Gushing Gospel Gratefulness on Thanksgiving!

As you celebrate this Thanksgiving with your family and friends, I pray that you will take the time to truly be thankful for what God has done and is doing in our Church family at Trinity.  I know for Michele, the boys and me, we are truly thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside you!  Know that we love you dearly and wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

We will "finish out" our staff blogs with a final offering of thankfulness from Bro. Brad Walker...hope you enjoy! 

From Bro. Brad:

When the holiday season rolls around, I often reflect on the things in my life for which I am most grateful. I have never gotten over the fact that a sinner like me was met by the saving hand of God and confronted by the truth of the gospel.  It is a divine exchange beyond comprehension: the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty, and Jesus ‘perfect record for my filthy rags (II Cor. 5:21).  Likewise, my Heavenly Father has called me to be a Pastor, and it is an absolute joy that I get to fulfill my calling at Trinity Baptist Church.

During a couple of week stretch in October, the student ministry had a Student Ministry Vision luncheon, Man vs. Wild (2 day boys’ campout), Pampered Pajama Party (2 day girls’ retreat), and a 5^th Quarter (after football game student gathering).  During this time, I was reminded both of my inadequacy to do ministry alone, and the unbelievable joy to see the Body of Christ in action serving as a team at these events.  From all of the parents that spent the night as chaperones, to the ones that baked, or decorated, or served food, or did manicures, or set up, etc… I was overwhelmed by how blessed I am to have such a dedicated support system.  We had church members that kept our three kids (not easy) so that Elicia and I could serve at the spring break events.  We have had grandparents, student leaders, parents and people with a heart for students who have given up much free time to organize, plan, and to serve so that the teenagers of Desoto County will be impacted with the gospel.  I am so grateful for our Student Leadership Team of Mentors that believes and live out ministry with students, and for servants that serve in logistics behind the scenes where no one sees.    At our vision luncheon, many of our families were there, and I was reminded of the amazing work that God is doing in transforming lives and families in our midst.  Marriages are being restored, broken lives are being put back together, Dads are stepping up to lead their families and children are trying to honor them.  I am so grateful that I serve a group of students that are hungry for the Word and are eager obey it.  I am fully aware that I do not deserve such wonderful people to serve, and God has been more than gracious to allow me the privilege of serving at TBC.  

Few people on this earth wake up every day excited about their vocation, and I am one that is blessed to have such a job. While there are many challenges in student ministry, we absolutely love it! It meets the needs of my family financially and provides me the opportunity to fulfill my calling with joy.  This joy is enhanced by the Godly and talented staff team and pastors that I serve with. I am so thankful for Emily Beitz, my former assistant, who very capably assisted me with much skill and recently took a promotion as a “stay at home mom,” and for Jerebeth Mehler, who now helps me in amazing ways and has taught me much about authentic, compassionate ministry. The depth of fellowship that our staff has in the midst of spiritual battle is deep, and the fun we have is great. I am also thankful for a senior Pastor that is my pastor, boss, and friend.  There is no other pastor in the world that I would rather serve with than my Pastor.  

Finally, the number of acts of kindness, babysitting, notes of encouragement, cooked meals, and loving gifts that we have received from our church family are too numerous to mention.  Thank you TBC for loving me as one of the Pastors of your church body. Thank you for loving my family and serving us in a way that humbles and edifies us.  Thank you for extending grace for my many weaknesses.  Thank you for helping us to raise our boys. Thank you for keeping us accountable to God’s Word. Thank you for reminding us often of Jesus Christ and His work. Thank you for being our family. 

Bro. Brad

Dear Trinity Baptist Church,

I love you for what you are, for what you could be, will be and should be. I love the Savior that rescued you and the price that He gave to ransom you, His life. I love how you have held to the Bible as your guide through the years and how many people sacrificed to see you thrive. I love how many individuals died to their preferences for the good of your development in order to unite separate churches as one. I love how you have embraced the new generation of young people and not forsaken the elderly in the process. I love how you have ministered to thousands of people in the booming community of Desoto County and around the world. I love how social you are and how passionate about missions you are. I love the diversity in socioeconomic statuses and the range of ages that exist within you. I love your potential for racial diversity and cultural diversity to represent the power of the gospel to unite.

You are not without spot or blemish, but you will be made white as snow. Your repentance is refreshing and your growth is evident. You have a beautiful exterior physical frame, but your beauty and your substance will still shine if the building falls. People are your substance, devoted people. They are believers that have counted the cost and are living and sharing the Gospel. You are kind and compassionate and have a desire to honor your pastors and to follow Christ. You desire a Biblical community and you are warring for peace. You have endured hardship and disagreements and have persevered. I love you and am captivated by your potential and by your current beauty.

