Sunday's Coming! (1-3-10)

It is only Tuesday, but Sunday's coming! And I want you to be ready...
In the AM Service, I will begin a series of six sermons (AM and PM) that will close out my thirty-week study of the Book of Revelation entitled, "Revelation for Rookies."

In the morning, we will work through 19:11-21 on the subject, "The Second Advent of Jesus!" In the evening, we will work through 20:1-6 on the subject, "The Millennial Kingdom." I hope you will begin now to prayerfully and carefully read through these passages. These are among the most exciting passages of Scripture and you will not want to miss these messages.

The AM Message on "The Second Advent of Jesus" and next Sunday's AM Message (1-10-10) entitled, "The Great White Throne" are great opportunities for your unsaved family and friends to come to know Jesus! I hope you will work hard to get them to attend these services with you.

In the AM Service, we will continue to receive our Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions! We have already exceeded our all-too-modest goal, but I am hopeful that this will become our largest special offering of the year! I hope you will join Lin and I in giving a sacrificial gift to this worthy cause.

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side... God bless you!

Sunday's Coming! (12-20-09)

Well, it is Thursday evening, but Sunday's coming! And, it is Christmas Sunday, 2009! Our Adult and Childrens' Musicals last week were very well done and well attended. We had 205 in the morning service and something over 100 in the evening. Two of the families who have been regular visitors lately were in attendance and they both shared with me that they really enjoyed themselves.

This Sunday, I will be speaking from Matthew 2 on the subject, "The Reason for the Season!" I know - this is not a very original title... but, it is theologically correct and a deeply profound truth.

I hope you will invite all of your family, friends, and co-workers to this service. You will have a higher percentage of people who will accept your invitation on this coming Sunday than any other Sunday this coming year.

I hope to see you Sunday Morning with a smile on your face, a Bible in your hand, and your family and friends at your side!

"Give, and it shall be given to you..."

Luke 6:38 tells us, "give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (ESV) Since the Word of God is true, and God gives to giving Churches, we must have blessings headed our way!

Over the five Sundays in November, we gave nearly $1,100.00 to the Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering; and last Sunday we gave $720.00 in a special offering for the Klay family, over $3,000.00 to the general fund, $700.00 in the special offering taken for "Les Snyder and the Sons of the Father" at the Christmas Concert, $500.00 toward the cost of a new engine for their motor home, and enough "Tearing Down the Wall of Debt" funds came in to take down another brick this coming Sunday Morning!

WOW! If I could think of something more profound to say, I would! WOW!

And, this coming Sunday morning we will begin receiving our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions! Lets all pray and sacrifically give each Sunday in December to make this our largest missions offering of the year!

Oh, by the way, we will be voting on the proposed 2010 Annual Budget this coming Sunday morning which will be the largest budget in the history of our Church; and when passed, it will double the amount of missions support we give to Central Baptist Association and to the Cooperative Program!

WOW!

Flu Season Precautions

As flu season has arrived, and especially in light of the threat of the H1N1 virus; I wanted to remind you of some very "common sense" precautions to help protect you and your family. Remember these are hopefully, "common sense" precautions coming from a Pastor and not a medical professional:

1) Pray that the Lord will keep us from an outbreak of flu, (H1N1 or any other kind) among us!

2) Please do not come to church if you are ill. If you have cold or flu symptoms, or if you have had a fever in the past 24 hours, please stay home and seek your Doctor's advice about your situation.

3) Please do not bring children who are ill, or who appear to be ill, to church or to church related activities. If they have cold or flu symptoms, or if they have had a fever in the past 24 hours, please keep them home and seek your Doctor's advice about their situation.

4) We have put lots of hand sanitizer around the church, including dispensers on the foyer walls by the main doors. Please use it regularly. (Especially after shaking so many hands).

5) If you have a cough, please cover your mouth and use hand sanitizer before shaking hands with anyone... especially the Pastor! ;>)

I HOPE YOU WILL ATTEND YOUR CBA ANNUAL MEETING THIS SATURDAY!

I hope you will take time out of your already too-busy schedule to attend the 60th Annual Meeting of YOUR Association this coming Saturday!

