To Santa or Not to Santa?...that is the question.

‘Tis near the season to be jolly, and with the season comes Christian parents who are doing some high-energy theological, cultural and semantic gymnastics concerning “What to do about Santa Claus?”  It seems that a lot of people make a bigger deal out of the whole question than they should. 

I have one word for those who refer to Santa as "Satan Claus" –RELAX!  Have fun with Santa Claus, or have fun without Santa Claus.  Just make sure you are loving your kids and being honest with them.

Walking with your children through the Christmas holidays is your responsibility.  What you decide to do about Santa Claus goes right along with what you decide to do about having a Christmas tree, sending out Christmas cards, going to Christmas parties, buying Christmas presents, and more—it’s your choice and you’ll want to make decisions which are best for your family.

Each year Amy and I have folks ask us if we “do Santa Claus.”  Well the answer is “kind of.”  Of course, on Christmas morning we video the boys coming down the stairs and rushing to open their presents under the tree from Santa.  But they know that the presents are really from mommy and daddy.  Santa Claus is not real.  He’s not bad either.  He’s just “pretend.”  It sure is fun to pretend.

This Christmas season—and in every Christmas season, we want our kids to understand the pretend part of Christmas, and we want them to understand the reality part of Christmas. 

Santa Claus is pretend.  Jesus is real.

Each day in December, we’ll read The Advent Book, by Jack and Kathy Stockman.  We’ll decorate the Christmas tree.  We’ll bake cookies.  We’ll wrap special presents for mommy.  We’ll make sure our boys know we are giving to others this Christmas.  We’ll tell the story of Jesus’ birth over and over and over.  We’ll spend time with friends, family, and of course with those who are a part of our faith fellowship.  We’ll make memories that I hope the boys will look back on and remember with warm hearts.

Whatever you “do” with Santa Claus…or whatever you do this Christmas season, make sure you do it in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17).

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Todd

Portraits of Thanksgiving at FBC this Tuesday

One of my favorite gatherings of our faith fellowship each year is our annual Portraits of Thanksgiving service.  Tuesday night at 5:00 we gather together in the Great Room for a traditional turkey and dressing dinner and to hear from three special folks in our family.


It's going to be great to see hundreds of folks gathered around tables fellowshipping and eating together.  It's truly a picture of family.  There will be folks of all shapes and sizes and ages.  Come early and get your seat.  Parents, come early and get your high chairs!


A highlight of our time together will be hearing from three in our body who will share testimonies of God's grace and their gratitude.  You certainly don't want to miss out as we hear from Elena Breeden, Mike Ezell, and Leah Rogers.  Elena is a freshman at UK and is the younger daughter of Robin and Melissa Breeden.  Mike is Glenda's husband, Penny Wilson and Joy Beth McGough's father, and the grandfather to a beautiful army of grandkids.  Leah is Michael's wife, and they have four precious girls.


What a great faith family we have.  I'm thankful to be the pastor of such great people.

Looking forward to seeing YOU there!


Pastor Todd

Show your thanksgiving by serving others!

Come to the church commons at 9:30 this Saturday morning and deliver some Thanksgiving goodies to friends and family in our Paducah community!

Men, bring your wives and do a good deed together this Saturday.

Dads, bring your wives and kids and serve the Lord together by serving others around us. 

Teenagers, get your parents and come to the church--help out in our annual Thanksgiving deliveries.

Just like every time we serve others, we will walk away receieving more than we gave!

I'll have some little boys with me in the morning.  I want them to get an early start on thinking of others.


See you on Saturday morning!


Pastor Todd

Midweek at FBC--An Adulterous Heart

You shall not commit adultery.

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

If you right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  For it is bettter that you lose one of you members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  For it is better that you lose one of you members than that your whole body go into hell.

See you at Midweek!

Pastor Todd

What Do You Worship?

When we cease to worship God, we do not worship nothing, we worship anything.

                                       G. K. Chesterton









Pastor Todd

As Goes the Man...

Grandad brought us some pictures from our fall Florida vacation today.  

I love this photo. 

With a meatloaf in the oven, two boys in pajamas on the couch, two other boys in the tub, and with worship in the morning, I am reminded and overwhelmed of the powerful twin truths:  1.) As goes the man, so goes the family, and 2.) As goes the family so goes the church.

