Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

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Call of God

Monday, October 17th, 2011

On Sunday night, October 16, I read the following letter to the church body at Delaney Street Baptist Church:

Dear Church Family,

As college students, Jackie and I both submitted our lives to follow God wherever He leads us. We left our home state of Ohio 32 years ago and have served Him ever since. We have always sought to be sensitive and obedient to God’s leading in our lives.

I am announcing that I have accepted the call to become Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Brunswick, GA. I am therefore submitting my resignation as Senior Pastor of Delaney Street Baptist Church, effective November 20, 2011. My last day in the pulpit will be Sunday, November 6.

It has been a privilege to serve Delaney Street Baptist Church the past four years. Thank you for the opportunity to serve with you. We have seen lives changed and touched for the glory of God. We have established friendships of a lifetime.

Two verses that have directed me in my walk with God have been Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Scripture also says that there is a door which God opens and no man can shut, and a door which God closes and no man can open. After much prayer – and fasting, I believe with all my heart that God has opened this door for me to First Baptist Brunswick. Accordingly, I believe that God will continue to watch over and take care of Delaney Street Baptist Church.

We do not always understand God’s purpose and timing in life, but we believe He has chosen this next step for us as we follow His leading. Please be in prayer as we all make this transition in our lives. We will do everything on our end to make for a smooth and gracious transition. Jackie and I love you and believe God is going to bless Delaney Street in the days ahead.

Sincerely in Christ,

(Pastor Jim)

Dr. James H. Wigton
Senior Pastor

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Summer Reading

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

With summer vacation coming to an end, I look back on some outstanding reading this summer.  I am currently finishing a book entitled, “Look Me in the Eyes – My Life with Asperger’s,”  by John Elder Robison.  It is an outstanding book on Asperger’s from the view of someone with Asperger’s.  Excellent book!

I love to read biographies, and I love to read about missions.  This summer I read biographies of Amelia Earhart, Harry Greene of Good News Prison Ministry, missionary John Hyde, missionary Amy Carmichael, Nazarene evangelist Bud Robinson, missionary Hudson Taylor, and missionary and BSF founder Wetherell Johnson.  I also read an outstanding book by Jewell Johnson entitled, “The Top 100 Women of the Christian Faith.”  And I read a couple of historical books on the Kennedys.

Also, I read Ken Hemphill’s “Bonzai Theory of Church Growth,” Jacob Gartenhaus’ book on witnessing for Christ, and a book on missions in Ecuador by Bruce Porterfield.

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Memorial Day

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Memorial Day is one day of the year when we actually focus on death, as we remember our loved ones who have passed away — particularly those who served our country and died in defense of our country.  Memorial Day should be to each of us a very sacred holiday.

For the believer, the Bible makes it clear that death has lost its sting — I Corinthians 15:54-56.  I explained to my grandsons recently that when a bee stings a person, its stinger is left in the person it stings, and the bee is thereafter harmless.  The Apostle Paul is telling us that in similar fashion, the sting of death, which is sin, was left in the Person of Christ on the Cross of Calvary.  Death, therefore, has no more power.  It is harmless to the Christian.  For the believer, death is simply a passage from here to there!

Jesus Christ has completely defeated death and conquered both death and hell through his resurrection from the grave.  Death is still an enemy to us.  Death interrupts our lives, disrupts our homes and takes loved ones from us.  Death invades our lives and terrorizes us — to some extent.  But for the Christian, it is only a temporary disruption.  We shall all meet again on the other side!

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Faith for the Future

Friday, January 7th, 2011

There is no limit to what God can do through us and for us in this New Year of 2011. As believers, we need to call upon God and believe Him for great things. God says, “Call unto Me, and I will show you great and mighty things that you know not.” The Apostle Paul tells us that God is able to do exceeding and abundantly above all we can ask or hope or think.

Those are awesome promises. If we believe God enough to call upon Him, He promises to guide, direct and deliver in this New Year. Our responsibility is to call upon Him. His responsibility is to act and provide. And He will.

We need to live by faith, trusting God, believing Him, and calling upon Him. The Bible says the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. Our hearts won’t be perfect in the sense that we never sin. But our hearts can be perfect in the sense that we are fully devoted and committed to Him.

Let’s trust Him for great things in this New Year!

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Election

Friday, November 5th, 2010

As Americans we should be thankful that we live in a free democracy and have the privilege of voting. Scripture teaches us to “submit” to the government. Many Christians have had to apply that principle in nations with autocratic rulers, which is a challenge. But here in America, while we are to submit to the law of the land, we have the privilege to speak up when we disagree, and we have the privilege to vote against a leader when we do not support him or her.

As Christians, we should not take that privilege for granted. Even in other democracies in the world, there are sometimes riots and hostile persecution in the political world. We are pretty much free of that here in America. Thank God for America!

We welcome to office our new congressman from the 8th district here in Orlando, Daniel Webster. Congressman-elect Webster is a friend of mine. He is a Baptist — a member of First Baptist Church of Central Florida. I serve with him on the Board of Directors of “The Florida Baptist Witness.” He is an honorable man. He has a proven track record as a state senator and as the majority leader of the Florida State Senate. We should pray for Congressman-elect Webster as he seeks to maintain righteous values in representing us in Washington.

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