between God and
ourselves by our own efforts, but the Savior came to do just that on
our behalf. Christ perfectly fulfilled God’s standards, then gave His
life on the cross to pay for our failure and wrongdoing. Where we could
only fall short, Christ’s work, offered in love, accomplished all that
was needed.
Our response is to trust Him and receive this matchless gift of salvation.
There is no other name on earth By whom salvation’s given Save Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, God’s precious gift from heaven. —Stairs
The cross of Christ bridges the gap we could never cross on our own.
In 1984 I felt the call to public service and made a run for the Baker County Commission and was elected. During my first meeting on the commission I was elected as Chairman at the ripe-old age of 26 (See the Flashback 1984 video below).
Last year I began to sense the Lord again leading me toward entering the race for county commissioner. After
much prayer on the subject by myself and many others I entered the race
in April of this year. Our campaign was not well financed and we had a
small number of volunteers. A simple gallbladder surgery in May turned
out to be not-so-simple and I'm sure some political pundits saw this as a political setback, but God had other plans.
As the campaign moved forward it began to resemble a "David and Goliath"
scenario as we operated on a shoestring budget, but God had other
plans. (Listen to our David and Goliath commercial below)
During the weeks leading up to the election I spoke with many citizens
and spent many hours waving at passing motorists in various areas of
Baker County. Some of my supporters were worried that our efforts might
not be enough, but God had other plans!
On Tuesday, August 14, 2012 the voters of Baker County elected James "The Giant" Croft to the District 1 County Commission seat with 53% of the vote! God deserves all of the glory, honor and praise!!
Twenty-eight years after taking my first Oath of Office, on Tuesday,
November 20, 2012, I will be sworn-in to begin another four-year term on
the Board of Commissioners. The ceremony begins at 6pm at the Baker County Administration Building in Macclenny, Florida. I sincerely ask for your prayers as I
begin this new journey of service.
PLEASE NOTE: The various ministries of James Croft Evangelistic Association will continue; i.e. preaching, JOY Box, Ghana mission, etc. Your prayerful and financial support of the JCEA is vital to our continuing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world!
Hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death. —Philippians 2:29-30
During basic training, Desmond Doss irritated his drill instructor
and fellow soldiers. A pacifist by conviction, he refused to carry a
weapon into battle, and this made his peers doubt his courage. Trained
as a medic, the young Christian had no qualms about facing combat. But
his goal was to save lives.
Doubts about Doss would change, however, when his military unit faced
combat. During the World War II Battle of Okinawa, he ducked under
machine gun fire to pull the wounded to safety. He prayed, “Lord, give
me the strength to save just one more wounded soldier.” Eventually he
lowered more than 70 injured men down a hill for further medical
attention. For his efforts, Desmond Doss was awarded the Medal of
Honor—the highest honor his country could bestow.
Scripture tells of another Christian who took great personal risks to
help others. Of Epaphroditus, Paul wrote, “Hold such men in esteem;
because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his
life” (Phil. 2:29-30).
Around the world today, many believers risk their lives for the cause
of Christ. Let’s pray that our God will protect them as they serve Him
under threatening circumstances.
O Lord, listen to our cry for mercy; in Your faithfulness come to the relief of those who are in danger because of their faith. For Your name’s sake, preserve their lives; in Your righteousness, bring them out of trouble.
Courage is not having strength to go on—it is going on when you don’t have the strength.
This video features a discussion by the writers of the song "Angel Flight" about the true story behind the song. The song follows the discussion and is powerful.
I pray our nation never forgets those who gave all that we may live free!!
I will be filling-in for Pastor Randy Williams at First Baptist Church of Glen St. Mary Sunday, November 11th. The service will begin at 6pm. The church
is located at 9846 George L. Taber Blvd. in Glen St. Mary, Florida.
I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Earl Tuten at Shiloh Baptist Church
this Sunday, November 4, 2012. The services will begin at 10:45am and
6pm. The church is located at 173 Shiloh Way in Fort White, Florida.
For more information call the church at (386) 454-4978.
