Sun, 20 May 2012 22:36:09 -0800WeeblySun, 17 Jul 2011 14:32:03 -0800http://linavenpublications.com/1/post/2011/07/sunday-in-review.htmlThe Lord blessed us today at Victory Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.  The morning service was filled with Holy Spirit leadership and the altars were busy before the sermon -- a sweet and wonderful sight!

Sunday Evening was a time of close fellowship and outward expressions of love for the pastor -- when that's you (and it was for me) you gladly appreciate it.  The Sunday Evening Bible series is on the Book of Revelation.  It is adapted from "666 The Things Hereafter."   You can go to PowerPoint Presentations on this page and follow along with us.  It will be updated from time to time.  You don't even need PowerPoint  installed to view it.

Thank you to those who prayed for God to bless our services today -- your prayers were answered in a powerful way.  May God richly bless you!
]]>Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:02:32 -0800http://linavenpublications.com/1/post/2011/07/just-answer-the-call.htmlWhen your children live far away and you rarely get to see them, you develop a habit when the phone does ring -- you answer it!  I recently was talking to my daughter (a missionary wife in Romania) and she made a statement that not only saddened me, but startled me as well.  I was sharing the good news of a recent blessing I received when watching Lancaster, California's Lancaster Baptist Church's 2011 Leadership Conference.

When the topic turned to the 'good sense' of how the conference was themed and the balanced aspect it placed on 21st century Christianity, my daughter made a very telling comment when she observed that most of her friends of college years were not only disappointed with fundamentalism (independent, Baptist i.e.) but had left our movement as well.  How sad.

Was not Elijah about to leave his roots (or, at least, did he not think that his roots had left him when he had to be reminded that God still had a remnant--that he was not alone?)  Did not Elisha later pray to God that his servant's eyes would be opened to see God's host and dispel his servant's fears?  Did not John the Baptist send someone to Jesus to ask him if He was indeed the Messiah?

In this age of neo-evangelicalism and seeker-guided church building, the idea of who independent, fundamental Baptists are supposed to be may called into question.  That does not mean that we need to abandon the 'old ship' or even scuttle her.  As Jesus' coming draws nearer, would it not be appropriate to maintain the old truths of God's Word -- we use to call them Baptist Distinctives (the Book, the Blood, and the Blessed Hope?)

In this age of cell phones, I-Pads & Pods, laptops, Twitter & Facebook,  desktops, tablets & smart phones, the clarion call might very well be, "Just answer the call." ]]>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:56:54 -0800http://linavenpublications.com/1/post/2011/07/getting-it-right1.htmlI had the privilege of watching the 2011 Spiritual Leadership Conference, hosted by Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Paul Chappell at www.lbclive.tv and I must admit that I enjoyed every first-class bit of it.

Finally, a mega-church organization (emphasis on organized) that brings 21st century techniques into contact with 1st century Christian beliefs.  BALANCED -- finally, a well-balanced church program for many to emulate.

Congrats to those who hosted the event and a big "Thank you!" for making the experience available to the 'rest of us' by streaming it live.  Kudos to those in charge of  Christ-honoring music, to those preachers who remain True to the Word of God, and to those church members who support the ministries on an on-going basis.

I hope those who see Independent Fundamental Baptists as lethargic, monolithic dinosaurs of a fragmented Christian faith will check out this brand of fundamentalism -- a HEARTY AMEN!!]]>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:21:07 -0800http://linavenpublications.com/1/post/2011/07/first-post.htmlI needed a new website for my books, so I went back to FatCow and reworked everything.  It is a lot more visual and a lot less verbose.  I hope you like it.  You can always leave a comment here.  Any and all criticism will be appreciated and when I figure out this blog feature, I will add more.  Some unpublished articles will probably appear here in rough form.  Please feel free to voice your opinion.
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