In the rural church of my upbringing, we didn’t observe Advent. We jumped directly from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In our close-knit congregation, the non-negotiable liturgical dates on our church calendar other than Christmas and Easter were Church Conference after worship service on the first Sunday, Gospel Singing on the fourth Sunday night, Revival during the second full week in August, and Homecoming the last Sunday in July. Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Passover, and Pentecost were nowhere to be found.

Later, as a young minister, I was introduced to the colors and candles of Advent and my journey toward Christmas changed drastically. Today, I am convinced more than ever that as mission-driven Christians who live in a market-driven culture, we need the reflective disciplines of Advent to keep us alert to stealth forces like materialism, busyness, and greed, illusive grinches who would love to steal away the real message and gifts of the season and replace them with superficial slogans and glamorous counterfeits.

For the Christian, the season of Advent is like a countdown to Christmas. For the past 35 years, Dick Clark has hosted or co-hosted a version of “New Year’s Rockin Eve,” a high-energy, star-studded countdown with nonstop entertainment until the ball is dropped in Times Square christening the beginning of the New Year. For a Christian, Advent is our progressive, contemplative countdown, our nonstop journey of anticipation that culminates when the Christ candle is lighted and the Christmas Star shines over the manger in Bethlehem.

This year in our church, we will count down the days until Christmas by re-visiting the prophets, singing the carols, re-reading the gospels, and lighting the candles that refuel our peace, hope, love, and joy. Then we will be better equipped to empathize with the anxiety of Mary and Joseph, to feel the labor pains of God, to celebrate the birth of the world’s most pivotal newborn, and to hear both the singing of angels and sobs of Rachel weeping.

If we dare to count down the days and recount the biblical stories from Advent to Christmas, we may find ourselves ready to follow Christ from the cradle to the cross, and beyond.

The journey from Advent to Christmas is one of the most festive and meaningful seasons of the year. As we begin our Countdown to Christmas, let us be transmitters of the hope, peace, love, and joy of Christ.

Let our worship of God resound with the music and symbols of the season. Accompanied by a broad range of instruments, voices of all ages will lead us in singing the hope-filled hymns and joy-filled songs that announce, “Christ, the Savior is born.” From the lighting of the Advent candles, to the singing of the carols, to the messianic prophecies and nativity stories of Holy Scripture, our worship opportunities during this season will warm the heart and stir the soul.

Let our hearts “ROC” with glad and generous giving. Again this year we will participate in Operation Christmas Child, Angel Tree, and other local holiday projects. Your faithful and cheerful giving during December will support our comprehensive program of missions and ministry, and your designated gifts will help build the ROC.

Let us joyfully support global missions. On November 29 and on December 7 we will hear stories from our global missionaries. Our goal for the World Missions Offering given in honor of Lottie Moon is $100,000. Your holiday mission offering will provide livelihood and resources for our partnering missionaries during the coming year.

Let us make quality time with family and friends a priority. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of holiday activities, I encourage you to designate quality time to be with family and friends. Plan to enjoy a meal, attend a concert, participate in a holiday mission project, plot your charitable gift giving, read the Christmas story, attend a sporting event, or visit a retirement center.

As we launch our Countdown to Christmas, we echo the invitation of the hymn writer who heralded “Come and worship, come and worship; Worship Christ the newborn King!”

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5)

Thanksgiving provides a time to be with family and friends. Thanksgiving allows time to celebrate the richness of relationships. And most of all Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the bounty of God’s blessings and to recommit ourselves to being good and generous stewards of those blessings.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, make plans for a meaningful and festive holiday that will strengthen your faith and your relationships:

• Attend a community or area Thanksgiving service.
• Take inventory of your personal blessings and give thanks.
• Invite a person who would otherwise be alone to be your guest for a meal.
• If you must travel to your Thanksgiving destination, use the traveling time as an opportunity to highlight the things for which your family is grateful.
• Especially give thanks for our freedom and pray for our service men and women, our nation, and our world.
• As you begin holiday shopping, exercise Christ-honoring stewardship.
• During the busyness of the weekend, spend some quiet moments reflecting on the specific ways God has blessed you and how you can employ those blessings in the service of the Lord.
• In response to God’s blessings in your life, prepare your financial gift for missionaries through the World Missions Offering in honor of Lottie Moon.
• Complete your Thanksgiving celebration by participating in worship and Bible study on Sunday.

  As we continue our series, “Songs That Come To Life,” this Sunday we will be asking, “Where In This World Is Beulah Land?”

The air is cool and crisp affirming that autumn is in full swing. The sky is a deeper blue and the fields of opportunity are white and ready for harvest in Pensacola.

