Resignation Letter

Dear Church Family

In August of 2000 I came to First Baptist Church in Hot Springs to serve as the Minister to Youth and Young Singles. Over these past eight years, God has blessed me with a great youth ministry with wonderful students, incredible youth workers, a talented staff to serve with and a loving and caring church.

As your Youth Minister I have taught your teenagers to know Christ, serve Him with all their might, worship Him with all their hearts and be a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their schools, homes, in Hot Springs, in Arkansas, in the US and around the world. I have also taught them to be totally obedient to God and his will for their lives, regardless of how difficult or painful that obedience may be.

Now Danielle and I enter into a season of painful obedience. I am resigning my position as Minister to Youth and Young Singles as of August 24, 2008 to accept the position of Student Pastor at First Baptist Church in Newcastle, Oklahoma. This is a bittersweet season for us as we leave friends who have become family and a ministry where we were and are loved, cared for and prayed for. Please know that we love you and cherish the relationships and experiences that God blessed us with in Hot Springs.

We covet your prayers and appreciate all you have done for us as a couple. We thank God for you and our time here with you at First Baptist Church in Hot Springs.

In Christ,

Craig and Danielle Smith

They Come in 3's

I am sure you have heard that saying before.

"They come in threes."

Apparently, many things come in threes. Pregnancies. Traffic tickets. Car wrecks. And celebrity deaths. They come in threes. When one couple gets preggos, sure as shootin' another two couples are close behind.

Well, the saying works. Last year we saw Luciano Pavarotti, Ike Turner and Robert Goulet die in a one month span. In 06 in one month we lost Gerald Ford, James Brown and and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. And also we lost cartoon producer Joseph Barbera, Peter Boyle and blues legend Jay McShann.

Not enough proof? How about Pat Morita, Nipsey Russell and Don Adams for a 70's tv show trifecta back in late 2005? Or Bob Denver, Peter Jennings and Star Trek's Scottie, also in 05. Or even Eddie Albert, Frank Gorshin and Luther Vandross? See...they come in threes.

Earlier this year we lost Suzanne Pleshette, Heath Ledger and Charleton Heston.

So now we have lost Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes in the past two days. I think the third celeb to shuffle off this mortal coil will be consistent with the first two. It will be the untimely passing of a great black celebrity who has seen some great recent success.

Possibilities:
- Bill Cosby - He is older but seems to be in good health and still tours.
- Dave Chappelle - Seriously, how come the death clock has never started ticking on Dave?
- Morgan Freeman - He would sort of be an unfortunate connection of the They Come in Three Rules as it applies to both the loss of a popular black celeb AND the dreaded Curse of the Dark Knight.
- Gary Coleman - He has not really had recent success but I am pretty sure he is still quasi-famous.
- Buddy Guy - Sure he is realllllllly old, but with Bo Diddley gone and BB King barely hanging on, Buddy might sneak by and finish off the 3.

What do you think?