Miles Logged, Yards Gained (Go Buckeyes!), Souls Saved (Oct 28, 2009)

1 week ago yesterday (October 20), I traveled to Atlanta to preach for my alma mater, Luther Rice University. God blessed in the 10 AM chapel service, and there were a good number of decisions during the invitation time. Dr. Flanagan, a good friend to this preacher, took me lunch along with Dr. Jeff McCann, another good friend. It was a great morning.

From there, I drove over the Atlanta airport to catch a plane to Baltimore, Maryland, to officiate the funeral of our oldest church member, Eunice Laird. Eunice entered the presence of God at the ripe old age of 97. I drove to Rising Sun from Baltimore where the funeral was held and grabbed a motel. The Lord gave great liberty during the eulogy, and three reported salvation decisions were made, according to Eunice's daughter Dottie. Praise the Lord!

After the committal, I drove back to Baltimore and flew back into Atlanta, and quickly drove to Grace for the Wednesday night prayer service. Our associate pastor, Greg Powell, preached a very convicting message on the true nature of sanctification. Log on to our website and give it a listen. The principles if applied will revolutionize your life!

The church in order to honor our ten years of service here at Grace had given my family and my parents tickets to the Ohio State homecoming game on Saturday. So we boarded a plane again Thursday morning to fly to Ohio so that I could spend a couple of days with my parents before the game. While we were traveling, the health of my lone surviving grandparent was dwindling. We went from the airport in Columbus, Ohio straight to the hospital in Mansfield, where I made it in time to pray with Grandma, who died a half-hour after our arrival. Her passing was so sweet, and the family really seemed to bond during this difficult time.

I was especially honored that my Uncle Jerry asked me to deliver the eulogy along with the other two pastors that were officiating her service. I was thankful that we were able to get our tickets changed and stay over till Monday to be a part of this special service.

Dr. Adkins asked, since I was staying over, if I would preach Sunday morning at Mansfield Baptist Temple. It was their faith promise commitment Sunday, and giving me the pulpit on that day is like saying "sick 'em" to a bulldog. The Lord blessed with good freedom. One lady was saved in the 11:00 hour, and another lady who had robbed a church offering plate 41 years earlier repented, and returned the money to the Lord at the invitation time. She was a modern-day Zaccheus! Praise the Lord!

While I was in Ohio, Dr. Comfort arrived in Columbus safely, along with Dr. Brubaker and Evangelist Cajiuat, to do our annual church and school revival. God gave Dr. Comfort great freedom. Four were saved in the morning worship. One was baptized. One surrendered to full-time Christian service. Amen! What a blessing Dr. Comfort has been to this preacher. I got to renew friendship with him last night as I returned to Columbus.

Thanks for the many of you who have sent cards and prayers on our behalf during this time of bereavement. It is greatly appreciated.

10th Anniversary at Grace (Oct 19, 2009)

What a great weekend Karen and I experienced as we celebrated our tenth anniversary here at Grace Baptist Church!  It is hard to believe that this decade has passed so rapidly.  We are, however, humbled that God has allowed us to be a part of this strategic ministry for the last ten years.

We boarded a plane on Thursday morning and flew to Houston, where we were greeted by Johnny and Barbara Pope.  Dr. Pope has pastored the Christchurch Baptist Fellowship for nearly thirty years, and we were honored to be a part of their couples retreat in Galveston, Texas.  The theme of the retreat was centered on building marriages that "survive the storm."  I taught five different sessions on family life and felt good liberty throughout the weekend.  The Popes are some of our newer friends, but we are thankful that God has allowed our paths to cross.  They were gracious hosts throughout the retreat, and we left for home on Saturday morning feeling refreshed ourselves as a result our time with them.  We arrived home around 9:00 PM Saturday night.

The church was waiting Sunday morning with numerous gifts and words of encouragement.  The most exciting gift for me was six tickets to Ohio State's homecoming game against Minnesota this weekend at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.  Though I have been a Buckeye fan for years, I have never seen a game on the banks of the Olentangy, and I am thrilled the church made such a sacrifice to buy such good seats for the occasion.  They are also flying Karen, April, and I to Columbus a few days early so that we can spend time with my parents.  What a great gift!

