On this episode, Fred and Matt discuss the church merger that Fred led in 2021, with Ellendale Baptist Church and Agape Church coming together as one.

Fred and Matt interview Dr. Danny Sinquefield on the value and blessing of churches partnering together. Danny is the pastor emeritus of Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett, TN, after having pastored there for over 27 years. He now serves as the Harvest Field Team Leader for Region 1 of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, helping to encourage pastors and coordinate cooperative ministry all over West Tennessee.

Fred and Matt work through the use of humor in preaching - its benefits and potential pitfalls.

Fred and Matt discuss the importance of humility in the life and heart of the pastor. They work through some of the root causes of the problem, a biblical perspective on it, and some practical help for defeating this insidious temptation.

For their December 2024 episode, Fred and Matt talk through 10 habits for pastors to incorporate into their ministries in 2025. Merry Christmas!

Fred and Matt interview Dr. Jon Akin, Vice President for Church Relations & Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Jon has a PhD in Old Testament and has written several books on preaching in a Christ-centered way.

Links to his books (some discussed in the episode) are below:

1. "Preaching Christ from Proverbs": https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Christ-Proverbs-Jonathan-Akin/dp/0692360158?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR

2. "Exalting Jesus in Ecclesiastes": https://www.amazon.com/Exalting-Ecclesiastes-Christ-Centered-Exposition-Commentary-ebook/dp/B077JLW843?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR

3. "Exalting Jesus in Proverbs": https://www.amazon.com/Exalting-Proverbs-Christ-Centered-Exposition-Commentary-ebook/dp/B076MLP74M?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR

At a Mid-South Baptist Association pastors meeting in Memphis, Fred and Matt recently had the opportunity to interview Raleigh Sadler, founder and director of Let My People Go (lmpg.org). LMPG helps churches engage in the fight against human trafficking. Please check out their website!

The free e-book that Raleigh references during the episode can be found here: https://www.lmpg.org/handbook

Here's the Amazon link to Raleigh's first book, "Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking": https://www.amazon.com/Vulnerable-Rethinking-Trafficking-Raleigh-Sadler/dp/1535917970/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NRZIRGN2X2IY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dmNVzKSMSvoTfdPN6mEPRQ.3MxEzWP6Rw3-CKHQun9pHVz1dvyt-NrV2IaIUHSMhJs&dib_tag=se&keywords=vulnerable+rethinking+human+trafficking&qid=1729379174&sprefix=vulnerable+re%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1

Here's the link to Raleigh's podcast, MercyCast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mercycast/id1669610161

Thank you for listening!

Fred and Matt return from their podcast hiatus to (fittingly!) talk about - sabbaticals! Fred just took a sabbatical after 10 years of serving at Ellendale Baptist Church. Podcast episodes will now come on a monthly basis, but each individual episode should be longer. Thanks for listening!