Baptist Press - FIRST-PERSON: Don't be afraid - News with a Christian Perspective

The House has just passed what President Obama declares as "historic legislation." All of us have an opinion as to whether the health care bill is good or bad, but what is a proper Christian response? Russell D. Moore from one of our six seminaries helps us understand that no matter what we think about our governments actions we should always maintain a solid confidence in our Lord. Please read this excellent article.

Baptist Press - FIRST-PERSON: Don't be afraid - News with a Christian Perspective

Don't be afaid. Good advice from Jesus Himself. God is still on the throne and all else is less important than this one great fact.

Recognizing Great Service

Chris and I were eating out with some friends from the church and had the opportunity to receive some great service. This waitress responded to our needs and even anticipated them bringing us an extra portion of steak fries (just what we needed?). We had volunteered to pray for her and she was deeply appreciative. It turns out that we had set in a different section the last time we were there but we had prayed for her upcoming surgery a couple of months before. She explained that they found cancer and Chris was able to share with her some encouragement having just come through some similar situations. The last time we visited she sought us out and updated us on how things were going. We prayed for her again. Please remember this young single mom, Heather, in your prayers as well. In this case we were glad to recognize great service with a large tip and some much needed prayer.

I appreciate good service, and this past Sunday we had the opportunity to recognize such service with more than a tip. Russ Dusky has put in almost as many hours as his tractors have here at Brookwood, serving the body by taking care of the grounds. I cannot begin to tell you how faithful he has been in helping keep the lawns and outside plants presentable to our many guests and a pleasure to all of us members. Of course we are not discounting the many people who have helped and will continue to help in this task, but we did want to recognize the man who has for years sought to glorify the Lord by taking care of His house. Donna has done similar work with the Young at Heart group as her latest project. Both are worthy of receiving an award for great service.

Howard and Fran Saxton have been solid supporters of the Lord's work here at Brookwood and have even at times risked life and limb in their service for the Lord. Can you remember Fran 35 feet in the air putting in insulation and Howard reaching out over space helping lay down sheet after sheet of our metal roof. Whether it is sewing a quilt (not Howard) or hauling away metal (not Fran), their service has gone above and beyond.

Bill and Dixie Evans are at the church as much as the staff. We often do not see them here unless we walk around the back of the church and see their truck or car. They not only do ministry worthy of the chairman of deacons but also do many maintenance things that most people never know about. We would not be approved (sans elevator) for our final occupancy permit without Bill, Dixie, Dede, and John Lute. They each put in a lot of effort and time with diligent inspectors to wrap things up on this worthy goal.

Of course we have failed to recognize so many people who have put in hours of work and effort to make this a great place to meet God. These couples are now retired from jobs but have not retired from serving God. While they cannot do all they want to or once did, it will take a lot of work from the younger generations to match the zeal, commitment and just plain faithfulness of these Christian pioneers. Many more have given us (the body of Christ) great service, but, I am glad we have had the opportunity to recognize these fine servants of the Lord.

Thanks Mark for the inspiration and the work putting this together.

 Pastor Albert

Perseverance

Here is a blog posting from the professor that I worked under at seminary. He is currently working in an evangelistic ministry at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

"She fell on the ski slope. When the results were known, Petra Majdic of Slovenia had five broken ribs and suffered a collapsed lung. Doctors discouraged her from continuing to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics, but she was determined. Another qualifying race, then another, then a third place finish. She had to be assisted to the medal stand to receive her bronze medal. Most courageous athlete in these Vancouver games? The award should be hers hands down. Many Christians don’t have that kind of perseverance when it comes to demonstrating faith. A temporary set-back, a severe temptation, a troubling circumstance, and we get discouraged, forgetting that the Christian life is a mixture of enjoyment and endurance, “the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). Life’s medals bring great joy, but with Jesus, life is about more than gold. We, like Him, must endure, “for the joy set before” (Heb. 12:2)." Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo, February 22, 2010

Time for new generation of black Americans (OneNewsNow.com)

I found this article very well written and interesting. I think that this applies to all of us when we get away from our Biblical roots and seek solutions in social programs. The church should be in the lead on promoting the care of the poor and needy but we must always "share a cup of water in the name of Jesus" and not forget our purpose. We are all wandering in the wilderness when we seek answers that are not solidly scriptural. This Sunday we will have some testimonies and reports on the work of our church and eleven others at the SOS homeless shelter. The testimonies will show that the right purpose has been kept at the forefront. Thank you for your support in this worthy effort.