Though the numerous gifts and the reception after church last night was precious, the most encouraging thing was the many expressions of thanks and heartfelt appreciation that we received from our people.  For whatever reason, this has been a somewhat discouraging year, and the numerous expressions of love provided a much-needed "gut warm."  We praise the Lord for the wonderful sheep that God has allowed me to shepherd.

On Sunday morning, it was my privilege to help Justen and Laura Alger dedicate their second son, Everett, to the Lord.  Outside of my immediate family, I have pastored Justen longer than anybody - some 17 years.  What a privilege to now be the pastor of his lovely wife and two precious boys.

In the evening service, our chapel pastor, Brian Allison, performed his first baptism.  It was especially precious because he baptized his wife, who had been struggling with her salvation.  Heather got it settled this weekend, and Brian did a great job of presenting the beauty of this God-ordained profession of faith.

Our Fort Benning Bible studies were attended by 125 soldiers this week with twelve professions of faith.  Praise the Lord!

Do pray for me as I precah at Luther Rice University tomorrow and then board a plane for Baltimore where I will be officiating the memorial service for Eunice Laird, a 97-year-old member of our church who went home to be with the Lord last week.

I'll fly back to Columbus on Wednesday to gather the family so that we can fly to Columbus on Thursday to watch the Buckeyes.  The church has arranged for us to fly back on Saturday in time for our annual revival campaign which begins this upcoming Sunday.  Do pray for Dr. Comfort and the rest of the evangelistic team as they minister to us next week.

Please continue to keep this ministry near the top of your prayer list.

Many Souls Saved, Added Missionary to Alaska (Oct 12, 2009)

The Lord blessed with a tremendous week, and it is impossible to share fully with you all that is in our heart because of the good hand of God upon this ministry. We will, however, attempt to share with you a few of the highlights from this past week.

On Monday evening, Karen and I received a call from one of our long-time "church members" who was doubting her salvation. She asked if Karen and I could come over that evening and help her with these plaguing doubts. It became obvious by the time our conversation was ended that Alice Wall had never truly been born again. She bowed her head that night and gave her heart to Christ. Amen! It was my privilege to baptize her Wednesday night and welcome her into the fellowship of Grace as a legitimate member.

Also on Wednesday evening, Jonathan and Shelley Calhoun joined the church. They have been attending Grace for a little while now, and John, who was in the military, was about to be deployed. He wanted to join along with his wife before his departure for duty overseas. They are a lovely couple, and I am sure they will be a great help to this ministry.

Several weeks ago, I was privileged to lead Tundra Davis through the sinner's prayer. Tundra still was struggling with her salvation and walked the aisle on October 4 to solidify her faith in Christ. It was my privilege to baptize her yesterday and welcome her as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.

Steve Waddell and I were out soul-winning on Saturday and followed up with Christopher Freeman and Tina Jones, an engaged couple who visited Grace hoping to get their soon-to-start marriage off on the right note. We explained to them that the only way to have a truly Christian home is to have a home of Christians. We explained the plan of salvation to them, and both Christopher and Tina prayed to receive Christ. Amen! We baptized both of them yesterday.

Bus riders once again numbered over a hundred yesterday. Four precious children prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Praise the Lord!

Fort Benning Bible studies this week were attended by 178 soldiers with 24 of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen! Please pray for our Freedom House Director's wife, Becky Ingram, who went to the hospital yesterday with chest pain. The doctors, thankfully, determined that she is not experiencing heart trouble. Pray that the pain medication they have given her will be effective in alleviating her discomfort. The Ingrams are a great blessing to us!

The Lord also blessed with good numbers at our sattelite church in Lumpkin, Georgia. Pastor Allison witnessed a good increase in the morning worship service, and one new visitor was present yesterday. Pray for them as they follow up. Grace of Lumpkin will be a holding a tent revival this week. Pray that the Lord will give souls and new contacts through these special meetings.

Of the visitors that attended Grace in Columbus yesterday, one family came as a direct result of our radio broadcast, A Touch of Grace. We praise the Lord for this. If you would like to know more about our radio ministry, log on to our website at www.atouchofgrace.org.

