Hidden treasures...

God can speak to us in so many ways…if we will just learn to look and listen. Jeannie sent me this insight into what God was speaking to her as she has been spending some time away…



I woke up this morning, after we'd had a big thunderstorm in the night last night, but it was just partially cloudy and a bit windy. I put a fleece on and headed down to the beach for my morning walk with the Lord. The tide had started to go down and had again left a lot of dead sea grass and debris/trash on the beach, but between where the night tide had washed up that stuff and the where the tide was now there was a clean path for me to walk. As I walked along I found a perfect little sea shell just laying at the water’s edge. I picked it up and rinsed it off in the tide and held on to it for a little while. Then as I continued to walk, I noticed a shape in the water, hidden beneath the muddy sand. I reached down and gave it a tug and out came a BIG beautiful conch shell. I pulled it out and rinsed it off with the tide and set it on the shoreline where the resort has a row of such conch shells for decoration. I walked along a little farther and again, saw in the water, hidden underneath the muck and the muddy sand another shape - could it be? Yep - reached down and pulled out another beautiful conch shell. Washed it off and set it by the others. Jesus reminded me that often times as we walk the path of life - our eyes are drawn to the obvious pretty little shells, just sitting out in the open. But don't miss the treasure that's hidden just below the surface. If we just take the time to see... some people may have a muddy murky exterior... sometimes you have to look hard to find it and may need to give a little tug to get it out... may need to rinse it off a little but the extra effort is worth the treasure you find... It's there, you may not be able to see it or recognize it immediately - but it's there and it's beautiful and it's worth it! Don't miss the opportunity; take the time to look for the treasure that's hidden just beneath the surface.

As I reflected on this I had to wonder how often I have walked by, never noticing the hidden treasure. Then I began to think about what happens to the shell if not retrieved, rinsed…rescued. I guess it may be swept out with the receding waves…lost at sea. Or, at best…it continues to take the pounding of the waves that eventually break it down and it becomes the very sands that swallowed it in the first place…seeking to hide it away from ever being noticed.


There are so many people all around us who have ‘buried’…just beneath the surface a great treasure. God sees them as beautifully and wonderfully made! Loved, accepted, chosen, wanted… But the lies of the enemy may have them so bound…without hope…destined to be ‘lost’ forever. Are we looking for the shell that needs a rinsing? Or too easily content with what comes easily…?


The real tragedy is that if the shell is not pulled from the murky water…rinsed and displayed…then the rest of us walking the beach miss out on the beauty it was meant to show, for the glory of The One who created it. This day, may we each have eyes to see those whom God has placed in our path that may need a rinse or a rescue… Jesus offers the ultimate ‘rinse’, making us clean inside and out and unlocking the beauty and treasure buried within as He gives our lives meaning and purpose.


Not sure I will ever walk the beach quite the same again…hoping, praying I can walk out today…somehow changed.


Have a great week!


Brian



January 27, 2012

Good morning FBC Family……….God blessed us with an abundance of rain this week. We are grateful for the way He meets our needs and that He is always faithful to keep His promises. God is good……..all the time!


The ROC is quickly becoming a very busy place. Every time I go over to the building, I see some folks walking, others playing basketball, and others just enjoying fellowship together. The past two Saturdays, we have had the Upwards Sports basketball games going on and a host of parents, grandparents, and family friends watching their children. The facility is a wonderful tool that God has given us in order to impact lives in a variety of ways. I know of at least three individuals who have prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior since we have opened up…..to Him be the Glory! …..Mike Armstrong is very busy coordinating all of the many activities at the ROC and I know he is still seeking volunteers to assist him. Please contact Mike for more details if you can volunteer for even just an hour a week to help.

Every Thursday we have a group of faithful volunteers travelling over to Lakeview Baptist Encampment to work on the new dining facility. The building is very close to being finished and is going to serve the needs of the camp for many years to come. If you can go and help, please contact Gary Hancock, Gene White, or me and we can answer any questions you might have.

Tonight and tomorrow morning, our Pastor will be leading the deacons through a special weekend retreat. Our deacons have been selected by the church body to assist the pastor and to serve the church family. This will be a time of encouragement and training and there will be significant time devoted to prayer. I want to encourage all of us to pray for this weekend. Pray for Pastor Mark as he leads, pray for each man that attends (and for his family); and pray that, through it all, God will be honored and glorified.

God bless you and yours....have a great Friday and weekend and I’ll see you on Sunday…..Come with a sense of expectancy of what God will do among us…….Tommy

Singing in the Rain

Rain! 


Thank you, Lord, for the rain!


The question I posed to the students at One-Eighty this morning is simple, "are we going to sit and sulk in the rain, or are we going to live under His reign?"


For a middle school student, the rain outside signifies constraint, limits, and even confinement as they think about being "stuck inside". I wonder how much that actually translates to the way we live out our lives of faith?


Don't be constrained by the rain of life, but live life to the fullest in His reign.


undignified,

Heath

Being His Heart, Hands and Voice...

As we continue to explore what it would mean to live life 'on mission' we must consider what it would look like to be His Heart, His Hands and His Voice.

Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision (an international aid/relief ministry focused on feeding and educating children) said, "Let my heart break for the things that break the heart of God."  What if we honestly asked God to break our hearts for the things that break His...?  It might be much more difficult to simply walk by someone in need, while we live so extravagantly ourselves.

To be His hands implies that we are willing to serve others...but let's not forget Jesus' hands were pierced.   It may cost us dearly to truly follow The Lord...but if our hearts are broken, we are compelled to action.  (Right?)  What if we asked each morning, "Lord, who do you want me to 'touch' today with your love?" 

