My First Blog

"God intended the Law to reveal sin and to drive us to Christ; Satan uses it to reveal sin and to drive us to despair. God meant the Law as an interim step to human's justification; Satan uses it as the final step in our condemnation God mieant the law to be a stepping stone to liberty; Satan uses it as a cul-de-sac deceiving his dupes into supposing that from its fearful bondage there is no escape" John Stott, The Message of Galatians

In his book, God was Here and I was Out to Lunch, James W. Moore quotes Jack Anderson's rules suggested as a response to the moral decline in the nation:

If it isn't right don't do it!
If it isn't true, don't say it!
If it isn't yours don't take it!

As our world continues to change, what sort of response do you personally or should we as a church have to these quotes?

-Hubert

Laughter Really is the Best Medicine

The Green Room is finally open thanks to the help and donations of many and the faithful prayers of our congregation. A special shout out to Lynette Grant who was a rockstar in designing and painting at the Green Room-We couldn't have done it without her! As we opened the Green Room last night and spent much of the evening sitting in a circle on our awesome couches playing a game called catch phrase, laughter could be heard ringing from the rafters. We laughed as Carly pretended to be a gazelle, we laughed as Aly seemed to know every character from Star Wars before anyone had described them, we laughed as the Brian continued to lament that this game was "exhausting!", we just laughed! After many days of feeling nervous and wound-up about whether it would all come together, an evening of laughter was such an incredible and joyous release. It was a subtle yet poignant reminder of God's control in my life. One of my greatest struggles as a Christian is wanting to call the shots, make my own decisions, and "memo" God later. As the kids laughed last night I felt that God has a part in that. He had watched me try and "handle" it while he was watching over us all along. Their laughter was his and it truly was the best medicine.

-Erin

Lord's Supper

Any body wonder why we are doing Lord's Supper each Sunday in the contemporary service? Some may think we are trying to follow the latest trend. Others may think we are trying to become like other denominations which have the LS each Sunday. Actually, it is my bias. Since study in college and seminary days, I have felt the Lord's Supper was a very important part of worship as evidenced in the scriptures. Some Baptist churches have celebrated LS once a year, twice a year, or once a quarter. When I came to FBC in 1979 the Lord's Supper was celebrated once a quarter. I led the church to do the suppper once a month. If the Lord's Supper was more a part of worship on an on going basis, why have Baptists not done it more often? After all, we have always claimed to be "people of the book." I think it is because we have over-reacted to other denominations who make Lord's Supper an official Sacrament. We follow Urich Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, who felt the LS was symbolic. However, it is not JUST symbolic; it is a powerful symbol and so we have incorporated the supper in each Sunday's contemporary services. We are keeping it the same in the traditional service-- once a month-- by consensus of the deacons who feel it is the more "traditional" way. What do you think?

QUIET TIME

For my very first blog I decided I would write about what I love the most-my quiet time with God. A couple of years ago I was introduced to lectio devina, which is a latin phrase that sounds very Catholic, but really means 'sacred reading' and is something Christians did for centuries before the Bible was readily available to all.

It basically is a form of contemplative prayer, where a verse of Scripture is repeated slowly 4 times and there is a period of silence for 4-5 minutes between each reading. In the silence I am able to reflect on how the verse touches my life today, what God is inviting me to do, and then to just sit and rest in God's presence and experience guidance through His Word.

I would love to hear what you with your quiet time with God! There is not any one way that it needs to be done or supposed to be done. I have found that quieting myself and letting God speak to me through His Word has been the most meaningful way for me. Let me know if you have a different way of spending time with God or would like to know more about this.

God Bless!
Steve

Ministry

Which definition of “Ministry” do you like best?

min·is·try (m n -str ) verb. “The act of serving; ministration.”
verb. “The profession, duties, and services of a minister.”
noun.“The Christian clergy.”

I like the first one! “Ministry”, to me, is service – which can be done by anyone who is called by God according to their talents and gifts. Ministry is a verb. Ministry is action. I am blessed to be able to work alongside talented, willing & loving ministers – nursery workers, snack providers, recreation leaders, teachers, story tellers, financial providers, prayer warriors, craft leaders...

We are a family working together for one common purpose – and that’s to bring children to Jesus and help them grow in Him.

Those working in the nursery with tiny babies are providing a ministry to parents who know their little angels are loved and safe while mommy & daddy absorb much-needed encouragement and teaching. Rocking those babies is also building a foundation of trust and love – on which a knowledge of Jesus is built.

Those of you who give so generously to the budget and building fund acknowledge that all we own is from God and therefore provide so much for the children… I often ask the kids if they are glad to have new toys in their classroom, or new crayons on the tables – and when they yell, “YES!” I tell them to hug an adult on the way out of the church and tell them, “Thanks for giving!”

So we have Ministers of Babies and Ministers of Finance – as well as Ministers of Recreation, Snacks and Prayer... 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.”

What’s your Ministry?

In His Love,
Jeanette Hawkins
Children's Minister

Let My Lifesong Sing to You

Do you ever have a song that just keeps circling in your head? I often do. Sometimes it's something the Praise Team is working on or something I've heard on the radio. Today when I woke up, I was singing "Lifesong." Over and over I'm hearing the words, "may the words I say and the things I do make my lifesong sing, bring a smile to You." One of the reasons that particular song is in my head today (besides the fact that it's one of my favorite worship songs) is because I am going to Bentonville, AR tonight to see Casting Crowns in concert. I am SO excited! I love their music and I love the relevance of the lyrics they write. So all day today I will be singing in my head--"The Voice of Truth," "East to West," "Slow Fade,"--but mostly "Lifesong." Let my lifesong sing to You, God.

Debbie

It's Not Just for Thanksgiving!

As I write my first blog, I am headed up to the Green Room to decorate, paint, and get things ready for our youth to really enjoy the building.  Our church has been incredibly generous both financially and with the things they have given or the time they have donated.  Even in the craziness of summer, you've come aboard and made an incredible investment in making the Green Room a great place for our kids.  It is a tradition in my family at Thanksgiving to go around the table and share what we are thankful for, so even though there is no turkey or mashed potatoes, at my table my church family is the center of my thankfulness right now.  What about you?  What are you most thankful for this summer?

-Erin

I read recently that the well-known author and leader of FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, James Dobson, defended the use of torture from a Christian perspective. I did a double-take on this one because regardless of how persons feel about the use of torture, I wonder if one can justify that from Christ's point of view. In other words, WWJD? What would Jesus do? I thought of the torture that Christ went through before and during his crucifixion. I think maybe Dobson needs to rethink his position as one based on the life and teachings of Jesus. What do you think?

Pastor Cox

Attributes of God

I am currently producing a video for my upcoming overnight camp at Kamp Keirsey. The theme of the video is "Attributes of God". I have asked several people (of all ages) what God looks like and have gotten some really good answers - along with a few crazy ones as well. One gal at the gas station was honest and just said, "I dont know". My favorite answer was from a sweet preschooler named Kylie. She said that God looks like children... And dogs. The more I think about that, the more I like it. Other than horses, dogs and kids are Kylie's favorite things. Is God your favorite thing? Or do you think of Him when you think of your favorite things? What do you think?

-Jeanette