By all measurable accounts, Clear Creek Baptist Bible College — nestled in the foothills of Appalachia — is doing great. A recent report shows enrollment at Clear Creek is up by more than 80 students since last semester. But not only is the school growing numerically; it is also growing spiritually. Over the pastContinue reading “Great Days at Clear Creek”
Tag Archives: preaching
Do You Have Worms?
My wife Connie recently discovered that we have bagworms on one of our evergreen trees. Bagworms can infest trees and shrubs and, if left untreated, can destroy your favorite sources of beauty and shade. We searched online to develop a plan for ridding the tree of these unwanted pests — which included removing theContinue reading “Do You Have Worms?”
Growing into Your New Role
I’ve never accepted a ministry position that — in the first six months — I didn’t want to go back to what I was doing before. In fact, if your new ministry position doesn’t require you to grow into it, then I wonder whether the Lord called you to that role. The Lord stretches HisContinue reading “Growing into Your New Role”
These Men Can Preach!
The CAPS Program (Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply) at Three Forks Association in Hazard, Ky., was born 17 years ago out of a concern from two local pastors to raise up supply preachers for churches in their community. These pastors put together a one-year course that included a monthly meeting, a hot meal, an hour ofContinue reading “These Men Can Preach!”
The Pipeline
There are currently 303 Kentucky Baptist churches searching for their next pastor. These churches are located throughout the commonwealth and represent our unified effort to advance the gospel in Kentucky. Most of those churches are looking for a bivocational pastor and are discovering that are very few, if any, qualified men in their area toContinue reading “The Pipeline”
Teach Me to Preach
When I first started preaching, I had no idea what to do. I had listened to sermons but had no concept of how to prepare one. So I prayed fervently and practiced reverse engineering to figure out biblical exegesis, sermonic structure, sermon content, illustrations, applications, introductions and conclusions. I remember hearing one preacher humorously sayContinue reading “Teach Me to Preach”
Part-Time Preacher
I do not pastor a church, but I do preach quite a lot. I preached seven times in a recent nine-day stretch. That is not normal, but it is not uncommon for me to preach most Sundays and often on other occasions during the week. I preach at least as often as I did whenContinue reading “Part-Time Preacher “
A Well-Placed Question
Jesus was known for asking questions. According to Bob Tiede of Biblical Leadership, the four gospels record 339 questions that Jesus asked. Others say the number is a little lower, but all agree that Jesus asked lots of questions. Tiede mentions, “He sometimes answered questions with questions of his own.” Jesus was the master of well-placed questions.Continue reading “A Well-Placed Question”
Preachers Need Preaching
I was invited recently to preach at the Winter Bible Conference hosted by Pastor Jeff Noffsinger and Dripping Spring Baptist Church. It is an annual event that has been going on for many years. I was excited to preach — but more excited to hear a good sermon from someone else. Bro. Jeff bringsContinue reading “Preachers Need Preaching”
Preach to Yourself
Followers of Jesus need preaching. Hearing God’s word preached reminds us of the goodness of our God and His gracious plan for His people. In a typical week, I will listen to the Sunday morning sermon from my home church as well as a couple of other preachers God has used in my life. PreachingContinue reading “Preach to Yourself”
Dr. Todd Gray 