Morriston Baptist This Sunday

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.

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.

The Deaf Hear

Our Daily Bread

Read: Romans 10:1-14

 

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.

Oath of Office Photos & Article

James Croft takes Oath of Office for Baker County Commission.

 
Photos from the Oath of Office Ceremony last week are viewable at this link.

The story about the ceremony is located on The Baker County Press website at this link.

Mt. Carmel on Sunday Morning

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.

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.

Falling Short

Our Daily Bread

Read: Romans 3:19-28

 

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.

Oath of Office Tomorrow

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!

At Risk For The Savior

Our Daily Bread

Read: Philippians 2:25-30

 

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.

Veteran's Day

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!!

First Baptist Glen St. Mary Sunday Night

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.

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.

Who Do You Trust?

"I'm thankful I'm not putting my trust in an elephant or a donkey but in a Lamb."

Shiloh in Ft. White on Sunday

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.

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.