I have been away from First Baptist Church since the first of July, and there are some things I need to say to you.

First, I love being a pastor, and I love you. Martha and I are loving our time to rest and relax, but we are excited to be with you again. I will be back in the office Monday, August 1.

I will lead our Tuesday Men’s Breakfast on August 2nd and Wednesday Worship August 3rd.

Second, if you are new to First Baptist Church since July 1, I am looking forward to meeting you. Thank you for attending. Please continue to join with us, and please let me get to know you.

I know you have heard good preaching, and I know that our pastors are giving good congregational care. I am thankful for their leadership.

Third, I want to remind you why God created the church and gave his Son to die for us on the cross. Jesus is the light of the world, and we have been called to point people toward the light.

We live in a world of darkness that desperately needs the light of Christ. Let us give ourselves in commitment to Christ to help lost people know they are lost and that in Christ they can know God.

Finally, Thursday we met with the leadership team of our new capital campaign. Richard Caperton, our consultant, led us in a time of training to lead the congregation in this “Forward!” Capital campaign.

This campaign will push us over the top and move us forward to the expansion of our facility. I am thankful to see the good things God is doing in our congregation and our community.

Each weekend I write a message to my local church family. I call it lagniappe, meaning “a little something extra.” Thank you for reading this article. If you would like to subscribe to all of my daily devotionals please do so in the box below.