The meeting is being held at the First Baptist Church of Atwood, 231 N. Illinois Street, Atwood. The church is located one block west and one block north of beautiful downtown Atwood. (From US Highway 36, turn North on Atwood Road and go to the bank; turn left (west) on Forest Street and go one block to Illinois Street and turn right (north). The church is in the middle of the block on the left!

We have had an overall "UP!" year this year and we will recognize several of our churches with "Excellence in Ministry" Awards! It appears that the weather will be lovely, and I know the meeting will be a source of great encouragement to you!

Power of Praise will provide pre-session music beginning at 2:45pm. The meeting will begin at 3pm, and we will have dinner together at 5:45pm. There is no charge for the meal, which is being provided by the members of the church. Following the meal, we will have a second session and we should be done by 8pm.

We will have great worship led by Power of Praise, Bill Fleming, and Mike Rutledge. Chris Granda will provide special music in the evening session. You will be blessed by our Annual Bible Study led this year by Pastor Adam Cruse of FBC Mt Zion, and our Annual Sermon by Pastor Doug Davis of Arthur Southern Baptist!

Oh yeah, we'll hear reports, vote on the budget, and all of our usual business; but, we will also have a great and encouraging time of fellowship. Pat Pajak, Associate Executive Director of IBSA will bring us a special report on the new SBC Evangelism initative, "Across Illinois".

The God-Man Who Gives Sight to the Blind!

Tomorrow morning, 9/27, as the Lord allows; I will be preaching from Mark 10:46-52 on the subject, "A Blessing for Blind Bartimaeus". It is, of course, the well-known story of the healing of this blind beggar on the outskirts of Jericho on the Friday before the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

It is easy to focus on the man Bartimaeus, or on the miracle itself; and, we briefly will do so. But, the passage is really about Jesus the Messiah, God in human flesh Who has the power to give sight to the blind. Of course, He can do this both physically (as in this case) as well as spiritually, as in the case of everyone who comes to faith in Him.

The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus is still alive and still present to intervene in the physical and spiritual realities of the universe! He still loves people, He still takes time for people, and He still meets the needs of people.

Let us pray together this evening that our Lord will be pleased to pour out His Spirit on us tomorrow and demonstrate His "anointing" presence among us! God bless you and yours.

I hope to see you in the morning with a smile on your face, a Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

Stand Still, and see the Salvation of the Lord!

They were out of Egypt, but they were up against the Red Sea and Pharoah and his army were in hot pursuit! Great fear had come upon them. In Exodus 14:13, Moses said to them, "Do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord..." You and I stand today, as we do on every Saturday, on the edge of our own challenges waiting to see whether or not God will move.

We, like they, are totally dependent upon the grace of God! If He delivers, they will be delivered; if He does not deliver, they will be defeated. Well, we know what Paul Harvey called, "The rest of the Story". God did move, and they were delivered!

The same God Who dried up the Red Sea can remove the great challenges and giants that stand between us and "The Promised Land". They were worried and discouraged not realizing that they were just minutes away from a mighty move of God that would bless them beyond measure...

I pray that the Lord moves on this Lord's Day! I pray that He mightly moves the obstacles and challenges before us; and the enemies that oppose us. I pray that we, like they, see the miracle-working hand of God in all of our services tomorrow and on every one of our services to come.

We at FBC Atwood, and our brothers and sisters at FSBC, Boody, are beginning revival services tomorrow. I pray that God's mighty deliverance will be seen this coming week in the salvation of many, the calling of many to ministry, new members added to our number, and a real spirit of revival in our churches. I pray for all of our churches, all of our people, and for all of our pastors that God will move on all of our churches in the days ahead.

We stand on the edge of the Holy Land of God's blessings! God can part the waters and move us over together this week, I pray that He will. God bless you!

We’re about to pop!

What a day! The dear Lord has given to us another happy and blessed day "At the Woods!" Our day began with a great attendance in Sunday School and Church; a great lesson from James; a special little someone visiting with us; lots of visitors; Kathy White accepted the Lord; lots of prayer; great singing; we dedicated our AWANA Team; we heard "God's Simple Plan of Salvation" from Mark 10; and, celebrated the Lord's Supper!