My prayer is that I would love you, sacrifice for you, protect you, lead you, honor you, and mature you. The love of Christ for Trinity Baptist Church makes my love pale in comparison. His love is not merely in the abstract and directed at the Church Universal. It is a specific love for a particular people. It is a love that knows our faults and yet endured the cross for us and has promised to complete us and make us holy. The gates of hell will not prevail against us as the Groom, Christ Jesus, wages our war. Our hope is in Him. Our growth will come from Him. Our direction will be given by Him. He will meet all of our needs as we follow His Word. I love you, Trinity Baptist Church, for all that you are and all that you do. May God be pleased in advancing His Kingdom through you for the sake of His fame!

In Christ,

William Bradford Walker

When the Holiday Season Rolls Around....by Guest Blogger, Bro. Brad Walker

When the Holiday Season rolls around, I often reflect on the things in my life for which I am most grateful. I have never gotten over the fact that a sinner like me was met by the saving hand of God and confronted by the truth of the Gospel. It is a divine exchange beyond comprehension: the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty, and Jesus’ perfect record for my filthy rags (II Cor. 5:21). Likewise, my Heavenly Father has called me to be a Pastor, and it is an absolute joy that I get to fulfill my calling at Trinity Baptist Church. I have seen hundreds of churches and hundreds of student ministries, but I have never seen a church with more potential to reach the nations through the caliber of teens and families and the resources that God has blessed us with. The potential for student ministry and the possibility of influencing the future leaders of our world with the Word of God wakes me up in the morning. I love preaching. I love counseling. I love discipling. I love building relationships and having fun with students. I love sharing the gospel and building a ministry team. I love seeing the needs of ministry, identifying an individual’s gifts and helping people connect the two. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to fulfill all of these passions.


Also, I am continually overwhelmed by the student ministry team that God has raised up here - they are much more talented than the student pastor! My assistant, Emily Beitz, continually serves with her skill and organization. I am grateful that she often covers up my weaknesses and makes what we do more effective. Our mentors, interns, directors, student leaders, and parent leaders are top notch. While much of the work they do goes unseen by people, it is not unseen by the God of the Universe. The backbone of our ministry is the faithfulness of the humble servants on our team. I am also grateful for the fantastic parents that are trying to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I have never been lacking any resource or need in order to fulfill our ministry goals at TBC. What a blessing it is to have the relevant and state of the art facilities in order to minister to students and their families!

I realize that few people on this earth wake up every day excited about their vocation, and I am one that is blessed to have such a job. While there are many challenges, some heartaches, crazy hours and lots of responsibilities of student ministry, we love it! It meets the needs of my family financially and provides me the opportunity to fulfill my calling with joy. This joy is enhanced by the Godly and talented staff team and pastors. The depth of fellowship that we have in the midst of battle is deep and the fun is great. I am also thankful for a senior Pastor that is my pastor, boss and friend. There is no other pastor in the world that I would rather serve with than my Pastor.

Finally, the number of acts of kindness, babysitting, notes of encouragement, cooked meals, and loving gifts for my family are too numerous to mention. Thank you church family for loving me as one of the Pastors of your Church body. Thank you for loving my family and serving us in a way that humbles and edifies us. Thank you for extending grace for my many weaknesses. Thank you for helping us to raise our boys. Thank you for keeping us accountable to God’s Word. Thank you for reminding us often of Jesus Christ and His work. Thank you for being our family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Something Different

When I arrived at Trinity one of the things that I said over and over again in several different ways, is that we need to be thinking Christians. We need to think through things Biblically as a church, we need to read solid Biblical authors, we need to get in the Word of God apply it to our day to day life to glorify God. I know we are about a month away, but I wanted to mention that beginning on September 19th we are kicking off our Sunday evening classes again. Depending on what class you take, they begin anytime from about 4:30 to 5:00 and you will have those details as sign up takes place for theses classes. There are several ladies’ Bible studies, there is a “Way Of The Master” training, and several other classes. One that we will be offering is entitled “The Parenting Roundtable” and this class will be led by Brad Walker, Jeff Summers and me. This will be for parents that have children on the way - all the way to parents of middle school students. It will be topical, and we will have group discussions, Q and A times and deal with everything from Family Worship, Dating vs. Courting, views on Santa Clause, to disciplining with Scripture. Many of these topics we will give differing views, and on some of them there may be no clear dogmatic answer. Our goal is to think through these things as a church body. We will bring in some Senior Adults to talk about things they wish they would have done with their children and things they did right with their children. I believe if you have children in your home or expecting one soon, this will be a great opportunity to think Biblically together on hot topics! Look forward to seeing you there.

