Pressing Toward Perfection
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on November 15, 2009. The closest I have ever come to perfection probably occurred when I was fourteen years old. I am certain by now that you all now how passionately I love the game of baseball. In fact, it is one thing that I miss dearly. I miss practice. I miss the sweat. I miss the muffled sounds through the ear-holes of a helmet. I miss the feeling of a ball hitting the sweet spot of the bat. And most of all, I miss standing on a mound staring down a batter.Now, I’ve never claimed to be perfect, but one evening in 1996, I came close. That particular evening we were playing the Falcons. It had

Seek While He May Be Found
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on November 8, 2009. As we come to our time together this morning, I am going to begin a little differently. Rather than telling a story or opening with some other illustration, I want to ask you a couple of questions.Please don’t answer these aloud, but truly consider them. Be honest with yourself. Your life depends on your honesty here.Do you recall the time when you surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ? Do you remember the conviction of the Spirit, and your decision to yield? Do you recall your obedience through baptism? Is your life producing fruit that evidences your conversion?

Defining Love
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's PM worship service on November 1, 2009.I am going to ask you to help us get started this evening. We are beginning our relationship focus on Sunday evenings that began with us showing Fireproof a couple of Sundays ago. I do want to assure you, while there will be times when we are primarily focused on marital relationships, we are not going to ignore other relationships. We are still going to relate the principles to friendships, dating relationships, church relationships, and even our relationship with our Heavenly Father. I know that for some of you, your spouses have been at home with the Lord for some time, and we would n

Immitating Immanuel
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on October 25, 2009. James Baldwin once said, “Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” As a young and naïve parent, I never understood the truth of that statement. However, I am coming to learn the prominence of imitation over instruction. Through the years, I have watch

Mission: Montrose (He Wants Me, but It is Not About Me)
This is from the AM worship service at Montrose Baptist Church on October 4, 2009.The families in the Sahel, a four thousand mile wide stretch of savannah just south of the Sahara Desert, understand the cost of the harvest. That particular area receives all of its precipitation in a four month period: May, June, July, and August. After that, not a drop of rain falls for eight months. The ground cracks from dryness- as will your hands and feet. The winds of the Sahara pick up the dust and throw it thousands of feet into the air. It then comes slowly drifting across West Africa as a fine grit. It gets inside your mouth. It gets inside your watch and stops it. For those areas