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Glad to be back for our weekly post on the J-Curve by Paul Miller. Our reading target for this week was chapters 14-23. My effort below will be to list a number of bullet point themes from this large section of reading. I would encourage you to do the same and feel free to post to the blog if you have comments or questions. In the J-Curve, ... Keep Reading

In last week’s post, I referenced relationships in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. Scripture does not hold back from the good and the painful, and Paul’s relationship with Demas was certainly a sorrow. In the final chapter of his final New Testament epistle, Paul mentions Demas with these parting words, “Dem... Keep Reading

Sometimes the Bible contains short expressions that become the subject of volumes of printed pages with each new generation.  I think of the question God asked to Adam and Eve after their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. The first couple were the crown of God’s creation and had experienced unhindered fellowship with God. N... Keep Reading

In the last couple of posts I have taken opportunity to address my FBCG family with some reflections on our recent Life Action Summit. This event in the life of our church will no doubt be an important marker in our journey as a Body. My focus in these short deposits has been to identify the battle we face with our flesh and with the strateg... Keep Reading

As time takes us further from our Life Action Summit, I am using my blog to offer pastoral encouragement to my FBCG family. Since the beginning of the year, I have had a simple thought that I have expressed to our church family in our gatherings, “The Lord first…”  May Christ be first in our thoughts, first in ou... Keep Reading

Times of Refreshing Twenty years ago this month we hosted our first Life Action Summit under the leadership of Steve Canfield. As I reflect back on my tenure at First Baptist Church Gonzales, LA (FBCG), the Summit of 2000 was one of the most significant moments in the life of our church. That encounter with the Lord was a vital time for us ... Keep Reading

Summer is often a time for rest and disengagement from the demands of school and work. It is also a good time to be reminded not to fall asleep in our walk with Christ.  The words of A.W. Tozer of a previous generation come to mind as he warned that “the world is not a playground, but a battleground.”Tozer was spea... Keep Reading

One of the recurring battles for those who follow Jesus Christ is dealing with the ever-present danger of self-sufficiency.  We like to think that we are up to the challenge, that we’ve got what it takes. Boldness, confidence, and initiative are highly prized and viewed as essential if one is to be successful. When we examin... Keep Reading

We are nearly a week removed from Resurrection Sunday, and my thoughts have gravitated to the first disciples who needed time to reflect and process. Much had happened in the final week of Jesus’ life as they considered what was accomplished on the cross and the subsequent resurrection of their Savior. When the women heard the angelic ... Keep Reading

This is the second post considering the impact of the cell phone on the Christian life.  Tony Reinke’s insightful book, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, has stirred my thoughts on how the advent of the cell phone has changed life as we know it, and much of the change is not good to nurturing a heart of worship. ... Keep Reading

Through the years I have really enjoyed reading books together with my fellow Elders and Pastoral Staff at FBCG. We try to do this together twice a year with an extended staff meeting which includes a detailed discussion of the book followed by lunch. These times have brought about good connections and conversations for life and ministry. Re... Keep Reading

When our church celebrated our 100thyear anniversary, I discovered that we were constituted around the same time as Harley Davidson, United Parcel Service (UPS), Blue Bell, Walgreens, and Kelloggs. In thinking about our local congregation compared to these corporate giants, I was taken by the contrast in purpose. Jesus Christ commended Pete... Keep Reading

One of the recurring themes of the Bible is that no matter how great the trial, the shame, or the pain, God is greater still. He delights to guide those who seek Him through any storm, sorrow, or setback. In the context of fleeing from his son Absalom, King David wrote, “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the l... Keep Reading

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus Christ included fasting as a spiritual commitment for those who would follow Him. Jesus gave instruction on how we are to live as Kingdom citizens, and in   Matthew 6 He taught that giving, praying, and fasting were to be a part of a believer’s life: “When you give (v. 2)…, ... Keep Reading

One of the great truths of the Bible is that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. With the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Magi followed the light of the star that placed them with GPS precision at the location of the infant Jesus.  These wise men had been compelled to leave their distant land in pursuit of the new bo... Keep Reading

When I was a freshman in high school, I had a football coach who was intense. Really intense. He had a mustache that resembled the look of a proverbial Viking which made him all the more intimidating. He was the kind of man who during his tour-of-duty in Vietnam spent his free time killing water buffalos with his 50 caliber machine gun. In ... Keep Reading

It has been said that nothing drags more stubbornly than a sack of failures. Every one of us who has breathed the air of this world knows what failure is like in one form or another. Whether it is a missed free throw, a failed relationship, a business that went south, or a devastating moral disaster that has caused deep sorrow and collateral... Keep Reading

Some years ago media mogul Ted Turner suggested that we ditch the Ten Commandments and hold a contest on who could come up with a better set of guidelines. To put forward the idea of replacing God’s standard of righteousness, and the foundation of jurisprudence, with pithy progressive ideas is the epitome of what C.S. Lewis called &ldq... Keep Reading

Rembrandt van Rijn was a brilliant painter who, among other subjects in his career, captured biblical scenes with magnificent clarity.  His painting, “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” portrays the return of the wayward son to his father based upon Jesus’s parable in Luke 15. The painting captures that life had be... Keep Reading

