First Person Archives - The Baptist Paper

First person: ‘Lord, get into my head before I do.’

May 23, 2025

“Let me tell you something that may not surprise you: my head can be a mess first thing in the morning,” writes Tony Martin, editor of The Baptist Record.

First person: Ruth’s surrendered life

May 18, 2025

“Don’t plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live,

First person: Celebrating the people you serve, love

May 17, 2025

One of the joys of pastoring is celebrating the milestone achievements of the people you serve and love.

First person: Refocusing on the main thing

May 16, 2025

New Coke was a colossal failure. In 1985, after decades as a premier global brand producing the world’s most popular soft drink, the Coca-Cola Company’s

First person: How to fail forward — one step at a time

May 13, 2025

Failure has a way of getting into our heads if we’re not careful. It sneaks in through the side door, whispering things like “You’re not enough” or “You’ll never get it right.”

First person: Confessions of a first-year pastor

May 13, 2025

As I’ve reflected on the first year of shepherding my congregation, here are four confessions that in the Lord’s kindness may benefit every pastor, minister, leader, and lay person.