There has been a lot of fear in America and the world this week over economics. Many play the blame game and try to pin the problem on others. Greed is at the root of much of this. These are unsettling days and no one enjoys it. However, this may be God’s way of bringing us to our knees. I was taught long ago to thank God for anything that makes you pray. This week qualifies for that!

I encourage you to study in the Scripture the use of “Fear not.”

Last night in deacons meeting Dan Beard gave us a report on recent giving at Olive. The church is responding with faithfulness in tough times. I applaud you for it and encourage you to continue to seek first the things of the Lord.

Pastor Ted Traylor

These have been unusual days. Ike tore through Texas leaving destruction in its path. The train wreck in California was all but lost in the news. However, it was a deadly crash. Then on Monday a tornado touched down in Louisville, Kentucky. I heard from one of our ministry students there that 250,000 were without power and classes at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary had been canceled for the week.

These tragedies remind us that ministry opportunities abound. Helping people in Jesus’ name works. I received an e-mail today from a gentleman in Baton Rouge where our team had been on mission last week. He wrote to say that what happened at his house was real Christianity. Men showed up and helped him when he had not asked and they asked for no pay. They were there just to serve.

Remember what IVAN taught us. You do not have to leave Pensacola to do ministry. Just look around and find someone to serve today. They are there. We will continue to go and help when ministry is presented in disasters. However, we must not wait on a storm to call us to action. The fields in the Panhandle are ripe.

Pastor Ted Traylor

On August 1 Liz and I closed on the purchase of our new home. Then we took a little more than three weeks to renovate. Just before Labor Day we moved in. While we still have boxes stacked around various walls, we are in. Today I am writing from my new home office. I am grateful to Chris Paden for getting me online and up and running.

While unpacking my books I discovered a little book I had not read in a long time. It came out of the library of Liz’s father. Dr. Claude Bennett was a pediatrician before his untimely death due to a brain tumor in 1971. The book is Your God is Too Small by J.B. Phillips. The author begins by saying that the trouble for most people is that have not found a God big enough for modern needs. Phillips goes on to make the case that the God of scripture is more than adequate for all of man’s needs. The book is brief, pointed, simple and powerful. I am glad I rediscovered this volume. I have been told that some of your best friends are books you have on the shelf that you have read before and forgotten. Look around you and you may just have some old friends with whom you need to get reaquainted.

Later this morning I am driving to Crestview for a meeting of community leaders for getting out the vote this fall for the Marriage Amendment. I want to remind Florida residents when you go to vote for President in November do not forget that marriage is on the ballot. The amendment will define marriage as being between a man and a woman. I plan to vote YES on this one.

Pray for our friends in Texas as Ike bears down on the coast.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Good morning. I am at Toccoa Falls Christian College in Georgia for Spiritual Formations week. The north Georgia mountains are beautiful. The 186-foot high falls is the landmark of the campus. It is a real joy to be here.

I am preaching five times to the students here as they kickoff the new year. There is a great spirit on the campus. The students energize me as they live, learn and seek after Jesus. The school has as its vision to be a premier Christian college as they integrate Biblical truth, academic excellence and spiritual formation in a caring Christian environment. Pray for me as I seek to challenge these future leaders to stand for Christ with a distinct Biblical worldview.

Our own college ministry is off to a good start for the fall as Eric Miracle gives leadership in this area. He is prayerfully developing a strategy for the ministry as he leads in his way. Pray for him and encourage him as he touches these young leaders. We must make an impact at UWF with the Gospel. Many of these students will set the religious agenda in Pensacola for years to come.

Pastor Ted Traylor

While spending some time with Liz at her mom’s on Wednesday and Thursday I drove over to Tuscumbia, Alabama, to preach at Parkview Baptist Church. Pastor Jim Cummings and his gracious people are a growing and dynamic church. Just 13 years ago the church was down to 50 in attendance and had a For Sale sign in the front yard. Jim came as pastor and the Lord did a fresh work. Sundays now see over 500 people on the campus. They are in a building program. It was a joy to speak to the fellowship for two nights.

Liz and I look forward to getting back to Pensacola this afternoon. I have enjoyed my time away with family and friends.

The Governor of Alaska has made a big splash on the political scene with her nomination and speech in St. Paul this week. Millions watched as she addressed her convention on Wednesday evening. I was one of those listening. The pregnancy of her 17 year old daughter has created quite a stir. Family challenges come to all of us. And this high profile situation should remind us of some biblical values in which we believe:

1. Life begins at conception.
2. Sexual activity is designed to be inside of marriage.
3. Abortion is not the answer to pregnancy outside of marriage.
4. Forgiveness is available when we sin.
5. Fornication is sin.
6. Parents are to show unconditional love to their children.

