Christ is making the difference in our hearts at First Baptist Starkville. The Spirit is stirring our affections, leaving us with a desire for more and more of him. Let's continue to plead for his presence. We have yet to see how far he wants to take us or how deep he wants us to go.

March 22, 2024, marks 15 years since my ordination at First Baptist Atlanta. This special occasion marks my first ordination without having my ordaining pastor, the late Charles Stanley, who died in April of 2023. As far as I know, I stand last in a long line of men ordained into the gospel ministry under Dr. Charles Stanley's time at First Baptist.

As strange as it sounds to speak,

Christians say there is an eighth day of the week.

Of course we know our calendar has seven,

But Christians say eight to suggest there is a heaven.

The first day of the week refers to the beginning of something new

But when Christians say eighth we are looking ahead to all that God will do.

Jesus was dead as dead, but that is not all that was said,

We wait to hear the amen, for tomorrow he rises again!

On Friday Jesus took the cross.

His hour had come,

The world would see,

What it means for God to love you and me.

Realizing our dependence does not mean we have moved beyond ourselves and towards a true heart of worship. Asking God can be turned inward. Our passions are stubborn and not so easily defeated.

Though London Bridge has fallen, the materials to build what lasts are there for us. Will we be wise enough to follow her example and give our lives in service to the incorruptible Crown?

Through the Bible, we know Jesus. Through Jesus, we know God. We have a Word, and we have a Book.

What we know of God moves from one direction - either from below, where we read our knowledge back into God, or allow God to speak to us from above. One way is idolatry - where “God” becomes an echo chamber of our voice. The other way starts with God first, listens to God speak, and responds to his reality. When we listen first, we begin to think God’s thoughts after him instead of reading our thoughts into him. With God, listening is more important than speaking.

By belief, we cannot mean simply a thing that we dream up; we must mean a discovery of a reality that exists before us, above us, and beyond us. Otherwise, belief is shallow.