I commented that our dear Church is so filled with the Holy Spirit that it feels like we are about to pop! Others picked up on that line and the more I hear the phrase, the more I like it – and the more and more I expect it any moment.

Speaking of our SS lesson from James: just after I finished teaching the lesson and ended with notes on “praying for one another that you may be healed” I walked past Misty’s Ladies Class and (guess what?) they were gathered around a lady praying for her! WOW, I am back in the old Sanctuary talking about it – while they are in the fellowship hall actually getting it done!

Attendance at our Sunday Night study, “Revelation for Rookies” continues to grow! Tonight was a blessing: more visitors; Revelation 13; two beasts; ten horns; ten crowns; seven heads; and one tired preacher! Whew… we got about half-way through the Chapter!

Remember that our Fall Harvest Revival begins on September 20th and goes through the 23rd. Pray for our speaker, Roger Ellsworth and our folk who will be bringing special music!

Great burdens; great blessings; bright future! Pop?

Well GLORY!

What does one say about a day like today? One word: Glory! I wanted to take the opportunity to join several in our church who have shared with me, posted notes on Facebook, and given testimony before our church today about the great blessing of God we experienced in our service this morning!

I knew that we would have several visitors with us today because of the Elder and Deacon Ordination service. I felt impressed of the Lord to drop the planned sermon and preach a simple presentation of the soul-saving gospel of Jesus Christ. It was in the fall of 1976 on the island of Guam that I first heard Missionary-Pastor Bruce Wring preach from Luke 23 about the thief on the cross and how his salvation was a model of how everyone who is saved comes to faith in Jesus.

Over the years, I have tweaked it, added to it, and preached it over fifty times! It is still the greatest presentation of the gospel I have ever heard or preached. So, I shared this sermon again this morning. Many have shared how they and their family and friends were touched by the message and one man indicated that he prayed to receive the Lord during the invitation.

The Ordination service was a real blessing as well. By the grace of God, He has given us six men to serve our church as Elders and eight men to serve us as Deacons. We also celebrated the retirement from the Deacon ministry of Bob Fleming and Ralph Hanner. These two men together have served our church as Deacons for over sixty years!

Power of Praise did a great job on “I am just a sinner saved by grace” which is the favorite song of many in our church – including me!

The concert on Saturday night by Ivan Parker was a smash hit with nearly 400 in attendance and some of the most joyous worship I have experienced in a long time. I thought the closing number, “Carried Away” which Ivan did with Power of Praise was one of the most exciting and happy moments I have had in a long time! You can check out photos from the concert at: www.firstbaptistatwood.org.

Several were in attendance for our evening service as I continued our study in the Book of Revelation! We continue to thank God for His blessings and look forward to every opportunity He gives us to worship Him together!

Serving Jesus by Serving Us!

Saturday morning, 8/15, following a wonderful breakfast provided and prepared by Bill and Shari Fleming, we had our first Deacon training with the eight men elected to serve under our new Constitution. All eight men were present and Elder Bill Fleming sat in with us.

These men are Andy Appleby, Max Beals, Craig Chapman, Kelly Clough, Steve Dietderich, Gene Greek, Doug Walk, and Jim Wilson.

Jim Wilson was elected as Chairman of Deacons, Gene Greek was elected as Assistant Chairman of Deacons, and Andy Appleby was elected to serve as Clerk of the Deacons. Thanks to each of these men for accepting these additional responsibilities.

We will have our Elder and Deacon ordination service on Sunday, 8/23 in the morning service. I hope you will be able to attend and support these men who are giving so much of their time and work to serve each of us.

Our Constitution states that these men are "gifts of God to our church" and that we ought to recognize them as such. They are... and we do!

Update: Downtown Decatur

In a speech at Rice University in Houston Texas on September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave us those immortal words, “we choose to go to the moon (and do the other things) not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” This speech, more than any other single statement is credited with being the impetus for the successful NASA programs that culminated with the Apollo 11 Mission that landed Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon forty years ago last Monday.

With the resignation this week of Pastor Mitch Flesch as our Downtown Decatur Church Planter, I wanted to remind all of us that we had chosen to plant a church Downtown, “not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” In my opinion, no one could have done more work or better work than Pastor Mitch, who poured so much of his time, prayers, and effort into reaching this community for Jesus; or Tom Miller, who first led this work.