As a part of our series on “Songs That Come to Life,” our worship services this Sunday morning will accent the spiritual message and music that comes to us from the popular movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Critics described the movie as “a comedy film about three stumblebum convicts who escape to go on a quest for treasure and who meet various characters while learning where their real fortune lies in the 1930s Deep South.”

From the saga of Cain and Abel in Genesis to the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, we are taught to look after the interests of our brothers and sisters, especially the poor, the disadvantaged, and the wayward.

As we explore the biblical text, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” from Genesis 4:9, I will highlight some of the more memorable and meaningful quotes from the movie. Do you remember what the characters said? The following quotes from the movie and the music will be mentioned in the message. How many blanks can you fill in between now and Sunday?
“I am a man of ________ _________.”
“I’ve seen _______ all my days.”
“We’re in a ____ spot.”
“He’s in the ______ ______ now.”
“The _________ you seek shall not be the ______ you find.”
“It’s the_______ and _______ from here on out.”
“In the ________ and _______, I’ll be somewhere working for my Lord.”
“I guess I’m the only one that remains _________.”

There is no greater time than now to invite others to join you in exploring and experiencing faith.

I am often asked “What do Baptists believe?” I have learned that Baptists are an extremely diverse group of Christians who usually hold a cluster of principles in common. On Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings in November, our discipleship messages are focused on these Historic Baptist Principles. As our faith is anchored in Christ, our practice of faith emerges out of our Baptist convictions.

What factors shape the authentic Baptist identity of our congregation? Putting the word “Baptist” on our church sign does not make us Baptists. Giving to a certain state or national Baptist mission entity does not make us Baptists. Doing missions and ministry according to historic Baptist principles makes us Baptists.

Last Wednesday we began our series by highlighting the Baptist belief in the “The Authority of Scripture.” On Sunday evening during our Deacon Ordination and Commission I shared a brief explanation of the doctrine we call “The Priesthood of the Believer.” During the remainder of November we will explore the following Baptist principles and doctrines:
November 8 “Salvation by Grace”
November 12 “Baptism by Immersion”
November 15 “The Lordship of Christ “
November 19 “The Autonomy of the Local Church”
November 21 “Cooperative Missions”
November 26 “Religious Liberty”

On Sunday mornings, we are engaged in the series “Songs That Come to Life.” This Sunday morning we will ask, “Are These the Days of Elijah?”
There is no greater time than now to invite others to join you in exploring and experiencing the mystery of worshiping and serving God.

Early this morning as I was driving to our campus, the beautiful fall sunrise gradually emerging over Pensacola Bay reminded me how the grace of God can gradually dawn on a pre-Christian enabling them to realize God’s forgiveness, to experience God’s grace, and to begin an unending journey of following Jesus.

Our mission as a congregation is to glorify God, to love one another, and to proclaim the message of Jesus. As we embrace the challenges and opportunities of the coming days, every ministry of our church has the ultimate goal of nurturing others toward a deeper journey of following Jesus.

Throughout the month of October, our worship services have emphasized the theme “Practicing the Purposes” as we have highlighted the five purposes of the church. The first Sunday we reflected on “Coming Back to the Heart of Worship.” The second Sunday we focused on Fellowship as “Connecting with the Family of Faith.” The third Sunday we concentrated on Discipleship as we talked about “Getting Our Souls in Tune.” And last Sunday, Dr. Lankford creatively led us to probe the question, “What is Evangelism?”

This week we will tie the purposes together with a message on Ministry entitled “A Fitness Plan for the Body of Christ.”

When most people think of Kentucky they think of the legendary Daniel Boone, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, bluegrass music, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Wildcat basketball. Amanda and I have fond memories of a beautiful state that was once our home and hospitable people who were once our neighbors.

The lyrics to the famous folk song claim, “The sun shines bright on my ole Kentucky home.” Amanda and I have been blessed to have positive experiences and long-term friendships in every church and community where we have served. Consequently, the churches we have served have been kind to invite us back periodically for significant events and special occasions. For almost eight years, it was my privilege to serve as pastor of First Baptist Church of Corbin, Kentucky. This Sunday, it will be our privilege to return to Corbin for a worship service and reception in our honor. During our years in Kentucky, this unique and courageous congregation encouraged us, challenged us, and cared for us. We look forward to a brief reunion with treasured friends and long-time partners in ministry.

This Sunday morning at First Baptist Pensacola, we continue our journey through the five purposes of the church as Dr. Ross Lankford shares a message on evangelism, offering practical insight on how we communicate our faith with others. Then, on Sunday evening, we will gather in Pleitz Chapel at six o’clock where the theme will be Discovering Our Ministries. Some of our ministry coordinators will share highlights of the various ministry opportunities at First Baptist Church.

