AZ Free Will Baptist Youth Camp 2012

I had the privilege of attending youth camp as a counselor last week.  It was so much fun and such a blessing to see God working in the hearts of the campers.  I wanted to share with you more about the week.

We left our church at 6:45am and drove over to Heritage FWB Church and rode to Prescott on their bus.  We arrived at Emmanuel Pines Camp about 10:45am just as the other churches were arriving.  We found our lodge building (Thumb Butte) and were assigned our rooms.

Before long, it was time for lunch, so we walked to the cafeteria and found out that we would be eating in the Upper Room (the name of our dining room) for the week.  We all enjoyed the food and the kitchen staff was great!

Each morning we had classes for the teens and the junior campers.  Our theme for the week was No Other Name based on Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  The teen class watched the DVD series "The Way of the Master" and the junior classes learned many Bible stories related to Acts 4:12.  They learned about the significance of a name, the way that Jesus shepherds His flock, and the parable of the sower.

It the afternoon, we had activity time.  We went hiking, played basketball and volleyball, water games like water sponge dodgeball and had a chance to play horseshoes, frisbee golf, or on the playground during free time.  The tire swing was a big hit.  Just ask Cody!

One day we played a game called Amoeba.  It seemed like the kids enjoyed playing it.  If you want to know how to play, you'll have to ask them.

Each evening we had a worship service with a message that focused on the theme and the gospel was shared.  Several young people accepted Christ as their Savior and others rededicated their lives.  It is always a blessing to see God move.

After the service we had Fun Time.  We played what are called "Up Front" games and basically 1-5 people from each team is selected to come up front and compete in a quick challenge and the winner earns points for his team.  These are always loud, fun games.

Jeremy had to blow up a balloon, tie it, and sit on it to pop it.

Syann had to turn a straw around by using only her mouth.

Ashley had to stand still with her head straight while her partner tried to toss a ping pong ball into the cup on her head.

On Friday morning, we got up, ate breakfast, packed up, and got back on the bus to come home.  We were all tired, but it was well worth it.  We all had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back next year!

What About Our Kids?

Did you know that 70% or people who grow up in church do not stay in church after college?  That number is shockingly high.  Did you also know that the Bible shows us how we can lower this number?  

Check out this sermon that Pastor Howard's son-in-law Ben Gibson preached called "What About Our Kids?".  Using Deuteronomy 6:1-9 as his text, he gives some Biblical principles for parents and grandparents that will help keep their children in church.

Lessons from the Life of Miriam

Last week, I was studying the life of Miriam.  As I was taking a closer look at what the Bible tells us about her, I learned some new things.  Before I get into them, left me give you a little bit of her story.  Miriam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron.  She grew up in slavery in Egypt and was still alive when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea.  She was a prophetess (Exodus 15:20) who was sent by God (Micah 6:4) to help lead the people of Israel.

When all the people had crossed the Red Sea and God had destroyed the Egyptians who were following them, Miriam led the women in worship as a response to Moses' song (Exodus 15).  They were praising God for his deliverance from the Egyptians.  She is teaching us, by her example, to have God-centered worship.

A little further down the road, Moses begins to experience burnout.  The people are complaining, again, and he pleads with God to ease his burden by killing him.  He feels that the burden is too great to bear alone.  So God tells Moses to gather "seventy men of the elders of Israel" (Numbers 11:16) and bring them to the tent of meeting.  There, God is going to take some of His Spirit that is on Moses and put it on these elders to help bear the burden of leading the people.  God has heard the pleas of Moses and He is sending some relief. 

Well, it seems that Miriam did not like having to share the role of leader with all of these men, and that she became jealous.  She began to lash out at Moses by criticizing him to the people around her.  She even managed to pull Aaron into her sin.  At this point God becomes angry with Miriam and He strikes her with leprosy.  When Aaron sees this, he repents and begs Moses to plead with God on behalf of Miriam.  So Moses prays and asks God to heal Miriam from this disease.  God responds by saying, "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again." (Numbers 12:14 ESV)  So they put Miriam outside the camp for seven days.  When she was accepted back into the camp, they picked up and moved on toward Hazeroth.