Men and women have come to know the Lord as a result of these efforts, and several Bible study groups have been planted in the apartment complexes in and near Downtown Decatur. We have not accomplished the goal of planting an autonomous Southern Baptist Church in Downtown Decatur; but, our passion for reaching lost people and having a church Downtown is unabated.

We have learned some very valuable lessons that will help us in all of our future church planting efforts. May God use these lessons to shape us and equip us for the great work ahead. Mitch Flesch and Tom Miller have been two of our most effective men at reaching lost people and growing churches in Central Illinois. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue in their present ministries.

Pray for the lost people of Central Illinois, and for our New Work Team as they seek the will and wisdom of God to reach them with the gospel. Pray that God will bless all of our CBA Family of Churches as we continue His Kingdom work.

God bless Mitch and Linda Flesch; God bless Tom and Pauline Miller; God bless our New Work Team; and God bless you!

Great Day - all day today!

What a blessed and happy day to be present at FBC! We were blessed today with good attendance in Sunday School and Worship; great music in the AM Service; (as always) I had a blast preaching on the Transfiguration of Jesus; and, we celebrated the Lord's Supper together!

Speaking of the Lord's Supper, praise the Lord for raising up from among us eight men willing to serve us as Deacons - and that four of them served us the Lord's Supper for the first time today. Gene Greek has served the Lord's Supper in other churches many, many times; but, it was his first time today as a Deacon of our church. Andy, Craig, and Kelly served the Lord's Supper for the first time ever!

How I thank the Lord for the six men now serving us as Elders and all eight of the men now serving us as Deacons!

And how about "Super Jessica" leading our VBS Team this year! She and Jason are real blessings to our church. How we thank the Lord for bringing them to know Him last year and for leading them to be part of our Church.

Oh, I could go on and on; but, I am in danger of leaving someone out. Thanks to everyone who made this Lord's Day so very special - and to the Lord for blessing us with His anointing presence. Amen!

Thanks for Praying!

Last Sunday afternoon, we voted to adopt the new Confession of Faith, Covenant, and Constitution! Then we approved the recommendation of the Executive Committee for our new Officers. We elected Bob Eads, Ron Eagan, Lanny Faulkner, Bill Fleming, David Senseney, and Matt Voyles to serve our church as Elders; and we elected Andy Appleby, Max Beals, Craig Chapman, Kelly Clough, Steve Dietderich, Gene Greek, Doug Walk, and Jim Wilson to serve our church as Deacons.

Bob Fleming and Ralph Hanner retired as Deacons and were honored with the title of "Deacon Emeritus".

Charlotte Kleiss was elected Church Clerk and Caroyln Fleming was re-elected as our Treasurer.

Many, many thanks to everyone who has agreed to serve in all of these vitally important positions!

We will schedule Elder and Deacon training in the very near future, and we are already planning for a "Ministry Fair" to enroll members for our Church Ministry Teams!

Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven!

This will be (as the Lord allows) a weekend of big decisions for our church! After Sunday School, Worship, and a Fellowship Meal we will have our long anticipated Special Business Meeting to discuss and vote on the proposed new Confession, Covenant, and Constitution for our church. If these are approved, we will be voting on the Executive Committee's recommendation to elect six men to serve as Elders and eight men to serve as Deacons.

The Constitution Revision Committee has been working on this for nearly two years. Much prayer, much reading, much work, and much discussion have gone into their recommendations. They have read over and worked through several Covenants and Constitutions from several great churches. Much of what you will be asked to approve is taken (with permission) from the Covenant and Constitution of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. We are greatly indebted to them for allowing us to use many ideas from their many years of hard work.

So, how do we pray about this? Easy. "O, God, Thy will be done in this matter just as it is in heaven!" This is not about me, or what I want; it is not about the Committee, or what they want; and, in all honesty, it is not about you and what you want! This must be about what the Lord wants and therefore what is best for His church as we move ahead into the 21st Century, and as we seek to fulfill the Tri-County Vision.

Let me encourage you to study over the materials you have been given, pray for wisdom and clarity about God's will, and then vote your conscience. I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

The Best Way to Decorate A Church

We are very fortunate indeed to have so many gifted people who do so much to make our church facility so beautiful! Charlotte Eagan and many others design and display all kinds of decorations that fit each season perfectly and demonstrate a personal care of God's House that honors Him and blesses us.

