Normally on Friday morning I am putting the finishing touches on my Sunday sermon. However, this is not a normal weekend. Dr. Johnny Hunt will be our preacher in the combined worship service at Olive at 9:30am Sunday. Church leadership lined up the pastor of First Baptist Woodstock, GA and the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention to be our guest on my twentieth anniversary at Olive. That is all I know about the day. Liz and I look forward to being in church for worship and the reception at 2:00pm.
I have spent a little time this week looking back over the past twenty years. And yes, it has flown by. Just yesterday it seems were driving from Texas with two small children to a new city. Little did I know that Pensacola would become the place I would now live longer in than any other in my life. What a great experience these years have been. God has favored us and led us. I am grateful for all the Olive church family who have walked with us in this journey. We have much more to do, but I am looking forward to a day of celebration with all of you.
The pastoral search team were our first friends at Olive. Larry Morris, Joe Pinson, Carole Dunn, Dennis Wilson, Dave Talley and Larry Smith are still at Olive. Chairman Bob Davis and Loma West are in heaven. Bob led in the building of the new worship center. He was a great leader and unifier. Loma was a prayer warrior, encourager and bondservant. I am grateful for these eight people who came to Texas to ask me to come to Pensacola. And I am grateful for a church that has been faithful to the Lord and easy to lead.
I love you all!
Pastor Ted Traylor
I am returning this afternoon from preaching for Vantage Point. This annual event is hosted by First Baptist Church Roanoke, Virginia. Last night’s service was spirit-filled and glorified God. Dr. Jeff Crook, pastor of Blackshear Place Baptist Church in Flowery Branch, Georgia, preached a marvelous, stirring message on prayer. Liberty University’s Crimson Flood ministry team led in worship. I leave with my spiritual heart challenged and encouraged.
Dr. Bryan Smith, a native of Pensacola, serves as pastor of FBC Roanoke. I am grateful to call him my dear friend. His father Hiram is an OBC member who will be having surgery tomorrow. I ask that you pray for God’s healing hand in his life.
No matter where I travel, it is a great feeling to be wheels-down at Pensacola airport and know I am home. As the Traylor family approaches our twenty year anniversary in the Panhandle, know that we are grateful for the love and support our friends have given us. And I am excited to see what the upcoming years hold for Olive. We are on the cusp of God doing a great and mighty work.
Pastor Ted Traylor
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The First Amendment is a cornerstone of America. Free speech and free exercise of religion is at the heart of country. Yesterday National Public Radio fired Juan Williams for stating his feelings of fear about seeing Muslims on airplanes. Being politically correct is a growing requirement in our country.
I have no doubt the pulpit will soon be in the target of the PC police. If one preaches what could be deemed as an offensive message, he will catch the wrath of those who disagree. That is okay. But when that wrath turns legal and seeks to silence the preacher, we are in big trouble.
America is on the verge of sinking. Pastors need to be courageous and biblical. When the heat comes, the church needs to stand and the preacher needs to persist.
I thank God for the constitution and the Bill of Rights. To learn more join us Sunday morning for the presentation of By My People in both services.
Pastor Ted Traylor
It is the season of fall Baptist associational meetings. Last week I was at the Escambia, Alabama Association. Last night Olive hosted the Pensacola Bay Baptist associational meeting. Willy Rice, former pastor at Hillcrest, was our guest preacher. He delivered a powerful word from the life of Hezekiah in 2 Kings. Tonight I will be speaking in the Holmes County, Florida associational meeting.
In early Southern Baptist days these fellowships of local churches provided a needed connection and cooperation in ministry. The connections are still essential and ministry is being done. However, the Baptists in attendance are often 90% senior adults who come to the meeting along with the pastors and some staff members. Our associations must take a hard look at themselves if they want to survive and be viable in ministry. Every context is different but the day of needing a Baptist associational office in every county in the country has passed. Time will dictate that we come to have regions of Baptist fellowship.