As we work toward strengthening our ministry muscles, our deacons will be participating in a Deacon Ministry Workshop on November 4. Ordination for our newly elected deacons is scheduled for Sunday evening, November 5. Bob Gowing has been chosen as deacon chair elect and will join current deacon chair, Scott Bell, in providing excellent leadership for our deacons during the coming year.

Invite a friend to join you as we gather for worship and Bible study this Sunday.

When we build our lives around the promises of scripture and we build our ministry around the purposes of the church, good things begin to happen. At First Baptist, we are making new friends, welcoming new members, and sharing new adventures.

October begins a new fiscal year for our church. In the 2005-2006 church year, your tithes and offerings exceeded our projected budget by $188,000. In addition to the mission partners in our budget, you gave more than $300,000 to mission offerings to be used in Florida, Mississippi, and around the world. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving to the Lord through the missions and ministries of our church. As we strive to be good stewards of our blessings, we look forward to surpassing our Ministry Action Budget goal of $3,483,000 in 2006-2007.

During the month of October our worship services are built around the theme “Practicing the Purposes of the Church: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Evangelism, and Ministry.” On October 1 we talked about “Coming Back to the Heart of Worship.” On October 8 we focused on the importance of “Connecting with the Family of Faith.” Next Sunday, October 15, we will be invited to a journey of discipleship as we are “Getting Your Soul in Tune.”

Both Escambia County and Santa Rosa County Schools have Fall Break weeks in October, which means that many of our families are traveling at some point during this month. If you and your family have an opportunity to travel, please travel safely and enjoy a wholesome time of rest and recreation.

This week take the initiative to invite a friend or neighbor to join you as we gather for worship and Bible study.

A few years ago while visiting a hospital in a major city I saw a sign entering a construction zone that read, “Pardon Our Dust: This area is under renovation so that we might serve you better. Thank you for your cooperation.”

The fence is up, the dumpster has arrived, the POD is in place and pre-construction work is beginning on the former Christian Activities Center. During the next several months, we will be asking guests and members alike to “pardon our dust” as we renovate and expand the CAC into the Paul Royal Recreation and Outreach Center.

Construction may indicate progress but the dust, delays, and detours dirty our vehicles, alter our schedules, and test our patience. For the next few months, many individuals and classes will be called upon to alter their usual routine until construction is complete. Our education building will be more crowded as our high school students meet temporarily in Chipley Hall and our Vietnamese Fellowship meets temporarily on the 4th floor.

Here are ways you can help make our season of construction more pleasant:
1) Arrive a little early and park in the East parking areas off of Guillemar if you are under 70. This will allow those 70 and over, and those with mobility concerns, to park in the upper parking lots by the Atrium and near the YMCA.
2) Admire the progress from a distance and avoid entering the construction area.
3) Invite friends to attend with you and share with them about our construction and our plans for the ROC.
4) Pray for those construction workers on our campus that the coming months will be accident free.
5) Exercise patience. Almost every worthwhile project encounters unexpected challenges and delays.
Hopefully in August or September of next year we will be dedicating the ROC, but until then, pardon our dust.

Our First Baptist Family enjoyed a great day of worship last Sunday. The music by our choir, orchestra, worship team, and soloists punctuated our praise and thanksgiving. The testimonies by Dr. Pleitz and Barry Royal highlighted our treasured memories and dynamic potential. And the moments of commitment and communion affirmed the overarching spirit of harmony and generosity in our church.

ROC Progress Report: When added to existing funds, our first wave of ROC commitment cards indicate that we are almost 80% of the way toward our goal of $2.4 million for the ROC and we received over $150,000 in initial gifts.. Thank you for your enthusiastic commitment to the ROC.

In the weeks ahead, we hope to reach the 100% mark in ROC commitments. Other commitment cards will continue to arrive for the next few weeks. At our house, it was not easy to gauge the appropriate amount to pledge toward this project compared to other projects. So during the next few days, Amanda and I will revisit our pledge, and make a slight upward adjustment as we make progress toward to ROC goal. I am confident that during the coming weeks we will work together prayerfully and sacrificially to meet and surpass our goal.

During October, our worship services will focus on the five purposes of the church: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Evangelism, and Ministry. This Sunday we will think about “Coming Back to the Heart of Worship.”

On Sunday evenings in October, we will be sharing the Discovery Experience at six o’clock in the chapel. This experience will designed much like our Discovery Class for new friends and new members, and will serve as a great way for participants in our church to review our history, highlight our ministries, and gaze into the future.

Good things are happening at the church On the Hill, On the Bay.