A couple of months ago, I wrote this post about an incident in our church.  The long and the short of it?  Sunday was going along well — just like any other Sunday at First Baptist Church of Ellenton.  God’s presence was obvious.  The worship was wonderful.  The preaching was pointed.  Everything seemed to be [...]

I generally enjoy reading books by John Maxwell.  They are usually informative, engaging, well-written, and easy to read.  Maxwell is committed to using language that is direct, clear, and easy to understand.  As a result, his books are always a good read. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect is no exception. 

I originally read this post from A Blog of Hope several months ago; not too long after we held our own VBS at FBC Ellenton.  Since then, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. What if church was more like VBS?  Here are some of the highlights: Worship would be radically different.  There [...]

The final speaker yesterday at the 2010 Florida Baptist Pastors Conference was H. B. London, Vice President with Focus on the Family.  His message text was I Timothy 1:5-7. I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice.  And I know that same faith [...]

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post entitled “Pastor, Embrace Your Call.” Last night, Dr Tommy Green was the first featured speaker at the 2010 Florida Baptist Convention Pastors Conference.  The title of his message was “The Heart of a Pastor” and his text was Jeremiah 12:10-11. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, [...]