Valentine Banquet At New Oak Grove Baptist

I will be the guest speaker at a Valentine Banquet for senior adults at New Oak Grove Baptist Church in February.  The event begins at 6pm on Saturday, February 12, 2011.  The church is located at 18100 NW 262nd Ave. in Alachua, Florida.  For more information call Pastor Terry Elixson (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.

Mr. Noah-It-All

The Back Pew

Morriston Baptist in February

I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Keith Stewart at Morriston Baptist Church on Sunday, February 27, 2011.  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.

Reading For Literacy Week

I participated in Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! activities this week by reading to 5th grade students at Keller Intermediate School in Macclenny, Florida yesterday.  The book teachers chose for me to read was "You Are Special" by Max Lucado.  After completing the book I had a great question & answer time with the students.  The students asked a wide range of questions about the theme of the book, my life experiences as a little person, and even about my careers and ministry.  The students engaged in a great discussion about how we should treat others, how we want others to treat us, and not being a "bully".  One of the four classes involved even wanted me to perform "stand-up comedy" for them after learning that I had "attempted" that career and performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.  We had a blast!

I hope the Lucado book and our discussions helped the children realize that we are all special in God's eyes in spite of our physical, mental, and personality differences.  It reminds me of Psalm 139:14:

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well

Speaking At RMC Lake Butler

I am scheduled to speak at Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, Florida on Tuesday morning, February 1, 2011.  This will be a special service honoring Black History Month.

Reading At Keller Intermediate School

I will be reading to 5th grade students at Keller Intermediate School in Macclenny, Florida on Thursday, January 27, 2011.  This activity is in recognition of Literacy Week.

Hmmm, I wonder if I'm smarter than a 5th grader??

5 Reasons NOT To Utilize Evangelists

Here are 5 reasons NOT to utilize evangelists in your church:

1. You do not believe your church needs spiritual encouragement.
2. You are satisfied with the overall growth of your church.
3. All of your church members are passionate in their personal evangelism.
4. You are convinced that evangelists are not biblical.
5. You fear the influx of new souls into the Kingdom and your local church.

For more information about the ministries of the James Croft Evangelistic Association visit our website.

Lake Butler Wednesday

I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Jason Johns at First Baptist Church of Lake Butler, Wednesday evening, January 26, 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.

Nature Abhors A Vacuum

Our Daily Bread

Read: Ephesians 3:14-21

 

Be filled with all the fullness of God. —Ephesians 3:19

 

According to the ancient philosopher Aristotle, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Aristotle based his conclusion on the observation that nature requires every space to be filled with something, even if that something is colorless, odorless air.

The same principle is at work in our spiritual lives. When the Holy Spirit begins to convict us of sin, the idea of starting a self-improvement plan immediately comes to mind. We put forth our best effort to defeat our worst habits. But every attempt to get rid of unclean thoughts, attitudes, and desires is destined to fail because getting rid of one creates a vacuum in our souls. As soon as we empty ourselves of one vice, others move in to take its place, and we end up just as bad or worse than when we started.

Thinking about vacuums helps us to understand the importance of what Paul was saying to the Ephesians when he prayed that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith and that they would “know the love of Christ . . . that [they] may be filled with all the fullness of God” (3:19).

The only permanent solution to the problem of sin in our lives is to replace it with the love of Jesus, which fills the vacuum. The more we are filled with His love, the less room there is for any evil thing.

Father, thank You for Your Spirit
Fill us with His love and power;
Change us into Christ’s own image
Day by day and hour by hour. —Anon.

We don’t need to put our house in order before Jesus comes in; He puts it in order after we let Him in.

The Right to Life is Self-Evident

Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) delivers an impassioned floor speech on protecting the rights of the unborn. (January 19, 2011)

Hide and Seek

The Back Pew

Light and Sound

Light travels faster than sound... which is why most people appear brilliant until you hear them.

Lake Butler First Baptist Sunday

I will be preaching in supply for Pastor Jason Johns at First Baptist Church of Lake Butler, Sunday morning, January 23, 2010.  The services will begin at 9:30am and 11am.  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.

