Busy in Ministry and More!

Let's all remember to keep first things first. I, like you am very busy with just the normal day to day challenges of life and ministry. Between Friday and Monday, LORD willing, I will perform one wedding, two funerals as well as preach on Sunday morning. I just read in the news that Earvin "Magic" Johnson and his wife Cookie have just launched their own television network called: Aspire. Check them out at: http://www.aspire.tv/ The network will focus on African American, family friendly broadcasting. Let's all remember to relax and prioritize faith, family and fellowship. Agape, pastor fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY!

Last night I was the guest preacher at the 19th pastoral appreciation service for the Reverend Juan M. Brown Sr. at the Progressive Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. Thank you Pastor Brown for the opportunity to preach The gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you Progressive Church family for allowing me to come. safe in CHRIST, pastor fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

THANK YOU LORD FOR THE PREACHING OF PASTOR MILTON PLEASANT!

This past Sunday I was asked to participate in the 37th Church Anniversary service at South Mountain Baptist Church in Phoenix Arizona, Rev. Troy C. Allen, pastor. The guest preacher for the occasion was Rev. Milton Pleasant, founder/pastor of Abundant Life Baptist Church in Phoenix Arizona. Both Pastor Allen and Pastor Pleasant are past members of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church where I currently serve as senior minister. I want to thank our GOD for the preaching ministry of Pastor Milton Pleasant. He preached a sermon titled: The Power of Partnership from Hebrews chapter ten. It was a helpful and practical message. Thank you Pastor Pleasant. Thank you JESUS CHRIST. agape, s j fort

LOVE, MERCY, GRACE AND JUSTICE!

Matthew 18:1-10 (New Living Translation) About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” 2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[a] is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.[b] 10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. Matthew 19:13 & 14 (New Living Translation) One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. The verdict was just announced in the trial of Gerald Arthur (also known as "Jerry") Sandusky, a former assistant coach at State College (affectionately known as Penn State); in Pennsylvania. Mr. Sandusky was originally facing 52 counts connected to sexual abuse. I believe the judge dismissed 4 counts. When the jury went to deliberate the number of counts against Mr. Sandusky was 48. Minutes ago the verdict came down. Mr. Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of the 48 charges for sexual crimes against children. God loves us one and all! In fact, The LORD loves us all the same ... faults, failures and sins included. That said, God is also a just God and all of us would do well to remember this fact. Consider the verses of Scripture provided above- in context along with the rest of The Holy Bible ... and let's make a fresh commitment to love The LORD our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength- and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Remember Jesus Christ had a special place in His heart for children! Let's pray for all of the victims in this case- and every case like it around the world. Pray for the Sandusky family too. Victims are there as well. Agape, Pastor Fort, Servant of JESUS CHRIST

Let us Pray!

The southern baptist convention just made Pastor Fred Luter president of their convention. The republican party has a Mormon as their parties nominee- supported I might add by people who identify themselves as Christians. President Obama has voiced his approval for same-sex marriage. agape, sherman j. fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

TREMENDOUS! GREAT! PRACTICAL!

These are the words I choose to describe the teaching (or leading) of Deacon Emerson Turner (as the special guest facilitator) for the Men's Conference at Berean Bible Church this morning. Berean Bible church is led by my dear friend and brother Rev. Fredrick L. Fairley Sr. Today marked the Men's Conference at Berean and tomorrow (Father's Day 2012); the Men's Annual Day at Berean. Deacon Emerson Turner has participated in the Men's weekend/Annual Day several times at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernadino California, where Fredrick's father, the inimitable Rev. Dr. Robert L. Fairley Sr. serves as pastor. While I was asked to serve as part of a penel during a Q & A session, I always intended to attend the event in support of both Pastor Fairley and Deacon Turner (the Church Administrator at Canaan Missionary Baptist Church). I was blessed in ways beyond measure by being there this morning. Deacon Turner's presentation was thoughtful, thorough and just excellent. He was (as always); well prepared. His presentation was Biblical, CHRIST-centered and designed with the purpose of helping Berean grow a men's ministry. I am better because of attending the conference today. Thank you Pastor Fairley for your vision withe the M.O.B. (Men of Berean). All praise, glory and honor go to The LORD JESUS CHRIST. Happy Father's Day 2012 to ALL father's. agape, pastor fort

THERE'S A TIME FOR EVERTYHING UNDER HEAVEN!

Ecclesiastes 3 New King James Version (NKJV) Everything Has Its Time To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. A season of change and transition is in the air at Canaan Missionary Baptist Church. This change is not just physical, it is Spiritual. The change is not personal and corporate. It is a change I, for one am excited about! The transition of Saints from earth to glory is also going on at CMBC ... and around the world. Just this morning the mother of Sis. Natalia Woods transitioned from earth to glory. While we are always joy-filled to think of spending eternity with The LORD Jesus Christ, it is nevertheless (for most); an anxiety filled thought when we contemplate the "moment" of death. May our God continue to help us to grow up in Him to the point where more and more of us are no longer bothered by the thought (the shadow); of death. May the joy of Jesus and spending eternity with God and believers from all generations so move us that the very thought of death simply disappears. agape, pastor fort, servant of Jesus Christ

SUMMER TUTORING AND VBS AT CMBC!

