Weekly Update

The countdown for presidential elections is finally behind us. We pray for those elected and our country in general as we move forward, trusting in God’s sovereignty and pursuing His kingdom.

At the onset of Jesus’ ministry, Luke records Jesus’ declaration of his agenda (Luke 4:18-19).

It is hard to believe that we are approximately two weeks away from our Texas Baptists Annual Meeting taking place Nov. 10-12 in Waco. I am excited and ready to experience all that God has in store for us as we gather.

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that over the last two to three weeks I have lifted up prayers, as I am sure you have too, for those affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton, for peace in the Middle East, and for relief efforts by Christian organizations and churches.

Monica and I had the privilege of attending the Texas Baptists Church Starter’s retreat in Galveston last week.

This week, I’ve had the opportunity to preach at First Baptist Corpus Christi, attend our Church Starter’s retreat in Galveston and speak to young adults at First Baptist Edinburg. God is doing great things!

This week, your Texas Baptists executive board met. It was an encouraging time of hearing exciting ministry reports and making important decisions moving forward. 

Next week, our Executive Board will be meeting for its regular September meeting. It is sobering to remember that a year ago, during its September meeting, the board voted to hire me for the role of Executive Director/CEO.

This past week has been a busy week on the road for me, preaching in churches, preaching chapel at one of our universities, speaking to seminary students and speaking at a Hispanic Men’s Retreat.

Since PAVE launched in May 2022, 125 pastors have joined cohorts. Eighty-five percent of PAVE pastors reported "significant revitalization progress" after year one of PAVE. Sixty-eight percent of PAVE pastors are reporting an increase in baptisms in their first year of PAVE.

This month, I have been conversing with our leadership team, partnering agency and ministry staff about our mission theme for the next couple of years or so.

This is staff week at the Texas Baptists offices in Dallas. Twice a year, we gather all of our staff from around the state, and we meet for three days to worship together, hear reports of what God is doing, encourage one another and plan as teams.

All of us are affected by the new school year. Change of routine for families. Morning traffic patterns. And ministry cycles beginning again.

My wife and I experienced two very different kinds of events last week, but both of them had something in common. 

As we approach the end of July, many are beginning to prepare for back-to-school. We are thankful for the many educators in our Texas Baptists churches, and we pray for a successful upcoming school year.

Recent news headlines and social media content have ranged from interesting to unusual to outright heart-breaking. While these sources can be challenging, I continue to be excited about is what God is doing through Texas Baptists churches and institutions this summer. 

I write to you from Monterrey, Mexico, where I am preaching the evening sessions of the National Baptist Convention of Mexico.

We continue to be mindful of those in Houston and surrounding areas who were affected by Hurricane Beryl. We pray for comfort, provision and recovery.