Two Revival Meetings Scheduled

I will be leading revival services in Lake City, Florida and Spartanburg, South Carolina in February and March of this year.

On Sunday, February 20th, Homecoming Service will serve as a kick-off for services at Huntsville Baptist Church in Lake City.  The service will begin at 10:45am.  Three more services will follow Monday-Wednesday, February 21-23 at 6:30pm.  The church is located at 5720 NW Lake Jeffery Road near Lake City, Florida.  For more information call Pastor Jim Steele at (386) 752-2089.

I will be preaching my first revival meeting in Spartanburg, South Carolina March 6-9th.  The services will be held at Cudd Memorial Baptist Church with services beginning Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 11am and 6pm, and continuing Monday-Wednesday, March 7-9, 2011 at 6:30pm.  The church is located at 1301 Boiling Springs Road in Spartanburg.  For more information call Pastor Danny Garrett at (864) 542-0908.

Please be in prayer for these upcoming services.

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.

Home School Group on Friday

I will be speaking on environmental stewardship to home school students from Raiford Road Church on Friday at 10:45am.  I once served as Assistant Director for Recycling & Education with New River Solid Waste Association, a multi-county solid waste authority.  I enjoyed my career in the "environmental business", because I always felt that it too was a ministry for me. I believed (and still do) that we should be good stewards of the planet God has entrusted us with, but we should never forget to worship the Creator. We can admire God's creation, but never worship the creation. Worship is reserved for God, and Him alone.  Friday's presentation will be followed by the clean-up of a public park in Macclenny, 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.

JCEA Mission

The James Croft Evangelistic Association (JCEA) led by 3'10" tall evangelist James Croft of Olustee, Florida is working to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.  This ministry utilizes various means to win lost souls, to stir revival fires in believers, to educate Christians on Biblical and social issues, and to be an encouragement to all.  These methods include James' preaching ministry, foreign and local missions, and use of the internet utilizing podcasting and videos.

Budget Miracle

The Back Pew

Freedom At Alcatraz

Our Daily Bread

Read: Philemon 1:4-16

 

I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains. —Philemon 1:10

 

A tour of the federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay left me with some unforgettable images. As our tour boat pulled into the dock, I could see why this now-closed maximum-security federal prison was once known as “The Rock.”

Later, inside the legendary Big House, I stared at shafts of light coming through heavily barred windows. Then I saw row after row of cagelike cells that housed well-known inmates such as Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”

But another image made a deeper impression. Stepping into an empty cell, I saw the name “Jesus” scrawled on a wall. In another, a Bible lay on a shelf. Together they quietly spoke of the greatest of all freedoms.

Paul knew such liberty while waiting to be executed. Regarding himself as a “prisoner of Christ,” he used his incarceration to help other inmates discover what it means to be an eternally forgiven, dearly loved member of God’s family (Philem. 1:10).

Barred windows and doors represent one kind of confinement. Physical paralysis, inescapable poverty, and prolonged unemployment are others. Perhaps you endure another. None are to be desired—yet who would trade “imprisonment” with Christ for life “on the outside” without Him?

My heart and soul imprisoned lay,
Not knowing Christ the Lord;
But since the day He set me free,
We live in one accord. —Hess

To be under Christ’s control is to have true freedom.

Graham, FL Sunday Morning

I will be preaching at Praise Christian Assembly in Graham this Sunday morning, January 16, 2011.  The morning worship service begins at 10:30am.  Praise Christian Assembly is located on County Road 18 east of Graham, Florida.  Please be in prayer for this church as they search for a pastor.

Why Use An Evangelist?

The Biblical office of evangelist is often one of the most overlooked and underutilized resources that God has presented in and through the local church to reach the world for Christ.  Why use evangelists?

• Evangelists are called by God to specifically reach the lost.
• Evangelists are able to communicate a direct Biblical message with a passion and zeal.
• Evangelists cooperate with the ongoing work of local churches to reach their communities for Christ.
• Evangelists encourage Christians in their daily zeal for soulwinning and discipleship.
• Evangelists help churches culminate their long-term evangelistic efforts in harvesting the fields "white unto harvest".
• Evangelists affirm the work of the local church pastor and the vision God has for his ministry through the local church.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV)