As many of you know, I write a weekly column for the Suffolk News-Herald, which appears on Fridays. This is the column I wrote last week, and I wanted to share it with my church family as we give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. In 1841, Charles Dickens was on a book tour in America. One morning as he scanned an American newspaper, he saw a notice from the owner of ...

This Sunday is a special treat, as we welcome Edgar Aponte to the FBC pulpit. Edgar serves as Vice-President for Mobilization at the International Mission Board. He will be with his wife, Sara, and their children. I know you'll give them the warm welcome FBC is known for. IMB's Vice-President for Mobilization serves in an incredibly strategic role. Edgar's role is helping...

What an amazing journey it has been to walk through Romans with you all in 2018! This Sunday we will finish our study by looking at Romans 16, where we will explore what "Christian Friendship" is all about. As you read over the chapter, which contains the names of at least thirty people, consider the following: What kinds of diversity do you see? What expressions of l...

This week we will continue in Romans 15, as we talk about "Gospel Priorities" from Romans 15:22-33. As I mentioned from the pulpit last week, we are very blessed to have Luke Willette leading our congregational singing. God has gifted Luke with extraordinary musical talents, along with a humble, gentle, and loving heart. I also mentioned that Miguel Yustiz will be working...

What a wonderful blessing this past Sunday to experience your love on Pastor Appreciation day. For the entire month of October, many of you have reached out to our pastors to express your heartfelt thanks, and we want you to know that we deeply appreciate you. This Sunday, as we finish Romans 15, we will take look at "Ministry For Gospel Advance." Our text will be Romans ...

This Sunday, as we continue working our way through Romans 15, we will see something incredibly beautiful: "How God Is Creating A New Family." Our text will be Romans 15:8-13. Last week, we saw that, throughout chapter 14, Paul was seeking unity among the Jewish and Gentile believers in the church at Rome. This week, we will see that God's plan, all along, has been to cr...

This Sunday we will be in Romans 14, where the Apostle Paul speaks about "Unity in the Church." Romans 14:1 through 15:13 is all about unity in the body of Christ. In 12:16, Paul tells the church, "Live in harmony with one another." Now, beginning in chapter 14, he gives them instruction on how that harmony can be brought about. Scholars believe that one of Paul's primar...

This Sunday we will cover Romans 13 and talk about "The Law of the State and the Law of Love." In verses 1-7 we see how Christians are to relate to governing authorities. In the remainder of the chapter we see how we are to relate to people on a personal level. I'm looking forward to being back in the pulpit, as we put a finishing touch on Romans in October and November...

This Sunday we will continue working our way through Romans 12, as the Bible gives a series of commands about Christian living. Specifically, Romans 12:9-21 is about "Genuine Love." What does genuine love for righteousness look like? What does genuine love for the church look like? What does genuine love for the lost look like? This great passage answers all three ...

Thank you so much for your prayers on my behalf as I preached in Revival this past Sunday at Hillcrest Baptist Church. It was great to be an encouragement to one of our neighboring churches we are all about the Kingdom at First Suffolk, not just building up ourselves! That is reflected in the fact that our church has started several other churches in our community. I am ...