But, after this past Sunday I have decided that the most beautiful decoration a church can have is the smiling faces of visitors in the services! Now, I am not for one moment overlooking the happy and familiar faces of our many faithful people whose presence (and presents) make our work possible; but, I do want to thank the Lord and those of you who invite family and friends to come to church with you. Over the past few weeks, we have had many of your family and friends in the services!

Last Sunday - between the Ard and Fornshell families and several others who brought family and friends - we had about twenty visitors in the AM service! Of course, some of them are out-of-town family and not prospects for membership in our church; but, several of them do live in the Tri-County area and may very well someday be part of this happy and blessed Church.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time and effort to invite people to our services, and may the Lord lead more and more of us to do the same!

Sunday's Sermon

While every pastor believes every sermon we preach is important, it is obvious that some sermons have more potential impact on a congregation than others! This Sunday, as the Lord allows, I will be preaching on the subject, "Leadership Matters" as I continue the "Church Matters" series in preparation for our discussion and vote on the proposed new Confession, Covenant, and Constitution.

I am well aware that the words, "Confession of Faith", "Covenant", and "Constitution" make most people's eyes glaze over - BUT, these are really important documents and we are about to make some really important decisions one way or the other. Our Confession is a statement about WHAT WE BELIEVE; our Covenant is a statement of HOW WE BEHAVE; and our Constitution is a set of principles and rules that determine HOW WE DO BUSINESS!

All three of these documents are tools that have a great impact on how we "do church" and how effecitvely we accomplish the mission and ministry to which God has called us. I am asking you to read these documents carefully, pray over them faithfully, vote on them responsibly, and DO NOT MISS THIS SUNDAY'S SERMON!

God bless you! I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

"Happy?" Mother's Day

It was an amazing scene last Sunday when our beloved Sister, Vivalee Smith, walked up on the platform at church and asked me to share a few thoughts! Vivalee and her husband, Bob, were in church on this Mother's Day in spite of the fact that their only child, Dr. Bob Smith, MD, had passed away two days before and will be buried tomorrow afternoon.

And there she stood - a mother about to bury her only child - giving testimony to the goodness of God in their lives; and, in the life of her son. She said she wanted to be sure that our people knew something more about Dr. Bob than just the fact that he had died. Many of our people have known them for many, many years; but since he had gone away to college and medical school and then practiced for years in Decatur some our people did not know Dr. Bob very well.

What a moment, what a family, what a faith! God bless and comfort Bob and Vevalee, their daughter-in-law, Cathy, and their two grandsons. Thanks to all who came over to them, laid hands on them, and prayed for them.

Lots to Pray About!

Beloved Ones,

We have several things going on this week that require our sincere prayers:

1) Bob and Vevalee Smith's son, Dr. Bob Smith, passed away unexpectedly yesterday.

2) Edna Anderson passed away Wednesday.

3) Gayle Lewis is not well and has been in and out of the hospital this week.

4) Max Beals is not well and is hospitalized in Champaign. He may have suffered a light stroke.

George Mueller said, "Prayer can do anything God can do; and God can do anything." Much more importantly, the Apostle James said, (5:15-16) "And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working." (ESV)

Take time today and pray that our merciful Lord will minister grace to these who are hurting and to their families.

Another Revival is past...

Well, we have had a great week. Tom Marsh prayed, prepared, and preached. Our musicians played, our singers sang, and we gave over $1,600.00 in the love offering! Sunday was a terriffic day and both services were well attended. Monday through Wednesday those who came were truly blessed.

Thank you so very much to everyone who took part and played a part in these services! God bless you. We have heard the Word of God this week... now let us become (more than ever before) doers of the Word.

Remember, Sunday is Mother's Day. I hope to see you in church with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

Spring Revival is On!

Our Spring Revival is off to a great start! We had very good attendance in both services yesterday; and the music and preaching were fabulous.

Baptizing Liz Shipman and Cindy Norton was a great way to start the meeting, and I am praying that the Lord will continue to save and add people to our church this week and in the weeks ahead!

