Toothpicks On Field Sideline Football Game

NOTE: Some folks either take losing way too seriously or they have nothing else to do except something evil? Post your thoughts by clicking "comments" below and don't forget to pray for whoever is responsible for this act.

SAGINAW, Mich. -- Thousands of toothpicks caused a big problem for the Tawas Braves high school football team.

Friday night's highly anticipated matchup between rivals Tawas and the Alcona Tigers was to determine a play-off spot for one of the teams, WNEM-TV in Saginaw reported.

Read more of this story on News4Jax.

Ill. Lawmakers Override Veto; Schools Required to Start with Moment of Silence

Illinois schools are now required to give students a moment of silence at the beginning of the day so that they may pray or reflect after state lawmakers approved the mandate last Thursday.

The House agreed with the Senate in a 74-37 vote to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto of the legislation.

The law, which took effect immediately, reads: “In each public school classroom the teacher in charge shall observe a brief period of silence with the participation of all the pupils therein assembled at the opening of every school day. This period shall not be conducted as a religious exercise but shall be an opportunity for silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day.”

Read more of this story on The Christian Post.

Sign At The Electric Company

We would be delighted if you send in your payment. However, if you don't, you will be.

Blog Poll #14

Our current Blog Poll (#14) is about whether "baptism" is essential for salvation. You can cast your vote in the left-hand column of this site. Voting will end on Saturday night.

Here are the results for last week's poll.

Recovering a bold vision for preaching

NOTE: This is a very good editorial. Feel free to share your thoughts by clicking "comments" below.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Is preaching still central to Christian worship? This question is asked again and again as contemporary evangelicalism is observed. How can this be up for question?

In some circles, preaching has fallen on hard times. An open debate is now being waged over the character and centrality of preaching in the church. At stake is nothing less than the integrity of Christian worship and proclamation.

How did this happen? Given the central place of preaching in the New Testament church, it would seem that the priority of biblical preaching should be uncontested. After all, as John A. Broadus -- one of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's founding faculty -- famously remarked, "Preaching is characteristic of Christianity. No other religion has made the regular and frequent assembling of groups of people, to hear religious instruction and exhortation, an integral part of Christian worship."

Read more of this opinion on Baptist Press.

Cell Phone Problem?

Huckabee Interview

I rarely post any articles about the ongoing presidential campaign, but this one caught my eye since it involves a former Southern Baptist pastor. Religion & Ethics newsletter is the source for this interesting interview with Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee. The interview covers the role his Christianity plays in his daily life and in making decisions. He also discusses his time as a Southern Baptist pastor and his current church attendance.

Huckabee also addresses his belief that some Christian conservatives are looking for an electable candidate and may be willing to sacrifice some of their beliefs.

Huckabee says, "I think that some of them, frankly, are more intoxicated with power than principle, and I know that's a pretty outrageous if not rather bold statement to make, but I think it's the truth. Some have become so acquainted now with power and have been so close to it that they forget that the purpose for which they got involved in politics was not to be close to power; it was to speak the truth to power."

Read the interview on Religion & Ethics.

An Atheist's Hell

A young lady came home from a date looking rather sad. She told her mother, "Arthur proposed to me an hour ago."

"Then why are you so sad?" her mother asked.

"Because he also told me he was an atheist. Mom, he doesn't even believe there's a hell."

Her mother replied, "Marry him anyway. Between the two of us, we'll show him how wrong he is."

Liberty Counsel announces petition drive against Radio Disney

A Christian legal organization has launched a petition drive asking Radio Disney to stop censoring the word "God" from advertising promoting the new movie, The Ten Commandments.

Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver says he recently received a copy of an email from a Radio Disney advertising executive that instructed that the phrase "chosen by God" be omitted from ads playing on the network. The animated movie by Promenade Pictures opens this Friday in theaters nationwide.

Read more of this story on One News Now.

New Oak Grove Baptist Added To Schedule

I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Terry D. Elixson at New Oak Grove Baptist Church on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 11am. The church is located at 18100 NW 262nd Ave. near Alachua, Florida. For more information call Pastor Terry Elixson at (386) 462-3390. Please be in prayer for this service.

One Saved At Deep Creek

I had a great time preaching at the 132nd homecoming at Oak Grove Baptist Church yesterday (Sunday). It's always a pleasure to worship and minister at the church located north of Lake City, Florida. The music led by Skipper Mimbs was great and so was the food after the service. During the service we also got to witness a great miracle. A lady named Donna Sundburg was saved. Praise the Lord!

By the way, just in case you're wondering, Skipper Mimbs is the father of Brian Mimbs, pastor of Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida. Brian is a member of the board of directors of the James Croft Evangelistic Association.

