While in Orlando on Monday, it was my pleasure and joy to be with 40 church leaders from across the nation. This is an annual get-together the Monday after Thanksgiving. It is a time of fellowship and encouragement. Evangelist Jay Strack was our host. As I sat with Jay, I was reminded of the call I made to him over 16 years ago when I was praying about coming to Olive to be the pastor. Jay said to me then, “Get up and get to Pensacola.” We laughed this week as we recalled that conversation. However, it was no laughing matter at the time. I needed a friend to give me guidance and counsel. Jay was one of the instruments God used to guide me in those days.

Friendships are very important. It takes time to make friends and maintain friendships. The effort is well worth it. Look around you today. Someone needs a friend. Someone needs a word of encouragement. Who do you need to call or send a personal note to with a message of encouragement? Maybe an e-mail is what you need to send to someone. Ask the Father and let Him show you the person that needs your touch today.

This Wednesday evening, November 29, Andy Andrews will join us at Olive. This special night of encouragement begins at 6 p.m. Don’t miss it. Be an encourager and invite a friend or two. You will be glad you did and so will they. For someone you know this may be just the thing to lift them up this week.

Pastor Ted Traylor

This weekend is about many things. Family time is usually must be high on the list. People are traveling to get to the dinner table with Mom and Dad along with grandparents and others. Hugs will be shared all around. And laughter, there will be loads of laughter. Make sure you have all the family issues up to date. You never know when this will be the last Thanksgiving for some. On Saturday of this week, two of our church families will be involved with funerals for family members that ate and laughed with them just a year ago. These are precious days. Don’t waste them.

Friday brings the shopping blitz and Christmas is just four weeks away. These are great days filled with Gospel opportunities. Look for open doors to share the Good News of the incarnation of God through Jesus. Remember, it is His birthday, not ours.

This week of the year has become an annual celebration at Olive. We have the delight of being the gathering place for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes in this region of Florida. Churches and organizations, along with individuals, donated 14,270 shoeboxes. We sent three 28-foot trailers filled with shoeboxes on their way to areas of the world most of us will never visit. Thanks are due to all who gave. And a special word of thanks goes out to all the volunteers that did the work of packing and organizing the shipment. I had the joy of praying with several of them as we committed the cargo to the Lord’s care on Monday afternoon.

Operation Christmas Child is an effort in partnership with Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse. The boxes bring joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world. Through the gift-filled containers the Good News of God’s love through Jesus is extended. Along with shoebox gifts, millions of children are given Gospel booklets in their own language. In 2005 over 7.6 million shoebox gifts were distributed in 95 countries. This is an amazing effort.

The end of November takes us into the greatest giving season of the year. I encourage you to honor the Lord first in all of your life, including your giving. Begin with your tithe to the local church. During December we can increasingly support missions through generous gifts from God’s people. Operation Christmas Child has gotten us off to a great beginning to the giving season.

Pastor Ted Traylor

On Tuesday night of this week, I was honored to speak at the closing session of the Alabama State Convention. While at the meeting, I reconnected with many friends from my days growing up on Sand Mountain. I also enjoyed seeing several of my friends from Samford University. I laughed as I recalled fun days with these people. I was also moved as I reflected back to those days of spiritual formation in my life. God uses many tools in our lives to shape us and people are a major force.

Here are a couple of prayer needs from the mission field that are on my heart today. Paul Negrut, in Romania, is doing spiritual battle over some issues at Emanuel University. Pray for him as he confronts enemies of the work at the school there in the city of Oradea.

In addition, Paul Hagelgans, in Central Asia asks that we pray for the Christmas project in Kazakhstan. He is leading the effort of several local churches to assemble 10,000 Christians to take a copy of the gospel of Luke to ten people over the Christmas season. They are seeking to touch 100,000 lives with the true story of Christmas. Pray for them and this timely endeavor.

A team of folks from our church and three other local churches leaves for Indonesia this Saturday. Pray for them as they travel and do the work of the Gospel.

All these people are influencing others around the world. Who will be in your path today that you can impact? Look around to see whom the Father can touch through you with His message of hope.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Last night I preached in a wonderful church in Florence, Alabama. Underwood Baptist is a growing fellowship in the northwest corner of the state. Pastor Donnie McDaniel and his staff are doing a great job reaching the lost with the gospel. This week’s Bible conference was an encouragement to me.

This week is the time for Baptist state conventions to meet. Florida Baptists are meeting in Ft. Myers. I encourage you to pray for our state president, Hayes Wicker, as he leads the meeting. We will be electing a new state convention president this year. I am not certain who will be elected, but one nominee may be Dr. Willy Rice, the former pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church here in Pensacola. He is now the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater. He would be a great choice to lead our convention. I am preaching at the Alabama Baptist State Convention tonight. They are meeting in Birmingham, and I have the honor of being the closing preacher for tonight’s evening session. I ask for you to pray for me as I address Alabama Baptists.

I am excited to welcome my good friend, Andy Andrews, to Olive Baptist Church on Wednesday, November 29. We need to fill the worship center at 6:00 p.m. to hear this creative man speak. He is exciting, hilarious, inspirational and razor-sharp. I encourage you to invite your co-workers and friends to join us for what will be a marvelous evening. You can learn more about this New York Times bestselling author at www.andyandrews.com.