We are often tempted to dismiss idolatry as a serious threat to our spiritual well-being. When we think of idolatry, we can easily retreat to Old Testament days and believe that it was their problem. We confine idolatry to the work of wood or stone, and thereby dismiss it as an ancient sin with no impact to our generation. However, in the N... Keep Reading

Written by Pastor Jim Law The Old Testament is given to the people of God as vital revelation for -the strengthening of our faith -the instruction of our doctrine -the foundation of the Gospel, and -the encouragement of our soul. The historical narratives of the Old Testament are filled with many priceless gems. In this short post, I w... Keep Reading

We are a culture that prizes convenience and pragmatism, and consequently we love “silver bullet” solutions to our problems. By “silver bullet,” I’m referring to the term that commonly describes an action that cuts through the complexity of an issue by providing a quick solution. silver-bullet-thinkingWhen bact... Keep Reading

Growing up I was blessed with a father who could fix most things and was not afraid to build anything. You would think that some of that skill would rub off on his son, however my interests were elsewhere. From the time I was five until the age of twenty-two, I was on a ball field or in a gymnasium either playing or training for the next gam... Keep Reading

We end our journey through the Ten Commandments this week with a look at the last of these commands which forbids coveting. We might be tempted to dismiss coveting as a mild offense in light of the other commands which forbid murder, adultery, or stealing.  However, the tenth commandment addresses the desires of the heart as an imp... Keep Reading

In January of 1996 William Safire, noted author and journalist, referred to Hillary Clinton, then first lady of the United States, as “a congenital liar.”  This started an exchange in the pundit world with many being outraged by the acidic tone of Safire’s words.  Through his press secretary, President Bill C... Keep Reading

We come to the eighth commandment this week where we find a prohibition against stealing. Like the commandment forbidding murder, there is almost universal distain for theft.  I doubt there is anyone reading this article who has not tasted the disgust and feelings of violation that comes when a personal item is stolen. When I was in se... Keep Reading

God’s protection and love are on display powerfully in the seventh commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.”(Exodus 20:14) The seventh commandment forbids adultery which is viewed biblically as the shattering of the marriage covenant between a husband and a wife through sexual relations with another outside the ma... Keep Reading

Several years ago Christianity Today  printed a cartoon which depicted two public school administrators watching a line of students pass through a metal detector.  “It’s the latest in school safety devices,” one of them explains. “That light and horn go off if a student tries to smuggle in a gun, a knife, a ... Keep Reading

The fifth commandment brings with it an incredible promise, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” (Exodus 20:12) This commandment is heavy, literally. The Hebrew word translated “honor” means “weighty” or “heavy”. Th... Keep Reading

The fourth commandment brings us to God’s command for a Sabbath rest, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God..” In recent years billionaire Bill Gates of Microsoft fame has stated that belief in God makes sens... Keep Reading

In this series of posts on the Ten Commandments, we come to the third commandment which addresses the problem of misusing God’s name. Exodus 20:7 reads, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” The word “vain” is describin... Keep Reading

In our last post introducing the Ten Commandments, we established these words were not suggestions. They were given as merciful words of life, and as authoritative words from the God who is. The account of Israel’s exodus out of Egypt is amazing. Once this nation of slaves was freed by the hand of God, we find them gathered at the bas... Keep Reading

In our journey through the Ten Commandments, we come to the second command which is a prohibition against idols: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, ... Keep Reading

I once read of a British fisherman who would troll the North Sea for mackerel. His fishing expeditions would yield abundant catches, but because it was before refrigeration, many of the mackerel would die on his trip back to market. On one particular trip, the fisherman caught a small shark in one of his nets and had to dump it into the tan... Keep Reading

Thirty years ago Ted Koppel, the noted journalist, addressed the graduating class of Duke University.  In his commencement address, Koppel made this compelling statement: “We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us. ‘Shoot up if you must; but use a clean needle.’ ‘Enjoy sex whenever with whom... Keep Reading

I did a lot of highway travel this summer and have been amazed by the glut of attorney advertisements along the interstates of this fruited plain. I began to think that if I were a visitor from another country (or another planet), and I was trying to determine what was important in this culture, billboards and television commercials would in... Keep Reading

Ingratitude is one of the official symptoms of this age. In fact, ingratitude made the noxious list of behavior that characterizes living in the last days (2 Timothy 3:2-4). We are warned in Scripture that ungrateful hearts are often unbelieving hearts.... Keep Reading

Yesterday we celebrated the 241st anniversary of the United States of America. We should be grateful for the manifold blessings that God has poured out upon this country. The freedoms we enjoy to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the envy of many in this world.... Keep Reading

In my tenure as a pastor of a local congregation, I have preached over a hundred Christmas sermons through the years. I have often thought that if someone attended our worship services only at Christmastime, they may think, “Wow, this Church and its leadership are in a rut. Every year it’s the same thing. They need to turn the pa... Keep Reading

