By Clay Hallmark
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lexington

Focal Passage: Ecclesiastes 11:7-10; 12:12-14

There was once an elderly gentleman who loved playing golf. But he was almost 80, and his vision was not very good anymore. He always had partners with him when he went out to play so they could watch his ball and tell him where it went.

One day his buddies did not show up. It was a beautiful day for golf, and as he waited at the clubhouse, he got more and more upset that he wasn’t going to get to play his round. Another elderly man in the clubhouse saw him and asked, “What’s wrong?” The man explained his predicament: “I was really looking forward to playing golf today. But I don’t see very well anymore, so I need someone to watch the ball after I hit.” [Read more…]

By Clay Hallmark
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lexington

Focal Passage: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

Jean Paul Getty was born in Minneapolis in 1892. He was educated in California and attended Oxford University. He became an independent oil producer in 1914 and held presidential and directorial positions with several oil companies during the 1930’s.  [Read more…]

Clay Hallmark
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lexington

Focal Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:18-23; 3:9-13

Somebody has well said that there are only two kinds of people in the world — there are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord, it is time to go to work” and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good Lord, it’s morning and time to go to work.” [Read more…]

By Clay Hallmark
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lexington Focal 

Focal Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:12-17; 7:23-29

In the movie “Forrest Gump,” the main character sat on a bench and said, “Mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.’ ” When we read Ecclesiastes 2 and 7, it appears that Solomon had a similar outlook on life. [Read more…]

By Clay Hallmark
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lexington

Focal Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

A disciple of a great Rabbi asked, “Rabbi, I mean no disrespect, but why is it that each time I pose a question, you respond with a question.” The Rabbi asked, “Is it wrong for Rabbi to answer his disciple with a question?”

Life is filled with questions. In 1991 James Peterson and Peter Kim wrote a book entitled The Day America Told The Truth. In the book 2,000 people were asked, “What would you be willing to do for 10 million dollars?” The results were shocking: [Read more…]

By Clay Hallmark
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lexington

Focal Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:1-14

An 8-year-old boy came to his mother and asked, “Where did I come from?” The mother took a deep breath but was determined to answer it truthfully. So, she started explaining “the birds and the bees” in explicit detail. About 20 minutes later, her horrified little boy interrupted her and said, “But mommy, where did I come from? My friend Jimmy said he came from Memphis.”

Where did I come from? Why am I here? Does my life have a purpose? These were the questions in the mind of Solomon and is a question that is in the minds of people all around us today. [Read more…]