What a great life!

Pastor Todd

 

Kids from all over are coming to Paducah!

My heart is full when I think about the kids God is bringing to our faith family.  This week, I am especially overwhelmed at what God is doing.

Kris and Vanessa Durfee just brought Theo home from Korea.  Alicia and Weslyn are such good big sisters.

A group gathered around Kevin and Marcie Peck this week to pray for them and to support them as they are waiting to go to China to get Maggie.  She is so blessed to have Trevor and Brandon as big brothers!

Steve and Cassie Moore will have a very Ethiopian Christmas as they leave on December 22 to go see their twin little boys.  They also will be going to court and will have to make a second trip back over there to bring them home.  We can’t wait to have get the Moore boys here.

Joe and Emily Roark got home this weekend with Ethan James.  We're praying for the Roark family and are so glad that Ethan is home.

Brad, Kijsa, Talia, and Keaton Housman got the call on Tuesday.  They leave on Friday for Korea to go get Tate!  Can’t wait to have them all back here.

Pray for these dear people and others who are walking similar roads.

God is placing the fatherless in homes...right here in Paducah!

Pastor Todd

Our Life Together

God has called us to share life together and we are a people who reach up to God (Worship), reach in to one another (Community), and reach out to the world (Ministry).  The images above are snapshots which capture what we are all about.  Whether it is a Sunday morning activity, a Midweek event, or a Thursday morning gathering, God’s people who are called Paducah’s First Baptist Church are about Worship, Community, and Ministry.

First and foremost, we are a worshipping community.  God has loved us.  He has redeemed us and made us right with himself.  Therefore, we see the rest of life as a response to him.  Weekly, we gather together to worship him and Colossians 3:16 describes who we are:  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in your heart to God.

Not only has God called us to himself—he has called us to one another!  We belong to God and we belong to one another.  As a church family, we walk through life together.  We share our lives together.  We rejoice with one another.  We do life together, and we do life together the way the Bible tells us to do life together.  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.  1 Peter 2:9-10

We reach up to God in worship and we reach in to one another in biblical community.  In addition, we also are a people who reach out in ministry to the world around us.  Whether it be right here in Paducah or all the way around the world, we know that God has called us to share the message of the gospel with those around us.  God has loved us, and because he has shown us his love, we seek to minister God’s love to the world.  A new commandment I give you, that you love on another:  just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  John 13:34-35, Matthew 28:19

Empowered by God’s Spirit and committed to his Word, may God bless us—and may God bless the world as we do life together.

What a joy it is pastoring our faith family!

Pastor Todd

Check out the Pics!--Fall Festival and Reformation Day at FBC!

What a great weekend we had as a faith family!

Saturday night’s Fall Festival was a ton of fun.  There were swarms of people, lots of hot dogs and nachos and cheese, bunches of games, cool inflatables, and so much more.  The costumes were great.  Did you see all of those Bible characters walking around?  They would even give you candy if you guessed who they were!

At FBC, we value community—and seeing our faith community along with those from the Paducah community coming together for an evening of fun was great. 

Thanks to all who pitched in and helped make it a great event.  Whether you were a pop corn popper or a hot dog maker or a face painter or a booth worker or a Bible character or a registration worker and the list goes on—Saturday night would not have happened without you! 

 Special thanks to Josh Cornett, our pastor for children’s and family ministries who provided excellent leadership.

I remember walking around thinking “Now, this is the kind of church I’m glad to be a part of!”

Things even got better the next morning. 

We celebrated Reformation Day on Sunday by gathering all older children into the gym.  Martin Luther told his story of nailing the 95 thesis to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg in 1517.  After being interrupted by John Tetzel who tried to sell us some indulgences, we talked about the 5 important truths which we believe—Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, and God’s Glory Alone!

We went out into the church commons and all tacked up our Theses on the door.  We then went back into the gym for a little Reformation party.  We talked about Luther’s words at his trial—Hier Stehe ich.  Ich kann nicht anders.  (Luther stuck to what the Bible said!)  And then, yep, you guessed it.  We ate Diet of Worms cake!  The cake was chocolate and had plenty of worms!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Todd