I often post puns and jokes on this site that Brian prints in his church's newsletter. He calls that section of the newsletter "Heard Around Deep Creek". Well, Oak Grove Baptist Church is located in the area of Columbia County known as Deep Creek. Now, you know all of the connections!

Pictured in the photo, left to right, are Oak Grove Baptist pastor Lewis Daniels, Evangelist James Croft, Donna Sundburg and Music Director Skipper Mimbs.

Oak Grove Baptist Church is located at 1007 N.E. Needmore Rd., north of Lake City, Florida. If you ever find yourself in the Deep Creek area on Sunday or Wednesday night, drop on by Oak Grove Baptist. Pastor Lewis Daniels and all of the folks will make you feel right at home.

Costly Gift

Our Daily Bread

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READ: Romans 3:21-26

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23

About this cover

A Rolex watch is one of the finest timepieces made. Many people would jump at the opportunity to own one. That’s why my friends who recently traveled abroad thought it would be fun to pick up a few of them to give to their children as souvenirs.

Souvenirs? Yes. You see, these watches were "knockoffs"—imitations of the real thing easily passed off to tourists at ridiculously cheap prices. The ones Denny and Carol chose for their family members did have a slight difference from the ones you would buy at a fine jewelry store—the name on these watches was spelled R-O-L-E-X-X.

Few things of value are inexpensive. Fewer still are free. But salvation—the most important gift of all—is free. Unlike the imitation Rolex, salvation is of infinite value. Yet it is free because, as one hymn reminds us, "Jesus paid it all." No one can earn salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). We need only believe and receive the gift of eternal life that God offers (Rom. 6:23).

It’s a paradoxical truth that while salvation is free, its cost was great. Oswald Chambers wrote, "Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary."

Anyone who teaches something else is simply pushing a "knockoff" of the real thing. —Cindy Hess Kasper

Oh, how great a gift Jesus gave to me!
Lived a perfect life, died upon a tree;
Not for me alone has He paid the price,
But for all the world by His sacrifice. —Hess

Our salvation was infinitely costly to God, but it is absolutely free to us.

For similar resources, search these topics:

Basics Of Faith > Jesus Christ > Death/Cross

Caveman Stuff

I’ve always been a fan of the cartoon “B.C.”. I also enjoy those Geico caveman commercials. Here’s a cartoon that brings them together.

Portable Video Players Are Going Mainstream

NOTE: This study reveals the benefit for ministries to utilize audio and video podcasting in their efforts. The James Croft Evangelistic Association offers an audio podcast, Walking With The Giant, and a video podcast, Walking With The Giant Videos. Both of these are also available on iTunes.

Portable video players, like Apple’s latest iPod nanos, are going mainstream, according to a report from Parks Associates. Worldwide shipments of portable video players will grow at an annualized rate of 30% over the next five years, reaching 132 million units shipped per year in 2011:

The massive adoption of portable video players, with over half a billion expected to be in use within the next five years, promises unprecedented opportunity for world of podcasting and new media.

Read more about this study on Podcasting News.

NRBA Annual Meeting Tuesday

I will be preaching during the New River Baptist Association Annual Meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday). The meeting will be held at Lake Hill Baptist Church at 5165 County Road 214 near Keystone Heights, Florida. For more information contact the association's Director of Missions, Dr. Jerry Gessell, Sr. at (904) 964-8340. Please be in prayer for this service.

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Sign On A Taxidermist's Window

We really know our stuff.

Ohio House okays prayer to open sessions

The Ohio House of Representatives is now allowing invocation prayers in its chamber again, after apparently considering the advice of a Christian legal firm about how to apply Constitutional rules for the practice.

A September memo from the Ohio Speaker of the House affirmed that the legislature now allows the opening of sessions with prayer that may include reference to a sectarian deity, reversing a previous policy that limited them to non-sectarian prayers which had to be pre-approved 72 hours in advance.

Read more of this story on One News Now.

Gridiron Rapture

The Back Pew

Naylor Gospel Explosion Photos

On Saturday (October 13, 2007) I preached during the Naylor Gospel Explosion in Naylor, Georgia. Here are a few photos from the event.

The photo to the left is "yours truly" preaching about taking a fishing trip for Jesus.

The bottom-left photo is award-winning songwriters Colbert and Joyce Croft with me. We're still not sure if we are related (if we are it's very distant, you know, "dog kin"). One thing I am sure of, they have written some great Gospel music, and they have the awards to prove it.

The bottom-right photo is me along with Naylor Gospel Explosion coordinator Wesley Harrell (left) of Naylor Baptist Church. Also in the photo is Goepel music DJ and singer Benny Daniels (right). I remember listening to him back in the 1990's on WQHL-FM in Live Oak, Florida as I would be traveling home from preaching engagements on Sunday nights. He can now be heard on WVGA-FM in Valdosta, Georgia.

More photos can be viewed on the Dana Ellis Photography website.