We heard reports of some great work in PBBA last night. We have much to do to encourage joint ventures of ministry between our churches.
Pastor Ted Traylor
Several people ask me about the Westboro Baptist Church. You know them. This is the small group of people who protest at military funerals. Their logic is that homosexuals are allowed in the service, and since they oppose that. they picket and disturb military funerals. These are not the funerals of homosexuals but just any soldier they decide to protest against.
Let’s be clear: Westboro is not a Southern Baptist church. These folks are acting on their own.
At Olive we have no affiliation with Baptists like these. Each Baptist church is independent and autonomous. That includes Olive and Westboro.
Do they have the right to protest? The short answer is yes. Freedom is a precious thing and it comes with some consequences. This is the same question in principle as the building of a mosque close to 9/11 Ground Zero. However, just because you can does not mean you should.
The missing element with Westboro is responsibility. What are they doing to the message of the Gospel? They are negating it. What are they doing to the message of the Cross? They are hiding it. Christians are to be responsible people. There is a time to protest. Military funerals are the wrong place. These families are grieving. Their loved ones have given their lives for our freedom. Only people who are foolish and misguided would act as the Westboro church does. Baptists are better than this!
Pastor Ted Traylor
Yesterday at lunch Olive hosted the construction team for lunch. Floyd Brothers is a fine company whom we have worked with on various projects throughout the years. It was a joy to visit with these workers over fried chicken.
Late in the afternoon I walked out to look over the work site. Before I turned the corner I could smell the black top. They were rolling it out. New parking is taking shape closer than ever to the Olive worship center. What used to be a ditch is now home to 77 new parking spots. In the next few weeks more than 400 additional ones will appear. All of this gets us ready for the Ministry Village to step forward. These are good days.
It is hard for me to believe it has been 20 years since I first laid eyes on this property. God has favored Olive. We must remain true to the vision of the Great Commission.
Pastor Ted Traylor
“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD….’Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and with weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” Joel 1:14, 2:12-13
On Christmas Eve 2010, I am asking the Olive family to be in church as we begin our days of seeking after the Lord. This will continue through January with Solemn Assembly on January 30. One member wrote to me, stating that this is serious stuff. You bet it is. Now is the time for believers to get clean before the Lord. Without HIS fresh wind we die.
During the early part of this year I was involved in many meetings of Southern Baptists leaders. Some were formal GCR meetings and others were informal discussions. Most often we talked about future hope for the SBC and the Gospel. Time and time again we had disagreements. The only thing ALL agreed on was that we needed to seek God for revival. While all say it I wonder out loud how many will do it. We should, we must!
At Olive we will gather on December 24. O Lord! Make it a holy night!
Pastor Ted Traylor
Pastoral ministry is never dull. Sunday was a wonderful day. Lives were changed. The Charis House graduation service Sunday night was a moving time of worship. Hearing the ladies share of life transformation encouraged me. Amen!
Monday was a different day. Planning and working on three funerals came my way. Then there was the need to ministry to two families where suicide had come to steal their joy. The pastor’s office has highs and lows. However, the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). HE is forever faithful.
As I rise to meet a new day I think what will come our way today? While I have no idea, HE does. And HE has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). What a great Savior we have.
I keep hearing people say the Lord will never put more on us that we can stand. What a lie that is! I often have more on me than I can stand (1 Corinthians 10:13). The Bible promise is HE will never place more on us that HE can stand. We are to be dead to self and alive to HIM.
This is the day the Lord has made. I choose to rejoice and be glad in HIM!
I have been reading a new book. The Orange Revolution was released just days ago. I purchased a copy and have been enjoying the exhortation to build great teams. The authors reveal six core traits that great teams exhibit, leading to world class results.
This Sunday evening at Olive you will hear some great stories of what we are doing at the Ministry Village. It is Charis House graduation at Olive. Join us as the team is being built.
Pastor Ted Traylor
