Category Archives: baptism

Baptizing in Rusty Water

Posted on February 27, 2020 | Leave a comment

What an exciting day! I was a new pastor and I was going to baptize a young adult lady who had recently trusted Christ as Savior. This was to be my very first baptism. And, to make it even more exciting, this would be the first baptism for our small congregation in two years. I couldn’t wait for Sunday!

But, I had a big problem. Though the church had not baptized anyone in a couple of years, water had steadily dripped from the faucet which filled the baptistry. And, the baptistry was made out of sheet metal. Who makes a baptistry out of sheet metal? Sheet metal rusts! This had to be the work of a committee! The dripping faucet left the drain completely clogged and several inches of rusty water stagnating at the bottom.

I had to face this dilemma head on. On Saturday morning, Continue reading →

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Posted in baptism, Church, evangelism, Uncategorized

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Heroes Remembered: John Mason Peck

Posted on October 26, 2017 | 1 comment

Harvard University does not single out many Baptist preachers for honorary degrees.  But in 1852, they did such for a Baptist preacher and missionary named John Mason Peck. Let me tell you a little of the story of this fascinating man in the hopes that his life will inspire you to leave a similar legacy and impact.

John Mason Peck (1789-1858) lived in Connecticut and New York state in his early years. He heard the message of the gospel and was saved while young. Personal study of the bible led him to leave the Congregationalist church over the issue of infant baptism and become a Baptist– despite the arguments of his pastor, Lyman Beecher.

Peck grew deeply in his faith and felt a call to preach. Time spent with Luther Rice led him to a deep interest in missionary work “out west”. So Peck loaded Continue reading →

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Posted in baptism, baptist, bible, Christianity, Church, faith, John Mason Peck, history, racial unity, Uncategorized

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Sharpening our Focus, Renewing our Passion

Posted on October 19, 2017 | 5 comments

(This is an article I wrote for the Illinois Baptist.)

Sharpening our focus, renewing our passion

This past June, Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines put together a task force charged with recommending how we might deal with the alarming decline in baptisms in our Convention. What a daunting task it is. Baptisms have declined precipitously for the past 17 years. We have gone from more than 400,000 baptisms per year, to less than 300,000. The needs in America are greater than ever, but our effectiveness in meeting those needs has plunged. This ought to greatly concern all of us who care about the Great Commission and this land in which we live.

The task force’s first meeting, held at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, was both disquieting and encouraging. We stared the terrible Continue reading →

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Posted in baptism, baptist, evangelism, southern baptist convention, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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When Your Grandchild Gets Baptized

Posted on April 17, 2017 | 2 comments

Few things move a man emotionally like grandchildren. We do things for those little rascals that we never thought of doing with our own children. “Oh, you want a cookie before supper? Sure, have two!” And few things can move a Christian man more than the salvation of those little tykes.

Our oldest grandson is 7 1/2 years old. (The day comes soon enough when we stop counting those half years.) I started praying for him (and the rest of the grands) before he was ever born. I prayed that he would come to know the Lord as his Savior and that he would follow him as Lord. I’ve been burdened to pray for this oldest one especially for the last few months.

To our great joy, he recently Continue reading →

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Posted in baptism, Christianity, Church, Easter, Easter Sunday, grandchildren, Uncategorized

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