Just four weeks from this Sunday I will be back in the pulpit at First Baptist! It's been a great journey for me and I'm so thankful for the First Baptist Family for allowing me to take it.
The last two Sundays have been ones of great contrast for me. On Sunday August 8th Tami and I were in Memphis, Tennessee. We attended two churches on Sunday morning. The first was Germantown Baptist Church. We were there for the second Sunday of their new pastor's ministry there. We then went to the 11:00 service at Bellevue Baptist Church. If you are not familiar with Bellevue this is the church that Dr. Adrian Rodgers was pastor of for 32 years. The street out in front of the church is now named after him! Do you think they would ever change Malone street to Williams Avenue!? I doubt it! Anyway it is one of the great churches of America. Over 5000 were in worship that morning. We had a great time visiting with the pastor and his family and then I had the opportunity to meet with him on Monday. It was a great trip and I learned some valuable things that I believe we can use in ministry here in Denton.
I said the last two Sundays involved contrast. Yesterday Ryan and I attended worship in one of our country churches here in Denton county. There were about 40 people in the worship service. As I sat in that service with the memory of being with thousands the week earlier my primary thought was it doesn't matter the size of the room or the number of people, you can worship our great God wherever you are. Those 40 people in that country church, without all the modern technology and professionalism of the larger church, worshiped God just as fervently and enthusiastically. By the way the pastor, who is a friend of mine delivered a great message as well. He has been there for 14 years! He truly is a devoted pastor and preacher.
This week I will be doing some more writing and also praying more about God's vision for First Baptist. I'm really getting excited about what God is telling me about the future of First Baptist. I'll share more about that in the weeks and months to come. Thank you for your prayers I"m praying for you!
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Praying for you, Tami, Ryan and Alyssa. So thankful that you have this time with the Lord. How He must be enjoying every moment with you. Your true devotion and seeking will bless many. You will be strenghtened in your faith and our church will grow. Been reading in Acts and bent this verse a little (16:5) but it made me think of you.
May JC Bless and Protect, Peg<><
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