Time for new generation of black Americans (OneNewsNow.com)

Growth Fund

Last week we voted to purchase the elevator that we have long looked forward to. Though it will take some time for it to come in and to be installed, I am excited to have the new rooms available upstairs both to those who cannot negotiate stairs and to our growing Life Groups. We will also soon be entering into a new Growth Fund that will help to pay for the elevator and to finish many of the projects in our current and last building phase (phase 5). What is left after this phase is ongoing maintenance of a very large and useful facility.

This is an exciting time in the life of our church and I pray that you will be committed to help us finish strong on our building program. The growth fund sets aside a set $4000 in reserve to help with staff salaries in a lean month and also $900 in reserve to cover two payments for the elevator loan if we ever need it. Beyond that, the money will be used on the projects as presented in our priority list. As you can see in the newsletter, the youth rooms are in desperate need of remodeling and they will be our first priority. Other priorities will be accomplished as funds become available. As an added aid to growth as much as 10% of receipts will be put aside for "growing the body" projects designed to impact our community such as direct mail, special outreach events, and other things that are not covered in the current budget.

This is a great time to be a part of Brookwood. We will soon see the fruits of our Life Group/Growth Group/Encouragement Group structure. We will see more people come to know the Lord and grow in their relationship with Him than ever before. The "Growth Fund" will give us opportunity to give above our tithes to accomplish building the body and the building and it will also provide opportunity for us to volunteer our labor in a worthwile life-changing work.

I heard a child relate a cute saying on the Radio. He said, "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." Where ever he came up with this statement, (I believe a dad or teacher might have made him aware of it), I am sure that you would agree with the truth behind it. All of these changes will only be successful if we pray as if it all depends on God and work as if it depends on us. Or another way to say it is when we open ourself to God's power and use it to work in His fields, He will bring in a harvest we cannot even imagine. Let's "put our hands to the plow, not looking back,(Luke 9:62) and "not be discouraged in doing good work (Gal. 6:9)."

God has great plans for a faithful, committed, hard working people. May God bless you as you serve Him and others.

See you Sunday and on the coming workdays as well.

The Answer for America

How do you deliver on such a title? For years politicians have failed to provide such an answer. So what contribution can a preacher make to such an audacious task as to have "The Answer for America?" I do believe there is such an answer but it is not one of my own making or a product of intense polling of political opinion. The answer for America is not a political solution, a think-tank conclusion, or a scientific collusion. It does not come from anything that man has done, is doing, or can do.

It comes from the number one selling book in the world. This book once purchased, often goes unread and unheeded. The solution comes from the God who created us and thus knows what makes us tick. Physical obesity is not our number one issue, spiritual starvation is. The answer for America is Spiritual. The "change we can believe in" is the change that comes when a person believes in Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

The Bible tells us to pray for our government, to be good citizens, and to support those who rule over us ( Romans 13:1-7). The government is not always right but we have the opportunity to work to make it better as citizens. Voting is important and whom we vote for should always be a result of our Christian principles, but the Bible does not indicate that we can change the world for the better by politics.

Our first and primary action as citizens of the Kingdom of God is to love God and people with our whole heart (Matt. 22:27). Our prime directive is to enlist new members into that Kingdom (Ephesians 2:19-22; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8), include them in the church, and teach them the truth. When we do this well we will have found the answer for America and the world.

Any self seeking, self serving, or self promoting answer will fall flat and ultimately bring dishonor on the name of the One we serve. Our task is to share with others so that God can change one heart at a time and by doing so change America and the world. We cannot do this under our own power or abilities. It is not change we must believe in, it is Jesus.

Now, with God's help, lets go change the world.

Prayer for Haiti Team

I covet your prayer for a group of Southern Baptist members who have been arrested in Haiti. They were trying to help orphaned children and did not go through the proper channels in a disorganized government so they have been jailed. An update on their situation is explained in the link below:

http://www.bpnews.net/

One the group is a pastor of one of the churches from Idaho and is a close friend of our family for many years. Paul Thompson was the son of my pastor when I was a teenager. His dad is the primary reason that Chris and I met when I began to pick her up to interpret for a deaf member in our church. We have counted Clyde and Shirley as mentors and friends for a number of years. It is under their ministry that I surrendered to preach. Paul has the same integrity level as his dad and I know would not intentionally do anything illegal as you may have heard in the news.

We have recieved a regular email from his mom for many years and so have been praying for them ever since we heard about this event. Please pray that God will work this out for His glory and protect His children. As the article I have referenced above indicates there were better ways to be involved than what this group choose, but I know that their hearts were to help the children.

Thanks for your prayers on their behalf.