Last night we were also privileged to welcome Nathan and Ruth Ann Shuler into the membership of Grace. Nathan had been a member previously, and it was a great joy to see him return with his new wife. Pray that we will be a blessing to them. I know they will be a blessing to us.

Grace was also privileged to add John Pinnix to our missionary family last night, the 156th family supported by Grace. John and Janet, along with their six precious children, will be stationed about 50 miles north of Anchorage. From there they will use planes, boats, and snowmobiles to reach the remote regions of Alaska - towns completely removed from the road system of our 49th state. Many of these towns have no churches, and some have never even heard of Jesus. They will be working in "the bush" regions of America. John was a great blessing to our church last night, and you can listen to his sermon by logging on to our website.

Don't forget that this upcoming week we are supposed to write our government officials who are doing a good job and tell them how much we appreciate them.

Please pray for Karen and I as we travel Thursday to Galveston, Texas to minister at the couples' retreat for Christchurch Baptist Fellowship. Johnny Pope has become a good friend, and we are excited about this opportunity to minister family truth.

This upcoming Sunday, Karen and I will celebrate ten years of ministry here at Grace. Where has this decade gone? We thank the Lord for the privilege of serving week after week at one of America's great churches.

Special thanks is due to those of you who have prayed for our financial situation. Offerings were very healthy again yesterday, and the Lord is keeping this church current with all bills paid in the midst of America's econcomic turbulence. Praise the Lord for the sacrifice of His people. Please continue to pray for this vital ministry.

Homecoming Sunday Highlights (Oct 05, 2009)

The Lord blessed with good numbers yesterday for our annual homecoming (515 in Sunday School and 615 in the morning worship). We experienced a good number of decisions and an enjoyable afternoon with dinner on the grounds was enjoyed by many of our visitors who stayed to eat with us.

Dr. Paul C. Fedena, long-time pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, was our featured guest. Pastor Fedena has been saved for 53 years, preaching for 51 years, and pastoring for 43 years. The last 31 years of his pastoral career have been in the Greater Philadelphia area. Pastor Fedena preached two powerful messages yesterday, which were a tremendous help to our congregation. He was also the recipient of our prestigious "Hodges Award," given every year to the pastor who best mirrors the traits of my beloved predecessor, Walter Lee Hodges. Pastor Fedena has been mightily used of God to lead many "down and out" people to the Lord in the greater Philadelphia area. It was great to spend the weekend with him and renew fellowship with this long-time friend.

Our bus routes had decent numbers yesterday. 116 bus riders boarded our vehicles with three precious children praying to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. God is blessing our bus ministry with some new drivers and captains who appear to have a great vision for what God can do through them. Amen!

Our military ministry on Fort Benning was attended by 123 soldiers. Ten of these stood to receive Christ as personal Savior. We praise the Lord for the consistent results of this vital ministry.

Homecoming saw a good number of visitors from the Columbus area. Pray for us as we follow up on these contacts. Visitors also were present from Alabama and Florida.

We were able to baptize two people yesterday in the morning worship. Caitlyn Clarisse, who accepted the Lord during Vacation Bible School, was baptized. We praise the Lord for her parents, Kevin and Christen Clarisse who are vital members of our church. We also baptized Jose Baquero who was saved this summer in our Master Club program. His family came to witness his baptism. Pray that we will be able to have inroads into this family.

During the morning worship, Tundra Davis walked the aisle to receive Christ as her personal Savior. Amen! Pray for us that we will be able to baptize her and enroll her in our discipleship program.

Seth and Melissa Acree, missionaries to Ghana, West Africa, and commissioned by Grace Baptist Church, moved to Columbus this week and will be moving into our missionary cottage while they are on deputation. They officially joined last night after being away to further their education. Seth was raised at Grace Baptist, and we are thankful for the call of God upon his life. Pray that God will raise the Acree support in a timely manner.

Many of you prayed for our finances last week, and we appreciate your prayers. We had a very good offering yesterday, which will help us eradicate some of our outstanding bills. Please continue to pray that our finances will stay solid in these turbulent econcomic times.