July 4th is coming! It will be on Sunday this year. If you are preaching a message, this paper may be of interest and help to you.

We are offering a copy of a white paper, “America the Beautiful” with quotes from our Founding Fathers on the place of God in this nation and in their lives. To receive this free paper, opt-in to receive our email newsletter on the right hand side of this webpage and you will receive the paper in your email inbox.

Also you may know other preachers interested in this paper or ministry. If so, please ask them to go to www.PurposedCoachingBlog.com and sign up for our newsletter and we will also send them a copy of the white paper.

As I walked along the sidewalk I saw a couple blocks ahead of me a large crowd of people streaming my way. I had a few gospel tracts in my pocket and my heart quickened as I contemplated being able to give them to many people. But as I drew near, I realized they were children walking to the park for their end of the year picnic.

So I reasoned that since they were in school it would be better not to hand out tracts to them. So I stepped off the sidewalk to give them room to pass and walked on the rest of the way on the grass.

I had walked by about 50 students and was coming to the last of them as I passed. I had greeted some of them along the way and they were clearly happy to be out of the classroom. My heart was heavy that I could not speak to them, but I stayed with my original decision to not cause trouble with the teachers.

Then it happened!

Out of the group of students 2 boys ran toward me. They were about 11 years of age. They shouted in unison…”Gay marriage is legal in the USA. Gay marriage is legal in the USA”. They shouted loudly and long.

I was stunned. Not that they were taught such things in school. I already knew that. But I was stunned that they were so bold as to proclaim it to a perfect stranger that they did not know and had no reason to even speak to. What boldness they displayed! As best I could tell the teacher walking nearby was pleased with their loud, bold confronting of a man on the street.

That was enough for me. How sad I chose to be quiet while 11 year olds will boldly ‘evangelize’. They were walking by and it was too late for that group. But not for the next ones I encounter.

How about you? Isn’t it time you spoke up and were counted for Christ? If the public schools can train and encourage such boldness for wickedness, then I have no reason to be ashamed of speaking for Christ. My next group I pass will receive a different welcome from me.

It was a life and death struggle. The hawk had slipped down to catch a squirrel. As I paused to watch the struggle I saw the couple just ahead of me stop and watch as well. The squirrel struggled until he was able to get loose and he scampered away up the tree.

It was then that I spoke to Carlos. We marveled at how the squirrel had barely gotten away with his life. I then mentioned to Carlos that life is short. We briefly talked about the young lady that had been murdered in Emmaus over the weekend.
I asked him a simple question, “What do you think happens after you die?” He answered with firmness in his voice, “You go to the grave and it is all over!”

I asked him another question, “How do you know that is true?”

It was now that he began to waver. He went on to say that maybe a person went to a better place. He then added that it may be that place was called ‘heaven’. When I asked him how he could be sure of that, he again said maybe we just go to the grave and it’s over.

It was evident that Carlos, like many in our world today does not know what happens after a person dies. I was able to then go on and reason with him from the Scriptures about eternity, judgment, and the sin that would surely condemn him.

My friend, life is so very short. Eternity is so very long and you cannot risk not being prepared. If you are like Carlos and have not made preparation, I would encourage you to prepare today.

When I went to this park, I had asked God to give me an opportunity to witness. Multitudes of people have no idea what will happen after they die. Sadly they are not sure where to even begin looking for answers. The answers are clear in the Bible. Someone must speak to them!

If you know the Christ, then you should be a vocal witness for the Lord. All around us are people in need of a Savior. Are you taking advantage of the opportunities to speak for the Savior?

On Saturday I was privileged to attend the Homeschool Rally at our church, Lehigh Valley Baptist Church in Emmaus. We had one graduate, Emily. What a grand day it was to see these children that are being fashioned as arrows for the Lord by their parents. Here are some of the highlights of the program the kids put on. Enjoy!

Wednesday night was graduation at Great Plains Baptist College and Divinity School. My daughter Rachel graduated with a Master of Arts degree. It was a grand evening. We all had a great time celebrating the accomplishments of the grads and looking forward to their future service for the Saviour! Congratulations Rachel!!!!

The entire graduating class with the faculty of GPBDS.

The happy graduate with her degree


I am in Sioux Falls this weekend and visited the Sertoma Butterfly House. This is a short video of a butterfly called the “Pink Rose.”

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the city of Fargo, ND, to teach a missions class at Fargo Baptist Church and to preach at their missions conference. I found out about a Roger Maris museum in Fargo, so I made some time to visit.

While at the museum, I found out that Maris played for Fargo’s farm team, and the year he played for Fargo would have been about the same time my father, Roland Hammett, played for the Grand Forks farm team. While our family lived in Grand Forks, my dad did some coaching, and pitched for the Grand Forks team. Very possibly, he would have played against Roger Maris that year.

This video tells about a highlight of Roger Maris’ career in 1961 – hitting 61 home runs and beating Babe Ruth’s record. I hope you enjoy it!

Ministry Interview: Louis A. Purks

Advice for young pastors AND for retiring pastors.

L.A. Purks has recently moved from Frederick, MD to Ft.Worth, TX. He can be contacted at LAPurks (at) hotmail.com

Ministry Interview: Louis A. Purks

High points and low points after 27 years as founder & pastor of Victory Baptist Church, Frederick, MD.

L.A. Purks has recently moved from Frederick, MD to Ft.Worth, TX. He can be contacted at LAPurks (at) hotmail.com