This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the North Florida Region Evangelism Conference put on by the Florida Baptist Convention. Those who spoke delivered powerful messages about the importance and urgency of evangelism. But in a room filled with pastors and church leaders, I didn’t get the sense that anyone needed to be […]
Read More »In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says to His would-be disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” This call to follow Him was also repeated elsewhere throughout the Gospels (Matt. 9:9, Mark 1:17; 2:14; Luke 5:27) and even reiterated toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry (John 21:19). Modern readers are so familiar […]
Read More »Greetings church family, It is our desire to continue to update you on where we are as we seek God’s guidance and direction as we discern who He has prepared to be our next Senior Pastor. During our update at the end of January, we shared that we had begun to focus on two candidates […]
Read More »It’s hard not to notice the “work in progress” on Adams Street. Last week, a crane the length of a full city block was brought in and assembled piece by piece. Apparently, this monstrous and amazing piece of equipment will be our neighbor for quite some time as the Doubletree Hotel reaches higher into the […]
Read More »Twenty-five years ago, while serving First Baptist Church as our Associate Pastor (and leading us through a pastoral interim), Fran Buhler began a simple practice that he would repeat hundreds of times throughout the decades that followed. He wrote a letter to those who had lost someone in their immediate family during the previous year. […]
Read More »Growing up as a child, and even more so now as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of preparing your home for guests. Whenever we’re expecting company, there’s a list of tasks to be completed before they arrive, and there’s a standard of behavior to demonstrate while they’re with our family. And for […]
Read More »First Baptist has a long tradition of Good Friday services. Setting aside this day on the calendar to remember and meditate through scripture and music has become a sacred tradition for us. For many years, First Baptist has observed Tenebrae (A Service of Shadows) which features the extinguishing of candles as we move through Christ’s […]
Read More »
This Saturday, March 17, we’ll join with countries across the globe to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Beyond the requirement to wear green and kiss certain people based on their heritage, I’m surprised by how little folks know about St. Patrick’s Day, or more importantly, about Patrick himself. Sometime toward the end of the fourth century, […]
Read More »Last Sunday, we saw how seeking the lost is essential to following Jesus. I hope that you’ve been challenged and encouraged to take seriously your ongoing responsibility to tell others about Jesus. To help you apply this to your life, I’d like to offer some practical steps you can take. The first thing you should […]
Read More »We are made to know God and to be with Him. Throughout Scripture — from Genesis to Revelation — God’s favor and blessing are made evident through His presence. God is with His creation in the garden and then with His chosen people in the tabernacle and later the temple. After removing His glory and […]
Read More »