Blog Posts

422 Miles North

12/28/2016

0 Comments

Broadway Baptist Church in the snow!

Introducing everyone on December 11

Placing an ornament on the church's Christmas tree

Our new home in Lexington!

Earlier this month on Sunday December 11, Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington voted to call me as their new pastor. Tomorrow we move 422 miles north up I-75. Sherri and I have only lived in three cities: Vestavia Hills, Alabama (hometown), New Orleans, Louisiana (seminary), Moreland, Georgia (First Baptist Church), and now Lexington, Kentucky.

We moved to Moreland 8 months pregnant in a horse trailer. We leave with 4 children and 11,000 lbs. of "stuff."

We're excited about the future, yet sad about leaving friends behind. First Baptist Moreland is an outstanding, Bible-believing, established 187 year-old church in south Coweta County. Many folks for nearly 12 years have been saved, baptized, and disciples made. I'll never forget the Fall Revivals of 2010 (with Gerald Harris) and 2013 (with Bailey Smith) - there was a line to get saved - a 15 minute invitation - we sang "Just As I Am" 19 times...

God's going to bring a great pastor to First Baptist Moreland who will take the church to a new level - whether in Moreland or Lexington - God is always advancing His church forward!

0 Comments

The Meaning of Advent Candles

11/29/2016

0 Comments

"Hanging of the Green" Service

An Advent Wreath and Candles

Last Sunday evening was First Baptist Moreland's annual "Hanging of the Green" service. We explained the meaning of advent and the candles on the wreath. Many times Baptists don't celebrate advent and have never learned the meaning behind the four candles around the wreath.

Advent is a four week period before Christmas. The advent wreath is a teaching tool used to prepare for Christ's coming. It's an evergreen wreath with four candles around it and one candle in the center. Here's the meaning of each candle:

Sunday November 27 - Light the purple candle - symbolizing hope.
Sunday December 4 - Light the purple candle - symbolizing preparation.
Sunday December 11 - Light the pink candle - symbolizing joy.
Sunday December 18 - Light the purple candle - symbolizing love.

Sunday December 25 - Light the Christ candle - the white candle in the center of the wreath.

0 Comments

Planning for Trunk or Treat

10/15/2016

0 Comments

315 pieces of candy at Wal-Mart for $20

Trunk or Treat 2016 is two weeks from today! It's Saturday October 29 from 4-6 p.m. on the field next to First Baptist Church, Moreland, Georgia. The address is 2930 S. Highway 29 Moreland, GA 30259 www.fbcmoreland.org - we hire a Coweta County Sheriff's deputy so you can cross the highway safely.

Over 1,000 children attend Trunk or Treat every year. Here are 5 facts to help you plan for Coweta County's largest Trunk or Treat:

1). We need your trunk. It requires over 75 trunks to host Trunk or Treat. We want children to walk away with a ton of candy. This is a community event - anyone can bring their trunk. If you're bringing your trunk, you need to arrive by 3:30 p.m. (at the latest). In the past we used to give children a card to mark off at each trunk, but we're doing away with that this year. It will keep the line moving faster. Everyone who brings their trunk will receive a coupon for the food trucks. If you bring your trunk, your children/grandchildren are allowed to go through the line at 3:45 p.m. If you bring your trunk, you'll want to bring a chair to sit in. If you run out of candy, we'll have folks walking around giving candy refills. The best place to buy candy is BJ's - you can purchase 1,500 pieces for $40.

2). Admission to Trunk or Treat is a can of food. The food will go towards First Baptist Moreland's food ministry. We give away the canned food at our Thanksgiving Outreach on Saturday November 19.

3). Use our hashtag - win a prize! Take a picture at Trunk or Treat and post on Facebook or Instagram - the picture with the most "likes" wins an awesome gift! Last year's gift was an Amazon Fire. Here's the hashtag you must use: #MorelandTrunkOrTreat

4). We have two Food Trucks! CBO's BBQ and Atlanta City Catering! These two premier food trucks will be selling everything from BBQ to dessert. They'll be parked near the fellowship hall - you can eat inside.