I want to thank all of you who have prayed for the last month about the future vision for Olive Baptist Church. Our Heavenly Father is answering. Sunday night God spoke to us about the future direction of our church. I was greatly encouraged by the positive response from Olive members representing each generation. Old and young alike can be a part of social reformation as we proclaim the need for rebirth in our culture. Continue to pray. We have much to do in these exciting days.

Pastor Ted Traylor

The November 8, 2006, edition of the Washington Post had a very good article entitled, “Let’s Stop Stereotyping Evangelicals.” Joseph Loconte, of Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and Michael Cromartie, vice-chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom co-wrote the article. They say a gross caricature of the 100 million evangelicals in the US has been put forward by some critics that has been less than factual in telling the whole story.   
 
Now do not doubt for a moment there exists a loopy few who do give evangelicals a bad name. However, the authors say it is dishonest to disparage the massive civic and democratic contribution of evangelicals by invoking the excesses of a tiny few. Even Jesus, they say, had a few disciples who wanted to call down fire from heaven to dispose of critics. He led them to forfeit that desire. The overwhelming majority of evangelicals have ignored the impulse as well.
 
Some say evangelicals want an “American theocracy.” People making that call are outside the evangelical mainstream and their numbers are minute. Evangelicals led the grassroots campaign for religious liberty, the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage. Moral Majority leaders sent church members flocking peacefully to the polls to vote. Charles Colson leads the largest prison ministry in the world. It is faith-based. Mega churches, like the Potter’s House in Dallas and Saddleback in California, engage an army of thousands of volunteers in ministries ranging from literacy, to drug rehab, to confrontation of the AIDS issue. The first responders to natural disasters in America and around the world include evangelicals in huge numbers. And they help people regardless of creed, race or sexual orientation.
 
The Washington Post article says it is surely no thirst for theocracy, but rather a love for their neighbor, that sends American evangelicals into harm’s way. It goes on to say Bible-believing and socially conservative evangelicals are redefining social justice. They are mindful of the material conditions that breed poverty and despair, but they emphasize spiritual rebirth.
 
The article gives us a wonderful picture of who we are to be at Olive, here in Pensacola and around the world. In years gone by, we have eased into church and community ministry. Our impact has been worthwhile and life changing for many. However, far too long we have been looking inward rather than on the fields that are white to harvest and replete with human suffering and need. We have been praying for 30 days for God’s vision for our church in the coming days. I see it in the Washington Post of all places. God must be chuckling! Get ready church – we have work to do!

Pastor Ted Traylor
 

The year was 1972 and I was 18 years old. It was my first time to vote. Vietnam was winding down. Watergate was soon to be a major issue in America. Richard Nixon was running for President and would be re-elected at the end of the day. I can still remember stepping into that big metal booth and the curtain closing behind me. I flipped the red switches to mark my ballot and walked out a proud first time voter.

I have not missed voting in an election since that one. The issues are just as complex every time. I am a part of the process. Sometimes the candidates make promises and then disappoint me. But I keep going back to the polls. Others stand by their pledges and make tough decisions for America and our local area. And I keep on going to the polls. You see this is America and every person should be involved in the election of officials.

I have already cast my ballot. I did it a few days ago in early voting. The electronic screens are new and cool. If you have not cast your vote I encourage you to get out and participate. America needs you.

On Monday of this week President Bush came to Pensacola for a political rally. I was proud of Dr. Leo Day as he sang the national anthem and honored that I was asked to pray. As Leo sang one lady looked over to me and asked, “Who is he? What a voice!” I told her that he is our minister of music at Olive Baptist Church. “WOW!” was all she could say. Immediately, I had to confess my sin of pride.

When the dust settles today we will have some newly elected officials. Pray for them. Share your opinions with them. They are there to serve you. If you don’t vote, don’t complain.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Sin is deceitful. It blinds us to right and wrong. As one person said years ago, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”

While all of us have problems with sin it is twice as damning when high profile Christian individuals fall. This week there have been two such men in the local paper. Pastor Ted Haggard of New Life Church in Colorado has been accused of paying for gay sex and using drugs. He is the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in America. He has temporarily stepped down from both posts. A church leader at New Life has said some of the accusations are true.

In Pensacola, Dr. Kent Hovind was found guilty on 58 counts of tax evasion. He is the founder of Creation Science Evangelism and Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola.

How should a Christian respond to these tragedies? Here are some thoughts to ponder.

1. Be humble. You are not above having sin get a grip on you and bring you crashing down.
2. Be committed. Walk daily in the fullness of the Spirit. Sell out to Jesus and stay clean.
3. Be involved. Connect with a small group of believers you trust. Allow them to hold you accountable.
4. Be prayerful. Call the names of people like the two I have mentioned to the Father. Ask for their full restoration. Be a prayer warrior for the fallen.
5. Be faithful. If I am your pastor hold me up to the Lord daily. Intercede for other leaders and influencers in your life. Pray continually for your leaders.
6. Be forgiving. Remember Jesus is in the second-chance business. When true repentance comes HE is able to take a broken vessel, fill you up with His grace and power, and use you again, sometimes even in a mightier way than before.
7. Be reminded. For every high profile Christian you hear about that falls there are thousands that have and are standing firm and faithful to the end.

Pastor Ted Traylor