What I Saw Last Week

I saw a great group of Trinity Students in this building the majority of the day! I watched them in meetings learning how to rightly share the Gospel, I watched them leave and go serve other people in the area, and I watched them being taught doctrinal truths throughout the day. All of that to say, it is a wonderful thing to watch God working in the lives of our students. Praise God for sending us such a wonderful Minister to Families with Students! If you notice, I didn’t say “Student Minister” or “Student Pastor.” Bro. Brad understands that his “job” is not to be the guy that parents use as a contractor to teach their students biblical truth. Instead, he is called to partner with parents in teaching and training students, and their families, in the Word of God. When Bro. Brad Walker came on staff I knew we were getting a man who could teach doctrine to our students, but he also brings us more laughs (laughing AT him AND with him), more life and more excitement than any staff member of any church I have ever seen. Just as in a family it is the sum of the parts that makes the family what it is, so is true with any staff. Sometimes that is good and sometimes not so much…for Trinity Baptist Church, let me say it is one of the things that makes serving here so enjoyable! I watch Bro. Brad love this church, love his family and love our Lord consistently. Most every Student Ministry I have seen does its very best to make students “an island unto themselves” - they are an isolated section of the church at best, but not really seen as part of the church. I thank the Lord that Bro. Brad understands the Word enough to not only come beside parents as they train their students, but also push those students to serve the church as a whole… getting them to understand they are not the “church of tomorrow” but rather, they are part of the Church today!

All of this to say, outside of preaching the Word of God I have no greater joy in ministry than serving with these incredible men we have on staff. I love them. I love their devotion and hunger for truth, I love their understanding of what a biblical church should look like and I am grateful for their passion for our Savior. Thank you students for striving for growth and faithfulness… thank you Bro. Brad for your service to these families and this church, and thanks be to our Lord for His grace and mercy in our lives and in our church family!

Think About This...

Family Worship: If you worship together with your child from age 2 until 17 at the rate of 4 times per week in your home and 2 times as a corporate gathering in your local church each week – you will have spent 4,680 worship services with your child! By then, he or she will be ready for college and should know the truth of the Gospel! Proverbs 22:6

A Pastor friend of mine and of Bro. Brad Walker’s, posted the quote above on his FaceBook status. When I read this I was filled with joy! To think that such an effort, when added up, has an incredible impact upon the life of our family. There are so many times that I end our Family Worship more blessed personally than I probably blessed my family. To think back at the way I spent time teaching my boys such simple principles when they were so young, to now at a time of their lives that they are taking notes on eschatology as we worship…wow! Right now they can explain the Gospel more clearly than I could when I graduated High School. The fact that we can worship with our children over 4500 times and teach them incredible life altering truths should motivate us past the “I just don’t feel like it tonight” attitude. I have written several blogs on this, but never stopped to add up all the opportunities. It is such a blessing to “get” to lead my family in worship! Let’s not bemoan the ills of the world, let’s exalt the name of Christ and trust in the power of the Gospel to transform their lives and ours.

Family Worship Blog from guest blogger....Bro. Brad Walker

Bro. Brad and his sweet family have been a great asset to our Trinity family in just the short time that they have been here! Our students are already being challenged to examine their faith, to articulate an accurate Gospel and to minister in ways that they have never thought of before. I am thankful that Bro. Brad and Bro. Jeff Summers work so well together and have such a heart to develop our FAMILIES - they correctly view their ministry as one of equipping parents to grow their children. This emphasis on family ministry is just one of MANY reasons I am so thankful that God has sent Bro. Brad our way! As I have always considered myself blessed to have my boys under Bro. Jeff Summer's ministry - I am confident and excited to watch them continue to grow under the ministry of Bro. Brad!


Family Worship at the Walker Home...is sometimes like herding cats!!
Preparing for family worship at the Walker house is sometimes like herding cats. My wife, Elicia, and I have a 3 year old and a 17 month old. With boys of these ages, energy levels are often high and attention spans low. Like most families in our church, we are a very busy family; therefore, we try to keep the big picture in mind with our family worship. Our goals are very simple. We strive to have family worship 4 or 5 times a week (we desire to grow to 7). Depending on our day, we may have family worship at breakfast, supper or at bedtime. As often as possible, we have family worship with all four of us, but sometimes it’s just with two or three of us (sometimes Elicia has to put one of them to bed early). During this stage in the life of our family, we have learned to be flexible. Our focus is on packing truth into the hearts of our young children and not working to check family worship off of our list of Christian disciplines.
The layout of this time typically consists of Bible reading, questions/discussion, praising the Lord in song, and prayer. We love to use resources for young children that employ repetition, a gospel-centered message, and a storyline that points to Christ. Some of our favorite tools to use in family worship include but are not limited to the following sources:
The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm and The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones
Both of these Children’s Bibles point to Christ at the center of every Bible story. Our children love the great illustrations and the captivating writing style of each of these Bibles.
A Sure Foundation by Sally Michael, Children Desiring God and Bethlehem Baptist Church
This is a curriculum for young toddlers that teaches children foundational biblical truths while giving them a biblical vocabulary and helping them see a great God. The lessons are designed to be repeated over and over again and are complete with wonderfully illustrated story pictures, a scripture memory set, songs to sing, and color/activity sheets to use for reinforcement.
To say the least, setting aside and maintaining time for family worship requires a daily dying to self! There are many days and nights when it would be much easier to just skip it. That is why we have to be convinced that the purpose of family worship is to honor God and to plant and water the seeds of the gospel in the hearts of our young children and pray that God will provide the increase at His appointed time. We will never be able to do a perfect job of worshipping God whether in private or as a family; therefore, family worship is another opportunity to experience the grace of our Lord!