I thank our God for the Saints at Canaan Missionary Baptist Church. As you all know summer is upon us. And the heat is on in more than one way at Canaan. Sis. Eileen Conway, an award winning, bachelor and master degree holding, teacher and teacher trainer in the public square is supplying a Summer Tutoring Academy at Canaan for the next five weeks. Students from Pre-K through seventh grade can receive one on one help with their academics. The program is designed to place special focus on mathematics, reading and writing. Sis. Conway promises that the children will "exceed" and "excel" if they stick to the program. Our hope is to prepare our children to not just "C" their way through school and life, but to excel ... be the best student they can be. Thank you Sis. Conway! In addition V.B.S. (Vacation Bible School) kicked of at Canaan last night. This is our first year having V.B.S. in the evening. Last night was AWESOME!!! In the first night we exceeded the number of persons who registered. Whatever else is apparent when we host VBS is the fact that we need MORE SPACE!!! Thank you to ALL OF THE VOLUNTEERS!!! You all are awesome! By the way, last night's color was red. Tonight's color is blue. agape, pastor fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

ELOY ARIZONA- CONGRATULATIONS PASTOR AND SIS. PAYNE!

Congratulations to Pastor Charles Payne and his beautiful bride Sis. Payne on 15 years of Christian service to our God and His people at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Eloy Arizona. This past Sunday, Pastor Payne honored the members of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church and I when he asked us to come to Eloy and help them celebrate their anniversary. The service was wonderful! Worshipping with the other Pastors from the Coolidge, Casa Grande, Eloy, Florence and surrounding areas was great. The members of Canaan who went are still talking about the experience. Special thanks to the members of the CMBC Male Chorus who went with me and sang for The LORD! Thank you for the opportunity to preach Pastor Payne. May our God continue to bless and keep Pastor and Sis. Payne and the Mount Zion M.B.C. family. agape, pastor fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

Worship At Canaan Tomorrow!

I am back home. It was a real joy to return home and find all well with my family. To God be the glory for all He did for me while in revival this week. I am looking forward to worship tomorrow at Canaan. I pray we all have a great day of worship. To the Canaan family remember we are scheduled to worship with Mt. Zion M.B.C. in Eloy Arizona tomorrow afternoon. Look for specifics in tomorrow's bulletin. agape, pastor fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

SABBATH!

Tonight is the last night of the revival here in Flagstaff. Again I repeat that Pastor LD Marion Jr. and the members of First Baptist Church have been so very kind and generous to me. For this I am grateful. This morning I had breakfast with a young man who is a full time missionary to the students at Northern Arizona University. He and his young family along with a team of others are committed to sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ with the college students on the campus of N.A.U. It was interesting to talk with my new friend Art. Interesting in that the ministry is committed specifically to winning young, college-age people to The LORD. Statistics indicate that the majority (over 75%) of people who come to faith in Christ do so before the age of 25. Art and the ministry he works with have identified a target audience for them and they are committed to reaching that specific target group. Please join me in praying that our God will continue to use them for His glory and the good of others. As Art and I shared and as I continue to marvel in the beauty of Flagstaff and northern Arizona in-particular I am reminded that I (yea all of us); need to prioritize rest. In fact I received a text from a member of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church where I serve as pastor yesterday. This sister encouraged me then to be sure and get some rest. As my wonderful wife Angela and I continue to work at spending quality time together- both with one another and our children, let me encourage all of my fellow believers to carve out time for your families and YOURSELF also. God wants us to get adequate rest. In this way we can recharge and be revived not just spiritually but physically. A physically healthy and rested Christian can better serve The LORD. Here's to real, righteous rest. Agape, S. J. Fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

MORNING MOMENTS WITH GOD MATTER!

The time is 6:32AM and I have just finished spending some time reading The Word of God. One of the most important things for Christians everywhere and Gospel preachers and pastors in-particular is that we spend quality time with The LORD. More specifically, that we spend a morning devotional time with God. I believe that moments in the morning with God really matter. I want to encourage every believer to spend time with God- first thing. Make time for The One who has given you life. In Exodus chapter twenty and Matthew chapter six among other verses, we are taught the principle of prioritizing God. As followers of Jesus Christ we are encouraged to guard our time with The LORD and to protect it at all costs. This morning's Scripture reading for me was Psalm 103. It is one of my favorite Psalms. What was your morning Scripture today? If you haven't had one today let me encourage you to choose a passage of Scripture now (no matter what time it is); and read it. Then follow that reading of God's Word with a time of prayer to The LORD. Talk with God and listen as He talks back to you. Have a great and God-centered day. safe in CHRIST, sherman j. fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

PRAISE THE LORD!