5). The Coweta County 4-H Club will be bringing their horses. Rides are $4 - cash only.

Children don't trick-or-treat at homes like they used to - now they attend Trunk or Treat's at churches. Save the date, bring your children, bring your trunk! Saturday October 29 from 4-6 p.m. at First Baptist Moreland.

Related Posts:

Top 10 Things You Need to Know for Trunk or Treat
6 Tips for a Terrific Trunk or Treat

0 Comments

Seniors...Consider Georgia Baptist Colleges

9/30/2016

0 Comments

Shorter University Cheerleaders

If you're a senior in high school, you're probably thinking about life after graduation. Which colleges will you apply to? What will you major in? Are my grades good enough to get in?

If you're a Southern Baptist high schooler looking at colleges, you need to consider the three colleges affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

All three of the schools are accredited and have active student life, spiritual life, and athletic programs.

Sherri and I were both blessed to attend an Alabama Baptist Convention college and hope to send our four children to Baptist schools.

One of the great fears of Christians parents, is their children move off to college and lose their faith or make regretful decisions. Of course that can occur anywhere, but ideally college can be a time for phenomenal academic and spiritual growth.

Here are the three schools high schoolers and their parents should consider:

Shorter University in Rome, Georgia is the largest and oldest of the three Baptist colleges.

Truett McConnell University is located on the edge of the north Georgia mountains in Cleveland.

Brewton-Parker College in the south Georgia city of Mount Vernon. Brewton-Parker also has an extension center in Newnan, Georgia (near where I live).

0 Comments

3 Tips for Keeping Teenagers' Attention

8/31/2016

0 Comments

Brantley teaching Middle / High School Groups

Every youth worker knows it's going to happen. You have a 30 minute message, but one of two things occur. Either the teens are bouncing off the wall and you don't finish 10 minutes of your lesson, or the teens zone out and you're finished in 10 minutes.

Student ministers work in extremes. Either too much discussion or crickets. Youth leaders love engaging their listeners, but there's a balance to run an effective class.

Here are three teaching tips to help youth teachers keep teenagers' attention:

1). Never read from the book. You can read from the Bible, but not the study book. If you're reading the study book, the teens are thinking, "He didn't prepare."

2). Never teach with a PowerPoint. If you ever use a PowerPoint, the teenagers are thinking, "If he uploaded the PowerPoint online, I could read it myself on my on time." PowerPoints turn preachers into teachers. They should be banned from all churches. Boring, Boring, Boring.

3). Never use handouts. Teenagers don't want to walk into youth group and receive a copy machined handout. They want their youth leader to teach with passion, real-life stories and appropriate humor - bring the Bible alive. If you hand out anything, hand them a Bible. Teens have been sitting in class at school for seven hours, don't make youth group hour eight.

0 Comments

Loving the People

7/28/2016

0 Comments

Giving away clothes at Riverside Apartments

Mary Beth and Dirk on the Sky Lift at Natural Bridge

VBS at Upper Buffalo Baptist Church

Preparing school supplies to give away.

Preparing hot dogs to give away.

Denise, Cameron & Elizabeth delivering food, school supplies & Gospel tracts

The best way to get to know people is to connect with them - step into their world. Our team's goal was to do that in Booneville - once you've connected, the door opens to sharing the Gospel. There's a difference between missions and evangelism. Missions is evangelism but in a cross-cultural context. Appalachia is different than Atlanta. There was a great need, but no one begged. Not a single person asked me for money. They arrived daily at the mission wondering if we were giving away clothes and food. You love people for who they are - we can't change them - only the Lord can do that.