Services are this evening through Wednesday at 7pm. I hope to see you there with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and a friend by your side.

Revival Time!

As hard as it is for me to realize it, May 3rd is NEXT SUNDAY! And, May 3rd is REVIVAL TIME FOR OUR CHURCH! Our Spring Revival begins next Sunday morning and will continue on Sunday Night and Monday through Wednesday evenings. I hope you are planning now to attend every service.

This promises to be a great series of meetings! I have asked Tom Marsh, recently retired Pastor of FBC Casey, Illinois, to be our speaker for these meetings. Tom is one of the best men I have ever known and ANY MAN who completes over twenty years in God-honoring ministry at a single church (as Tom has) deserves to be heard!

I simply asked him to preach what he thinks are the most important five sermons that a church needs to hear. He told me, that the first Sermon would be, "You Must Be Born Again!" AMEN - that is good preaching!

Set aside the dates, set aside a generous love-offering, bring your family and friends. This can be a great week in the life of our church, and I do not want you to miss any of it.

"THE REVELATION" FOR ROOKIES!

Beginning on Thursday Night, May 14th, and continuing on BOTH Thursday and Sunday Nights, I will be preaching through the Book of Revelation in a series that I have titled: "The Revelation for Rookies!"

This will be a verse-by-verse exposition of the most mysterious of Biblical Books. This study is designed for people who are not experts in Bible Prophecy, but who have a desire to learn more about what God is doing and will do in the future to bring about the fulfillment of the Covenants and promises He has made to His people!

This series of sermons will be simple enough for every Christian to grasp, yet deep enough to grow your faith! I hope you will set aside time for this study, start reading through the Book, and mark your calendars now!

Your family and friends will be more intersted in this study than anything else I could teach! I hope you will bring many of them to these services.

Update: Sherrie Wolfe

Sherrie is doing much better today, and MAY go home this afternoon! Please be in prayer for her and Joe as she begins the process of recovery at home.

She was very much enjoying pictures of Hudson this morning!

Welcome to the World Hudson Blaine Wolfe!

Hudson Blaine Wolfe has arrived safely at 8 pounds and 1 ounce! He and his parents, Alicia and Jason Wolfe, are all doing well.

Please be patient with Hudson's grandparents, Joe and Sherrie Wolfe and Jay and Barbara Adrain, they won't have much else to talk about for a while!

Thank the Lord and thanks for praying!

More Good News!

Sherrie Wolfe came through her surgery very well and is beginning her recovery in DMH. Hopefully, she will be home in a couple of days!

Ralph Hanner is doing much better and was out and about town for awhile today!

Alicia Wolfe was induced this morning. I will let you know when HUDSON arrives on the scene!

Very Good News!

Dorothy Otto reports that her medical tests reveal that she does NOT have cancer! She asked that I pass on her deep appreciation for all of your prayers for her.

We do not know why God heals one and not another; but all of us who know and love Jesus can rest fully in His promise that He, "is working all things together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose." - Rom. 8:28

We rejoice this day with Dorothy and continue to pray for everyone we know with health issues.

As the Lord allows, I will see you in the morning!
Pastor

New Sermon Series - "Church Matters!"

Since our Constitution Revision Committee has just about completed their work, I am going to take a few weeks away from our verse-by-verse study of The Gospel of Mark to bring five sermons that will explain biblically the changes we will be suggesting in the structure and ministry processes of our church.

The series of five sermons, which will begin next Sunday (4/19) includes: "Understanding the Gospel" - "Membership Matters" - "Leadership Matters" - "Discipleship Matters" - and "Ministry Matters".

Following these sermons, (and our Spring Revival and Mother's Day) I will move back into The Gospel of Mark and hopefully complete the Book by the end of November.

I hope you will listen carefully to each of these messages as I explain why the Committee and I believe that the changes we are suggesting represent a more biblical stucture and approach to ministry than we have under our present Constitution.

God bless you, yours, and all that you hold dear!
Pastor Lanny

New Name, New Purpose!

Since you are reading this, you have realized that my BLOG has a new name, "P-T Pointers!" "P-T" (of course) stands for, "Pastor-Teacher" which is the Office to which our Church has called me. After struggling for some time about how to best use this tool, I have decided to focus it specifically as a primary tool for communicating news, updates, commentary, my personal reflections, and articles by me and othes that I think will be useful to the members and friends of our Church.