I just got back from the first night of the Revival at First Baptist Church in Flagstaff Arizona. The LORD blessed. While I never feel as though my preaching is what it should be, God was nevertheless gracious with His Word. The singing was great, the fellowship after service was sweet. People came up to me and said they were helped- that's always encouraging. We prayed for Pastor and Sister Marion in a special way just prior to the benediction. He has some health challenges right now. I am asking all of the Saints at Canaan and in the Kingdom of God to lift this pastor and his family up in prayer as well. I believe The LORD spoke to me tonight about what to preach the last night of the revival through the testimony of a Sister in service tonight. Like other preachers I often seek to do a "sermon series" whether it be Sunday morning, Tuesday night Bible study, Wednesday afternoon Bible study, Revival or what have you? But this week I feel compelled to go another way. I want to thank our GOD for speaking to me tonight through this Sister! Well I am in my hotel room now- safe and sound. Grateful to our GOD for His love, mercy and grace. I'm getting ready to call Angela. She sent me a beautiful "head-shot" of herself on my cellular phone. To God be ALL glory, honor and praise. Safe in CHRIST, Pastor Fort

I Just Arrived In Flagstaff Arizona

I've been in beautiful, cool (in comparison to the "Valley"); Flagstaff Arizona now for about an hour. I am honored that my brother and friend the Reverend LD Marion has invited me to preach a revival at the church where he serves as pastor- the great First Baptist Church. The drive was a good one. Although I must admit I got sleepy along the way. Please pray for me. Pray that I submit to God's will, Word and way this week. Pray that God uses me in spite of me and that He speaks to me- that He speaks to us all through His Word. Pray that people are saved, healed, strengthened, delivered and set free. Safe in CHRIST, S.J. Fort, servant of Jesus Christ

It's Becoming Clearer- In Clearlake California!

"I thank my God upon each rememberance of you". Philippians 1:3 To my dear friends Rev. Jonathan Green and First Lady, Lori Green- thank you for the invitation to preach a few days at the great Praises of Zion Baptist Church in Clearlake California. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Thank the church and "Mama Jo" in particular for the extravagant diggs (housing) you all had me in! Thank you Pastor Green for taking me out on the lake in your boat. Thank you ladies for hosting me (all of us) for dinner in your home. The meal was EXCELLENT! But most of all I want to thank our God for His great grace, lovingkindness and tender-mercies. While in Clearlake I was reminded of several things. A number of things became "clearer" to me. They include the NEED to get away and spend time with: 1. The LORD 2. My wife 3. My wife and kids 4. Myself HALLELUJAAAAAH! Amen. peace, S.J. Fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

California Here I Come ... There I Go!

I am so honored that my dear friend and brother the Reverend R.G. Moore III has invited the Canaan Missionary Baptist Church and I back to Church on The Rock in San Jose California as their guests during their Church Anniversary Celebration 2012. Pastor Moore, we have not long returned from San Jose. You are a great and gracious host. The food was excellent, the fellowship was great and the worship services were wonderful. Thank you my friend for the invitation. The pastor and people of CMBC look forward to your return to the valley of the sun ... that is "The Valley of The SON" very soon. I thank our God for His love, mercy and kindness toward me where this experience is concerned. In addition to seeing Rev. Moore, I was also able to see family members in the Bay Area. Including my sisters Melinda and Arnita; and my aunt Derothy Triplett- along with my brother in law and cousins. I am always glad to see my brother the Reverend Thomas E. Fisher. He attended the afternoon service along with the great Pastor H.L. Davis of San Francisco and others. May our God continue to bless and keep you all is my prayer. Safe in CHRIST, S.J. Fort, Servant of JESUS CHRIST

THANK YOU PASTOR WESNER!

Several weeks ago I was honored (again); to be asked to preach at the First Southern Baptist Church in Wellton Arizona. The church is pastored by my friend and brother Rev. Charles Wesner. I am ever grateful to the pastor and good people of First Southern for the kindness they've shown me over the years. For allowing me to come and preach God's Word at your church and for treating so very kindly ... I am grateful. I learned long ago that people don't have to be kind to you. And when they are it's right to say "thank you". I thanked the pastor and people of First Southern in person some time ago, but I want to thank The LORD Jesus Christ (again) for them- and most of all for His (God's); love, mercy and grace! I'm sure I speak for millions of preachers around the country when I say preaching revivals, or any other service (especially- out of town); does not only bless the people being preached to, but it is a real blessing for the preacher who is doing the preaching. Agape, Sherman J. Fort, servant of JESUS CHRIST

"LIFE SEASONS"- ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 3

Recently I listened again to a sermon from my friend and brother Rev. Dr. Emil M. Thomas. In the sermon Dr. Thomas talked about "seasons". Specifically, he talked about the ways in which our God often deals with people in and through various seasons in our lives. Rev. Thomas told a funny yet fateful tale connected to his youth (I won't go into the whole piece here); where he shared in short how our God blessed him to come into his "season" in due time. The LORD has me in a strange season right now. One I've never been in before? It's an exciting season. It's an exceptional season ... it is a strange season. Since the last quarter of last year- AT LEAST, I've been in the season. It's one that requires prayer, patience and poise. The LORD has blessed me in sooooooooo many ways ... I cannot tell it all? Yet, I'm convinced my best season is yet to come! Remember- no matter what season you are in right now- Spring? Summer? Winter? Or Fall? ... GOD is in control of every season. Safe in CHRIST, Sherman J. Fort, Servant of JESUS CHRIST