0 Comments

Clothes & Food

7/27/2016

0 Comments

The Owsley County Food Pantry

The Owsley County Outreach

The Senior Citizens Center

New tiles at Sugar Camp Baptist Church

New sanctuary at Sugar Camp Baptist Church

Free clothes giveaway at the Owsley County Community Pavilion

One of the greatest needs in Appalachia is clothes and food. Yesterday our team served over 300 hot dogs throughout Owsley County. Booneville has a local food pantry that receives a weekly delivery from Lexington - hundreds of residents rely on this food to meet their hunger needs. Giving away free clothes and food is one way to open the door to advance the Gospel. We always include tracts with the food and ask if residents have prayer requests. We're thankful for First Baptist Church of Frankfort, they own and operate the mission center we're staying at. They bought an old motel and renovated it for mission teams to stay and work out of.

0 Comments

One More

7/26/2016

0 Comments

Submerged VBS!

The construction team replaced the door at Upper Buffalo Baptist Church

Serving lunch at Riverside Apartments in Booneville

Our ministry team went to the nursing home and senior's center. Many people don't think about sharing the Gospel with senior adults. One of our team members asked an elderly man about his relationship with God, and he responded, "I'm going to hell."

He told him he didn't have to go to hell, and shared the Good News about Jesus. That senior citizen trusted in Christ yesterday in Booneville, Kentucky. We have no idea who God is preparing to respond to His Word. We're told in Isaiah 55:11 that His Word never returns void. Yesterday, one more was added to God's Kingdom.

0 Comments

Forgotten America

7/25/2016

0 Comments

A school bus stop for children

Denise, Keely & Katie delivering school supplies and passing out Gospel tracts

Sugar Camp Baptist Church is where our Construction team is working

Upper Buffalo Baptist Church is holding their first-ever VBS

Children's Sermon at First Baptist Church, Booneville

Last week at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump spoke about, "Forgotten America." The flyover part of our nation that's missed economic growth. 34 people from First Baptist Church, Moreland, Georgia are staying in Booneville, Kentucky. Four different teams serving and sharing the Good News in Owsley County.

Many times when we think of missions, we first think internationally. While that must be a priority, we can't forget of our home. The needs are great here in Appalachia - God hasn't "Forgotten" about this part of America. Be in prayer for our four teams as we begin a life-changing week.

0 Comments

Owsley County, Kentucky

6/30/2016

0 Comments

A Baptist camp under construction - future home of an outdoor amphitheater

Upper Buffalo Baptist Church - a mouse got into a desk drawer at the church

30+ folks from First Baptist Moreland will be headed to Booneville, Kentucky next month for a week-long mission trip. Last weekend, 6 people traveled to Booneville to see what to prepare for. One of the most important things about having a great mission trip is preparation. Here are 4 steps mission teams should take before going on their mission trip:

1). Take a Preview Trip. Some of the mission trip leaders should travel to the ministry sites a month or two in advance to see what you'll be doing and make any necessary adjustments. Take pictures, come back excited - become contagious about the upcoming trip.

2). Create a Daily Schedule. Everyone should know what they're doing everyday. You should wake-up in the morning and know where you'll be working, how you'll get there, where you're eating and what supplies you'll be needing. Wasting time wastes your mission trip.

3). Come Prepared for Unplanned Expenses. A flat tire, an expensive restaurant, helping others in need, having to buy extra supplies. There are unplanned and unexpected expenses on every mission trip. Make sure teenagers bring spending money - they always want to buy the most.

4). Be Prepared to Share the Gospel. Memorize the Romans Road to Salvation or the ABC's to Salvation. The purpose of all mission trips is to lead others to Christ - everyone should come expecting the opportunity to see others get saved.

0 Comments

What to Expect at VBS

5/19/2016

0 Comments

Mandy Ross & Heather Roberts at the Awana Awards Ceremony!

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a week-long, non-stop, 3-hour best week of the summer. This year at First Baptist Church of Moreland - we host VBS on Sunday June 5 to Thursday June 9 from 6-9 p.m. Family Night is Sunday June 12 at 6 p.m. Every child 3 years old to completed 6th grade needs to attend, even if they can only come one or two nights, it's worth it! We have alot of new people attending VBS this summer, so we wanted to let parents know what to expect.