I hope you will bookmark this Blog in your favorites and that you will look at it often to keep up with all the latest about our Church.

God bless you and yours! As the Lord allows, I'll see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and a friend by your side!

Pastor Lanny

Saturday Morning Seminary

Beginning on April 11th at 10am, our next SMS Course will begin. The Course is "Ecclesiology: 9 Marks of a Healthy Church". This will be a ten-week study of Mark Dever's very helpful book on a biblical understanding of the purposes and structure of the local church.

Classes will be held on the second and fourth Saturday mornings of April, May, June, July, and August. Each class session will begin at 10am and continue through Noon. Cost for the Course is $25.00 per person, or $40.00 per couple (if they share a textbook). To be part of this Course, you must sign up and pay the fee by Tuesday, March 31. Registration forms are available in the Church office.

All members of FBC are encouraged to attend, and non-members are also welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Lanny.

JOY Groups Update!

God continues to richly bless our JOY Groups! We now have three groups actively meeting. Over the past few weeks, these Groups are averaging 55 in attendance, and about 20 of those are people who have never attended our church!

God is using these Groups to allow us to share the gospel with several people who have not yet attended our church. Last night in Tuscola, I had the joy of teaching 10 people including 2 "first timers". Three of these dear folk have not yet attended our church.

We are praying that the Lord will raise up several more people in our church who will host and, or, lead one of these Groups. We have a teacher ready for Atwood right now! Please pray that the Lord will burden one of our local families to host a JOY Group very soon. There is a reason we call them "JOY Groups!" Why not get involved and see for yourself?

Where was God?

During the 8am worship service yesterday at FBC Maryville, a gunman walked into the sanctuary and shot and killed the Senior Pastor, Dr. Fred Winters. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cindy, their two daughters, all of their family and friends, and the members of this great Church.

In light of these horrific events, I want to provide biblical answers to two of the theological questions that are on the hearts and minds of many. I hope you will take the time to look up and read these verses carefully and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through them.

First, “Where was God?”
1) God is, of course, everywhere present! Psalm 139:7-12
2) God is always present in the midst of His people! Matthew 18:20
3) God was both in and with Fred Winters! John 14:16-17
4) Because God was with Fred Winters yesterday, we also know that Fred Winters is with God today! 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Second, “If God is both all-powerful and completely good, why does He allow things like this to happen?”
1) God is all-powerful! Jeremiah 32:27; Mark 10:27; 14:36
2) God is completely good! Psalm 119:68; James 1:17
3) God is completely sovereign! Psalm 115:3; 133:5-6; 139:16.
4) God is not the author of evil, but He allows the existence of evil in the world to accomplish His greater purposes! Genesis 50:19-20
5) God tells us in His word that these kinds of things are going to happen to His people! John 15:18; 2 Timothy 3:12
6) Fred Winters was a Christian man. He was among those who are described as, “those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God does not say that all things are good for those who love Him; but, that He is working “all things together for good.”

Please continue in prayer for these beloved ones who are hurting in ways that most of us cannot imagine. Pray that God will be glorified; His people will be edified; and that lost people will be saved as a result of this heart-breaking tragedy.

"Baptizing them..."

As the Lord allows, we will be baptizing in both of the next two Sunday AM Services! The Lord has blessed us in recent days with several people who have made professions of faith, and ten of them have presented themselves to the church as candidates for baptism. This coming Sunday we are expecting to baptize five or six, and the following Sunday we are expecting to baptize four or five more.

We thank the Lord for His blessings on our church. Please be in prayer for these new believers. Pray that many of their family and friends who come to witness these special events will come to know the Lord during the service!

WOW! (That's the Hebrew word for "I am thrilled at how richly God is blessing us right now!")

WOW, indeed! Last Wednesday Misty was impressed to take the AWANA teaching time and share her testimony. She emailed many of us for prayer - and we prayed - and God answered. Sixteen young people prayed to accept the Lord at the invitation! (That is a lot of follow-up to do and a lot of potential to touch their family members as well.) Pray that we will be able to have an exciting baptism service for them soon, and that many others will come to know the Lord at that service.