I am looking forward to Sunday at Olive as we come together to praise and worship Jesus.

Pastor Ted Traylor

I hope you had a good Labor Day. It was my joy on Monday to be with my dad’s side of our family for our annual reunion. My Traylor grandparents had five children and they are all still living. My father and his four sisters are still going strong. Roots are very important for all families. The annual Labor Day Traylor reunion is a big day for us.

Please continue to pray for our neighbors to the west. There may be opportunities to reach out and minister to those who were spared the brunt of Gustav. We are formulating our plans now for the best possible way to meet needs through our local and state Southern Baptist disaster relief teams. Details will be kept current at our website.

I look forward to being back with you in a few days.

Pastor Ted Traylor

I opened the Thursday, August 28, 2008, edition of the Pensacola News Journal to see several storms brewing. One was Gustav. The second was the political conventions report. And the third was the ACLU filing a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa School District. Pace High Principal Frank Lay and Superintendent John Rogers were named in the suit. This storm has been boiling since 2006. ACLU attorney, Benjamin Stevenson, was quoted as saying the school district had failed to bring the district in line with the Constitution and American values. The lawsuit states two students have been offended by the defendants’ support of prayer at school events.

We live in uncertain times when standing for Jesus is not easy. However, that is not the promise of the Spirit. In difficult times and in cases like this one we must stand and not be silent. I applaud Principal Lay and Superintendent Rogers for their attempts to keep faith values before our students. It takes courage and these men have shown it.

This case will be interesting to watch. Where does the First Amendment establishment clause end and the freedom clause for others and students begin? There is a liberal bias in America that wants every reference to God taken out of the marketplace and kept behind church house walls. Mark it down; if they drive God out of the marketplace they will soon think they have the rights and power to eradicate the land of houses of worship as well.

Mr. Lay and Mr. Rogers, KEEP STANDING!

Pastor Ted Traylor

WOW! Roundup Sunday was a great day. We had over 3,500 in worship and that did top the 3,400+ the week before. Tropical Storm Fay left us alone during the weekend and Olive folks came to church and brought friends with them. Praise the Lord for the wonderful attendance in Sunday School Connection Groups. And the education building never smelled better due to all the potluck lunches going on after church services. People were saved, joined the church and were baptized during the day. Thank you, church family, for responding with faithfulness. We are off and running for the fall.

Our drama group did a marvelous job on Sunday evening as they challenged us through several scriptures on wisdom from the book of Proverbs. The example of the ant is a favorite proverb of mine but never had I heard it like I did on Sunday evening. The father and son ant duo hung out with me after church. Here is a photo I will long cherish.

On Sunday afternoon just before deacons meeting I stopped in for the Library Summer Reading Club party. I was honored to meet the winners from the various grades. Our Media Library is a dynamic ministry to our church family. If you have not been in, stop and visit Joan Hoyt and her team.

 

Library Summer Reading Club Party

The major political parties of America meet in convention settings the next two weeks. Then we will be entering the home stretch toward the Presidential election. Do not forget that the Marriage Amendment is on the ballot in Florida. A YES vote will define marriage as being only between a man and a woman. Be in prayer for the coming election. Visit Ivotevalues.com for some great information on how to pray for 40 days prior to the November voting day.

Pastor Ted Traylor

The weekend is upon us and it is time for Roundup Sunday at Olive. On Tuesday evening of this week our staff endeavored to call every member of the Olive family. We did not reach everyone but we did make connection with a few thousand people as we manned the phones.

Several people I called asked me, “What is Roundup?” This is the time after summer vacations when we seek to get the church family back to a faithful routine of Sunday School and church attendance.  We want to have some fun with it so feel free to come dressed in your western duds this Sunday. I’ll be dusting off my boots and may even wear my jeans. Liz and I have just moved into our new house and I am still trying to find all of my belongings.

 

Make every effort to be in your place on Sunday. I’ll be looking for you at the Roundup.

Pastor Ted Traylor

School is in full swing. Teachers and students are up early getting the rooms ready, catching the bus and preparing lessons. Be much in prayer for the people involved in this school year.

A few days ago I ran across the account of the plight of a teacher. Enjoy…

After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said,

“Let me see if I’ve got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial be behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams.

You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

You want me to do all this, and then you tell me……….I CAN’T PRAY?”

Pastor Ted Traylor