In the fall of 2002, the terror of the Beltway snipers was front and center on the national news and for good reason. We witnessed during those three weeks the impact of what two men, John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo, could do traveling the beltway of our nation’s capital and assassinating innocent people from the trunk of their ... Keep Reading

One of the criticisms often leveled at Christians is that we are negative, pessimistic, and worse, we don’t bring anything to the table by way of constructive ideas to resolve perplexing problems. Our perceived negativity often leads to the charge that we are judgmental and hypocritical. This is true in some instances, but only serves ... Keep Reading

Some years ago, I read an article by Jay Adams in which he described a typical scenario of a married couple, John and Mary, who came to their pastor for counseling. While they didn’t announce it, or perhaps couldn’t even articulate it, nevertheless they came to play a popular game with their pastor called, “Stump the Counse... Keep Reading

I was once asked to read I Corinthians 13 at a wedding. I Corinthians 13, of course, is the greatest essay on the subject of love in all of literature. After the ceremony, a young woman in the wedding party came up to me and began to complement me on the words that I shared. After a little probing, I discovered that she thought that I h... Keep Reading

We are 34 days away from a monumental election in the United States, and one that will set the trajectory for this country for decades to come. With great velocity, we have witnessed in the last decade the advancement of a progressive agenda in America that has been astonishing. Recently, I was attending a symphony concert with a number of ... Keep Reading

When You Pass Through The Waters,I Will Be With You Written by Pastor Jim Law I have lived in south Louisiana since 1988 and have been through a number of disasters. Hurricane Katrina has redefined life for those of us along the I-10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Often conversations in our area are prefaced with, “Sin... Keep Reading

I'm Not the Master of My Fate, Nor the Captain of My Soul Written by Pastor Jim Law William Ernest Henley was an influential poet, critic, and editor in the late 1800’s. His life was marked by sorrow and struggle. His greatest battle was with tuberculosis which eventually took his life at the age of 53. Henley was best known for his... Keep Reading

Resurrection + Written by Pastor Jim Law Following the invasion of Normandy in World War II, many historians chronicled the Allies progress through Europe as D-Day + (the number of days from June 6th 1944). For the Christ follower, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the most important weekend in the history of the world and in ... Keep Reading

For the last few months I have been sharing pastoral reflections from twenty-two years with the same congregation. In previous posts we have discussed Gospel centrality; the priority of prayer; spiritual leadership; spiritual sweat; and healthy relationships in church life. Each of these posts mirrored the Apostle Paul’s instruction in... Keep Reading

In this Christmas season, once again the question of the ages is, “Who was the baby in the manger?” If he was in fact God in human flesh, and his life was lived in the monumental way in which it was lived, what are we supposed to do with that information? The Apostle John wrote his gospel to answer that question:“so that yo... Keep Reading

Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp have written a helpful book entitled Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. In one of their chapters, they ask the question, “Why bother?” Of course, they are asking “why bother” with relationships at all in light of how they are often painful and troubling. Lane and Tripp argue stron... Keep Reading

From the age of five until I was twenty-two, I spent most of my time either on a ball field or in a gymnasium. Through my youth, I was involved in hundreds of practices and games. Athletics was very much at the center of my life, and from those experiences I learned the importance of commitment, teamwork, and discipline. When I came to savi... Keep Reading

This is the third installment of articles that are pastoral reflections on twenty-two years with the same congregation. I am following a series of themes that emerge from Paul’s pastoral letter of First Timothy and have found this New Testament letter to be crucial in forging my ministry philosophy as well as our church’s practic... Keep Reading

Some years back, I had a friend who was serving on the pastor search committee of her church. She shared with me her discouragement with the whole search process as she bemoaned the fact that the team commissioned by the church for this very important assignment seemed devoid of any commitment to pray. When she expressed her burden that the ... Keep Reading

I mentioned in my last post that I would be sharing a series of articles on pastoral convictions that have been forged in the context of local church ministry. In my case, a twenty-two year journey with the same congregation. These brief articles will be based on the book of I Timothy where the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy on how to fulfil... Keep Reading

Today I pass my 22nd year pastoring the same congregation. This is really an answer to prayers offered long ago as my wife and I walked around our seminary campus. As we were finishing our time of ministry preparation and seeking God’s direction, we asked the Lord to lead us to a place where we could invest our lives with a people and ... Keep Reading

On Sunday, August 28th 2005, the First Baptist Church Gonzales, La. gathered for worship with a foreboding outlook on the next 24 hours. As we closed the worship service, I addressed the congregation by stating the obvious, namely that the radar and forecast were troubling, and that we should make final decisions regarding the storm. My last... Keep Reading

We could rightly call this week’s Ashley Madison debacle a category 5 with regard to moral storms, and its effects most certainly will be catastrophic. The explosion of Internet immorality into multi-billion dollar business seems to have come together like a perfect storm as spiritual decline coupled with the jettisoning of biblical t... Keep Reading

Throughout their history, Israel's greatest enemies were not the Philistines or the Assyrians or the Babylonians. Israel's greatest enemies were the false prophets who stood in the gates and told the people what they wanted to hear. However, Jeremiah was not cut from that cloth of duplicity...... Keep Reading