Some of us talk too much and say far too little...okay I do!  Being His voice means we speak words of life and Truth and hope.  I know the statistics say men speak so many thousands of words each day while women speak millions...or whatever the stat is.  Without debating the issue (and without stereotyping the genders), I wonder how many words today that come from our mouths will have any real, eternal significance?  How many times will you or I speak to someone of our living, Loving Lord Jesus?  Maybe a presentation of the Gospel...or may simply be a quick word of encouragement to the young lady serving your meal over lunch. 

We must continue to seek to have His heart, seeing the world the way He does...and then take action as our hearts break.  We must continue to seek to serve others, more than ourselves...that would look like Jesus wouldn't it?  We must be ready to speak up and give an answer for the hope that we possess...

This Sunday, we will be having our Mission Trip Information Meeting at 4:30 providing you an opportunity to come and hear more about participating, praying or partnering with the various missions endeavors of FBC from Sulphur Springs to South Asia.  Please prayerfully consider attending and seeing where God would have you GO to be His Heart, His Hands, and His Voice.

Have a wonderful week!

brian

BUILDING THE ROC—A REALITY

     After all the hard work, time and cooperation in building, the ROC (Recreational Outreach Center) has become a reality.  There have been many hours of work by the building committee, staff and church in seeing God use different people with different skills to build the new building.   Today and in the future, there will be different and new ministries developed by staff and members to use the new facility to reach new people with God’s love and care.  We appreciate you and the many others who have prayed, worked, and given to see the building become a reality.

     Last weekend, there were many funerals and memorial services at the church and in the community.  Many people have seen the death of family members, friends, and church members and loved ones.  Each person will experience grief, which is a natural human emotion of love and loss.  A man once gave me this saying, “DEEP LOVE….DEEP HURT.”  When you love a person and that person goes into eternity, you do hurt.  There is joy for a Christian in knowing that life on earth is not final, but a transition to our heavenly home.  For individuals experiencing grief, a new course called, “Grief Share” will begin next Wednesday night, January 25, at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of the ROC.  It will be led by Phyllis Roundtree.  Everyone in the church and community is invited to be a part of this group.  We are blessed to have Phyllis Roundtree to lead the course because she has vast training, experience, love of God and love of people.

     Mark your calendar—Tuesday, January 31.  The 55 Plus Ministry will have a Health Fair at the ROC beginning at 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Over forty-eight different vendors will have tables with health information and other types of health screening.  Each vendor will provide a door prize to be given away to people that attend the Health Fair. 

     Pastor Mark will be preaching in all services at First Baptist Church on Sunday.  Sunday School will be at 9:45.  Plan to attend and prepare for worship by reading your Bible and praying.  Please pray for our pastor and the worship services.    

     We live in culture where people are not antagonistic to Christians or church, but are apathetic or not concerned about the church or Christian teachings.  New people will come to church only by a personal invitation from a good friend or family member.  Your smile, a personal invitation and a personal relationship with friend or family member can be just the incentive to get a person to visit a church.  Your church staff is presently reading a book called: THE MILLENIALS.  The millennial generation is 78 million people strong, and this generation has very little interest in church.  First Baptist Church and other churches must become interested and involved in reaching our younger generation for Christ.  We must not forget past generations and minister to our older members, too, but we must be a church family of loving, caring, ministering and reaching all ages. 

     We are thankful to have you at First Baptist Church.  We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.  Take time to enjoy your family and enjoy God’s beautiful creation.  We look forward to seeing you at church on Sunday.

God bless you.

Fred W. Lewis    

late blog

I almost forgot that today was my day to do the blog, better late than never, right?
There are lots of things happening here at FBC, the ROC is a very busy place, every time I've been over there I've seen lots of people coming and going, playing basketball, walking on the track, some playing ping-pong or shuffleboard, it's exciting to see the smiles on peoples faces as they use that building.
I've spent my day preparing for Sunday, getting words for the music ready, preparing videos for the sermon and getting the announcement video ready.
If you are wanting to get involved in a ministry here at FBC and have computer skills or are even a little technologically inclined, the media team needs some help, we always need sound, computer and camera operators, if you're interested contact me sometime and we'll find a place to plug you in.
I just realized that I am nearing 6 months on the job here, wow time flies when you enjoy what you do! It's a joy to serve alongside the others here. 
See you on Sunday,


Scott

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Each Wednesday morning 20 something men gather in the Conference Room and pray. They pray for individual needs, our church, our nation and other things that the Lord prompts them to pray for. This is the second Wednesday I've attended this 'prayer meeting'. I am not an early riser. I do not really enjoy getting up before the sun but I have found this time beneficial. I enjoy being with other men who follow Jesus. I like to hear about what they believe is important enough to be up so early to pray about. I am encouraged to hear them pray with sincere hearts. I am humbled to hear the breaks in their voices as they bring their needs and the needs of others, most of the time it is the needs of others, to the only One who can make a difference. I think I'll continue joining these guys for prayer. It's worth it.

This morning I am working on my Sunday School lesson, making phone calls to line up potential speakers for various upcoming events and trying to stay awake (see preceding paragraph about getting up early). For lunch I get to go to the weekly Hopkins County Christian Alliance. This afternoon I'll finish the lesson outline and then prepare for Midway. Midway is the new study that meets in room 109 at 7:00pm. We are currently using material from Chip Ingram called, "Why I Believe". You are welcome to join us.

Sunday is the start of New Life Journey classes. I encourage you to ask the Lord if you should take one of the offered courses. We have a good selection of courses to choose from. New Life Journey brochures are available in the Welcome Center. If you have any questions about any of the courses I'll be glad to talk with you.

I hope to see you here tonight.

Bruce