Here are six things you need to know to prepare for VBS:

1). You need to pre-register online. When you arrive on Sunday June 5 at 6 p.m. you'll have no paperwork to complete if you've already signed-up your child. Our goal is 217 children, which would be an all-time record. 100 children have already pre-registered. Here's the registration website: https://kideventpro.lifeway.com/myChurch/?id=31271

2). You need to buy your child a Submerged VBS yellow t-shirt. They cost $7 with sizes from youth XS to adult 3XL. To order a t-shirt, email our director, Mandy Ross, at: mandy@fbcmoreland.org or Facebook her. If you pre-order your t-shirt in advance, it will have the church's name on the shoulder. T-shirts aren't required, but they do help your child have a better experience.

3). We provide your child with dinner every night - for free!

4). Drop-off at 6 p.m. is at the church's back-door and pick-up at 9 p.m. is at the church's front-door. Our church's security team releases your child. All VBS leaders are required to pass a background check.

5). We have an offering war between the boys and the girls. Children will have their change sucked from their hand into an offering machine. Monday night is pennies, Tuesday night is nickels, Wednesday night is dimes, and Thursday night is quarters. If the boys win, they get to pie VBS director Mandy Ross on Thursday night. If the girls win, they get to pie pastor Daniel Ausbun on Thursday evening. Our offering goal is $1,000 and every penny goes towards the Georgia Baptist Children's Home in Palmetto.

6). Family night is Sunday June 12 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. Your child will perform the VBS theme music they've learned all week - afterwards is an Ice Cream Sundae party in the fellowship hall. They should wear their t-shirt. Arrive early to get a seat.

Related Posts:

Five VBS Takeaways
3 Reasons to Consider Club VBS this Summer

0 Comments

11 Truths in 11 Years

4/30/2016

0 Comments

Teaching Children's Sermon in October 2006

This month was my 11 year anniversary as pastor of First Baptist Church of Moreland, Georgia. 11 years ago I was the youngest pastor in Coweta County, now I have the 3rd longest tenure of pastors in the Western Baptist Association. Every April I give you golden truths from the trenches.

1). Pastors are measured by numbers. It's wrong, but it happens. Only three numbers matter: Bodies, Budget, and Buildings. Baptisms used to be included, but no more. How many people attend your church? How much money do you have coming in? How big are your buildings? All three of these are interconnected. God, though, has a completely different standard for measuring pastors.

2). Pastors are most criticized for not visiting. Pastoral care is one of the greatest strengths the church has to offer – it separates a church from an organization.

3). The hardest thing within a church to accomplish is to create an effective disciplemaking process. It’s easier for me to raise money than make disciples. Jesus, though, wants disciples.

4). Trying to be “Cool” always backfires. Nobody thinks preachers are cool.

5). Nothing is worth getting angry about. James 1:19-20 warns us about anger. Problems only get worse when people become angry.

6). People will come to church if you invite them. This principle works. The easiest and quickest way to grow a church or Sunday School class – get the folks to invite their friends.

7). Pastors must walk a fine line with politics. Some church members love discussing politics and others despise it. Encourage everyone to vote biblical values.

8). Have someone commit to praying for you and your ministry. I have a former pastor in Stockbridge, Georgia who prays weekly for me and our church. We mail him a bulletin so he can pray specifically for every event and ministry – he knows more about what’s going on at our church than most members.

9). Never be alone with minors. If they accuse you of anything, you immediately go to jail.

10). Preach on the hard topics. Alcohol, remarriage, divorce, homosexuality, pornography – the folks in the pews are wondering what the Bible says about the most controversial issues.

11). It’s better to overdress than underdress. There’s a reason for the phrase, “Sunday Best.”

Related Posts:
Ten Discoveries in Ten Years
9 Truths in 9 Years

0 Comments

Tell Someone

3/31/2016

0 Comments

Greg Laurie

This Sunday I'm beginning a new sermon series based on Greg Laurie's new book, "Tell Someone."

Laurie is leading a Harvest Crusade in Duluth, Georgia at the Infinite Energy Center on September 24-25 of this year.