WOW! We are only three weeks into our "Tearing Down the Wall of Debt" Campaign, and God has already moved on our hearts to give over $13,000.00 toward the goal of being debt free by 12-27-2009.

Last Sunday, we gave over $4,500.00 in the general offering; $830.00 in a special love offering for a family with an immediate need; $850.00 for VBS through the dessert auction; and, we gave $2,900.00 to "Tearing Down the Wall of Debt!" If your are counting... and I bet you are... that is $9,080.00 on a 3rd Sunday. WOW!

It was great to have so many of you and so many visitors with us for worship; especially to have a dear family back with us for the first time in a while! I am not absolutely sure, but I think we had about as many people last Sunday in worship as we had last Easter... (Yup, you guessed it) WOW!

Please pray for God's richest blessings to be continually poured out upon us. God continues to bless us with his "anointing presence!" I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL SUNDAY! WOW!

We're Tearing Down the Wall of Debt!

Tomorrow morning, Sunday, February 1st, we are kicking off a forty-eight week campaign to pay off our building debt! As of December 31, 2008, our balance was about $143,000.00. During 2009, our regular mortage payments will reduce that amount by $48,000.00, leaving a balance of $95,000.00.

The "Tearing Down the Wall of Debt" Campaign asks every actively attending family in our church to sacrifice each week by giving additional funds over and above our regular giving and designating that money to pay off the debt several years early. Over the next forty-eight weeks, our seventy active families only have to average $28.27 per week each to pay off this debt by the TARGET DATE OF DECEMBER 27, 2009! Some will be able to give more than this and some will give less - but if everyone gives what they can, this God-glorifying Goal will be met.

As I write this note, we are thirteen hours away from our first offering, and we already have received $4,000.00 toward this goal! We will have a display of 95 bricks on the altar of the church representing $1,000.00 of debt for each brick. Each week, we will remove the number of bricks that represent the amount of money that has come in to that date. Tomorrow morning, we will already be able to remove four of the bricks!

Lin and I have decided on a sacrifical amount to give toward this exciting goal and our first check will be in the offering tomorrow! I hope you will join with us in this church-wide effort to glorify God by paying off this debt!

A godly man in our church commented to me last week, "It is just like God to lead us to do this in the most financially difficult year since 1929." Yes, God's timing is always right on time! Beloved ones, we are going to sacrifice together, honor God together, save lots of interest by doing this together; and, BEST OF ALL - WE ARE GOING TO WITNESS AND CELEBRATE A MIRACLE!

Becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ!

The Purpose Statement of our church is, "Becoming and Bringing Others to be Fully-devoted Followers of Jesus Christ!" This is not an original statement, but I believe it is one that clearly states the two-fold goal of the Christian life: we are to become fully-devoted Christ-followers; and, we are to bring others to know Him and to become His fully-devoted followers as well. Obviously, we cannot undertake the latter until we have accomplished the former!

I have been working for the past two years to come up with an effective and yet simple process to enable us accomplish these bibilcal goals. Next Sunday morning, January 25, 2009, I will unveil to our church a three-part process to accomplish this.

Beginning at 4:45pm on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, I will lead a one-hour class designed to move us toward this goal of spiritual maturity. These classes will cover three practical levels of spiritual maturity:
(1) The "Discovery" Series will consist of six classes designed for newer believers and newer church members; as well as others who desire to study again the basics of Christianity and Church life.
(2) The "Foundations" Series will also be six weeks in length and will cover the basic doctrinal truths taught in the Bible.
(3) The "Journey" Series will feature six classes designed for Christians who desire to begin or continue the process of spiritual growth in their personal Christian walk.

Some of these subjects were taught last year during the "Thursday Nights Together" classes. Therefore, not everyone will need to attend every class. Many of these classes will feature new material, so I want to encourage you to sign up for as many of these classes as your schedule will allow. Sign-up sheets are available now in the foyer for the first class, "Discovering Jesus" which will begin on Sunday, February 8th. Everyone is welcome to attend, but especially those who have come to know the Lord, or have joined our church within the past year should attend.

God bless you. I hope to see you Sunday morning with a Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and a friend by your side!