October 2025

Hey everybody!

Well, I am EXHAUSTED!

Did anyone else’s September seem to absolutely fly by? I was joking with a brother earlier today that I thank God I never delete entries from my calendar, so I can actually go back and see what happened this month to write this! And on top of everything else that’s happened this month, we moved into the transitional home that we were offered and that I mentioned in last month’s update as well. Of course, with my elbow injury, Patricia and the kids had to do most of the work, but we are here now!

This month began with a hot start, as on the morning of September 5, Patricia and I had a meeting with Jason Crandall of the NAMB. Jason is our Send Network Coordinator, and the meeting was to discuss the next steps for Patricia and I as we prepare to move our family next spring. Best of all, though, it was our first meeting with Jason (probably the 5th overall) in which the leadership team at Westlake was specifically asked to attend, two of our elders–Justin Likens and Chris Belknap–and one elder’s wife–Jess Belknap–joined us for about an hour long conference call.

During that conversation, Jason outlined what we need to be doing to prepare for next spring, and he stated that his hope is for me to go into a one year “resident internship” with an existing church in El Paso. That would give us a great place to land, worship, and serve as we build our core team next spring, while also giving us an obvious plan for how we will begin serving in ministry as soon as our feet hit the ground next March.

That afternoon, the Elders of Westlake invited me to join them in a two day meeting/workshop, in which we discussed the mission, direction, and role of the various ministries at Westlake. As an Elder Intern, I was invited to share my thoughts, but also to gain valuable insight into how these Elder meetings can be run to the benefit of the body at large.

And this was all before the first Sunday of September!

As I mentioned in last month’s update, I led the Connections Bible Study at Westlake every Sunday in August, and Justin also had me do the first Sunday of this month as well. Then, it was time for Nathaniel and I to pack up and make the 7 hour drive to Tullahoma, Tennessee for the “Roadmap to Revival” conference at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church.

Those three days on the road with Nathaniel were definitely a major highlight of the month. It was so great to spend some one on one time with him, as he was able to pick my brain about some things and share his heart. On top of it, we spent two days worshipping, praying, and learning together with other faithful brothers (and a few sisters) as some faithful men of God brought the word to us.

While down there, we also got to witness some history. One of my heroes in the faith is Dr. James White, as he has been a force for apologetics and a major influence in my walk with Christ. On the night before the conference began, Dr. White participated in his 200th publicly moderated debate, against a Unitarian minister, Dr. Dale Tuggy.

It was really, really cool to see Nathaniel so dialed in during the debate as we watched Dr. White defend the Orthodox position on the nature of God. Several ministers came up to me during the intermission to compliment my son, because (as brother Claude Ramsey put it) “you don’t meet many 15 year olds that dialed in!”

It was great to be challenged by the preaching of Dr. White, Andrew Rappaport, Dr. Keith Foskey, Jonathan Burris, Claude Ramsey, Dr. Michael Shultz, Jeremiah Nortier, and Jeffrey Rice.

After two days of fellowship and being challenged, convicted, and taught by the preaching of the word, Nathaniel and I began the long drive home, because we had a speaking engagement at a local church on September 14.

On that day, Patricia, the kids, and our team member Heather drove to Rocky Mount to speak at Bedrock Church. Bedrock is another Send Network church, and Pastor Russon and Pastor Ross invited us to come speak and seek partnership from their congregation, so Patricia and I shared what God has been leading us to do.

I was supposed to go to the Engaging Exposition conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on that Monday, but some things came up and I had to stay home. However, we still had things happen that week, as I was invited to go speak at another local church–Halesford Baptist–as they dedicated their outdoor worship pavilion. That morning, I was blessed to lead Westlake’s Wednesday Morning Bible Study again, expositing the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25 and explaining how the parable teaches us that we are to be good stewards of the many blessings God has given us as His children.

Then, in a show of support that I appreciate more than I can possibly say, Westlake cancelled Wednesday Night services and our normal “Wednesday Night Crowd” went as one to gather with Halesford. There were at least 200 (probably closer to 300) people there that night, as Liberty University’s “LU Praise” held a worship concert there in the field behind the Halesford Baptist building, making that gathering the largest group that I have had the pleasure of addressing to this point, as I spoke on the nature of our confession and belief in Romans 10:9-10.

After my trip with Nathaniel and speaking at Bedrock and Halesford, it was time for a little relaxation, as I got to go spend some time with my oldest daughter, Ivy. We went out to eat and then to the KB concert at my alma mater: Liberty University. Was a great time just hanging out with my oldest baby girl, making some memories. It seems like just yesterday that I used to play with her and make her yell, "I'm beautiful, Daddy!" before bed, so it's incredibly hard to believe that we are celebrating her high school graduation THIS MONTH! Patricia and I are so proud of the young woman she is growing into as a 16 year old high school graduate!

Then, on that Saturday (the 20th), Patricia and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary by going out to have Italian at the restaurant Ivy works at here in Moneta. If I thought it was hard to believe that Ivy is almost grown, it seems even more impossible that our wedding was 17 years ago!

Then, it was time for a trip back to our Family “Home Church,” to worship on two different Sundays with the body at Hebron Baptist in Appomattox. Pastor Tom (AKA “Pops”) and “Momma Cindy” went on a trip together, so they invited me to come preach supply in his stead again. It was really great to be back with the body at Hebron, even though I felt like the preparation for preaching out of Matthew 9:35-38 was harder than boxing for 12 rounds with a prime "Iron" Mike Tyson.

The second Sunday at Hebron, I had the pleasure of preaching out of Isaiah 49, the “Second Servant Song” in Isaiah, and a passage that has become probably top three on my list of favorite Bible passages–ever since we adopted Isaiah 49:6 as the “missional verse” for our church planting journey.

Finally, as I write this update letter, it is September 30, 2025 and the month is almost over. However, same as with last month, God is working right up to the end.

When Patricia and I got back from our Send Network Assessment in Raleigh last month, we applied to join the Pillar Network, a more reformed church planting network within the Southern Baptist Convention. As a more reformed Baptist with intention of planting a Reformed Baptist Church, we applied to become Pillar Network Planters, and this morning, I finally heard from them, and our initial interview is on Thursday of this week.

Right now, October looks to be slowing down a bit when compared to September, but I have learned to be patient when things seem to be getting slower, as usually thats when a curve ball comes that turns my plans upside down!

As always, if you aren’t already following us on our Facebook group, please consider heading over to Davis Family Church Planting Journey and joining. Also, please prayerfully consider partnering with us for a once per month, tax deductible donation of $20. All funds are held in trust by our sending church, and for less than a cup of coffee per week, you can have a significant Gospel impact in the Borderlands!

As always, thank you for your support!

Until next time,

Blessings,

Josh Davis

Lead Planter, Borderlands FBC

Romans 1:16-17