Laurie, Rick Gage, and Franklin & Will Graham are the only evangelicals in America holding crusades.

Whether through a crusade, local church ministry or personal evangelism - the Gospel must be communicated. Last year baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention were the lowest since 1948. The Gospel doesn't return void (Isaiah 55:11), so this means we're not sharing it.

Laurie reminds us of three things in sharing the Good News:

1). Effective sharing begins with caring. Laurie asks, "Do you care about people who do not love the Lord?" We must genuinely care about people who are lost.

2). When should we share the Gospel? Whenever. We must always be available for the Holy Spirit. Christians can become known as hoarders. Christians can't use the excuse, "I don't feel led to tell others about Christ."

3). There's power in our personal story. Laurie said, "Every testimony is valid because there is someone out there a lot like you."

God has given us Biblical truth to share with others. The primary way God has chosen to reach people is through other people. God uses people to reach people.

0 Comments

Has a Passion for Politics Replaced a Passion for Jesus?

2/29/2016

0 Comments

Tomorrow is "Super Tuesday" aka the "SEC Primary." My state, Georgia, along with my hometown state, Alabama, will be going to the polls to vote for the party's presidential candidate.

I turn on the TV and it's on every show, every commercial, all over the radio, emails, Facebook posts, telephone calls, mass mailings, tweets, newspaper stories - millions of dollars are being spent to influence my vote.

Everyone is talking about the race. At church, at work, at school, at home - there's a passion for politics all around.

Here are three things Christians should remember about politics and Jesus:

1). Politics is divisive - people become passionate for their candidates and take it personal if they lose. Insulting other candidates will hurt your Gospel witness.

2). It's tempting for Christians to replace their conversation and passion for Christ with a political agenda. All a Christian can do is vote - talking endlessly about the election becomes pointless. The Devil likely is using politics to replace our interest in Christ.

3). Politics will not solve man's ultimate problem. We need a Savior who saves souls. As much as you might love and believe in your candidate, he or she will let you down. Christ still remains the only hope for America.

0 Comments

3 Reasons to Hold a Healing Service at Your Church

1/31/2016

0 Comments

Next Sunday February 7 at 6 p.m. First Baptist Moreland will hold a healing service. An annual service for people in need for a touch from God. Churches can sometimes be hesitant to hold healing services for fear of being labeled, "Pentecostal." Another reason might be because we don't believe God. When you ask for a healing, especially publicly, you're putting yourself out there to be let down. What if God doesn't answer the prayer?

It's not a "safe" pre-planned public move in worship. The problem with this type of thinking is it goes against the picture of a New Testament church. Healing was the norm during their services.

Here are three reasons to return a focus towards healing:

1). Healing is a spiritual gift given for the church. (1 Corinthians 12:28) When some people pray for a healing, God answers their prayer. Churches that don't provide opportunities to heal others are neglecting the body of Christ. When someone has the gift of healing, but isn't allowed to use it - everyone loses.

2). Healings typically accompany confession. (James 5:15-16) Can you remember the last time you ever heard someone who confessed their sins at church? The breakthrough to experience healing is likely through confessing your sins to one another.

3). Healing was a main ministry of Jesus. (Luke 6:17-18) If something was important to Jesus, it should be important to us. Nowhere in Scripture does it say this gift ceased. When churches don't have special times of healing, members suffer, spiritual gifts aren't being used, and the body of Christ displays a lack of faith in God.

0 Comments

<<Previous

Forward>>

422 Miles North

The Meaning of Advent Candles

Planning for Trunk or Treat

Seniors...Consider Georgia Baptist Colleges

3 Tips for Keeping Teenagers' Attention

Loving the People

Clothes & Food

One More

Forgotten America

Owsley County, Kentucky

What to Expect at VBS

11 Truths in 11 Years

Tell Someone

Has a Passion for Politics Replaced a Passion for Jesus?

3 Reasons to Hold a Healing Service at Your Church

Archives

Categories