Now, here's what I learned.  My response to those in authority over me has not always been what it should have been.  As I was listening to a radio broadcast about Miriam's attitude towards Moses, I was reminded of a couple of specific instances in my past where I had been very critical of some leaders who weren't doing things exactly how I felt they should have been done.  I realized now how wrong my attitude was and how I needed to "take every thought captive" the moment it enters my mind and make sure that it is obedient to God's Word. (2 Corinthians 10:5)  If Miriam had not let these jealous thought stay in her mind, she would have never acted upon them and would have avoided be excommunicated from the camp.  If I had stopped the moment I began to think that these leaders were wrong and got on my knees before God, I would have never gotten to the point where I sinned by becoming angry and judging these people.

As I continued to focus on what God had taught me in order to prevent a repeat of the same incidence, I began to realize that the problem at the center of my sin was a lack of trust in God.  I knew these leaders were seeking God's will for their own lives and I was not trusting that God would speak to them and guide them to make the right choices and decisions.  I know they are human and can make mistakes just as I can, but I have to trust that God will work through them and me, imperfect as we are, and still be honored and glorified.  It is our place, as Christians to support godly leadership, even when we don't agree with the decision that is being made, as long as it is not sinful.

Miriam was instrumental in God's work, even though she wasn't perfect.  I think it is important for us to learn from the characters of the Bible because God has put them there as an example to us.  I want to challenge you to study the men and women of the Bible.  What does God want to teach you through their successes and failures?

To read the story of Miriam, check out Exodus 1:1-2:10, Exodus 15:1-21, and Numbers 11-12.  I also used the resources in my study: Life Principles from the Women of the Bible and a radio broadcast series from Revive Our Hearts Ministry entitled Remember Miriam.  The link will take you to the website where you can listen to the broadcast or you can download the podcast on Itunes under the Revive Our Hearts podcast.

Making a Habit of Daily Bible Reading

I came across this blog last week, I thought that the author had some good ideas for developing a daily time for Bible reading.  It is often very difficult to discipline ourselves to do something everyday, "but with God all things are possible." (Matt. 19:26) Check out Brushed Your Teeth Today? written by Kimberly Wagner.

I know that it is written on a blog for women, but the suggestions that she makes would be helpful to both men and women.

LIKE I WISH I'D LIVED

In some of my recent conversations with people in our church, the subject of regrets has come up.  We all have them, and we can't go back and change them, but we can choose to act differently now because of what we have learned through them.

I think that this song written by Rodney Griffin is an excellent prayer for every Christian to pray.  Check out this video to hear the song

LIKE I WISH I'D LIVED

May I be so honest, could I share from my heart,

You see, I'm so far from perfect, that today I bear the scars

There is no one here among us, who doesn't live without regret

So may we use the pain behind us to walk in victory up ahead

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

May I stay in the way of the narrow and free of regret

And may I surrender whatever is holding me back

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

Now each day's another journey, with choices I must make

There are two roads before me, but only one that I must take

So help me walk the path that's holy and help me choose what is right

May I leave a testimony that is pleasing in your sight

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

May I stay in the way of the narrow and free of regret

And may I surrender whatever is holding me back

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

And may I surrender whatever is holding me back

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness

I recently read a book entitled Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness.  It is actually three shorter books compiled into one.  All three were written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and challenges the reader to take a look at his heart to see if it is focused on the right things.

Brokenness deals with the tragedy of sin and how we as Christians are no longer truly broken and grieved by sin.  So many sins have become "acceptable" and almost commonplace in our churches.  Nancy challenges us to have a heart that is broken before God. When we see sin in our lives it should grieve us and send us to our knees in true repentance.

Surrender focuses on having a heart that is completely surrendered to the will of God.  This book encourages us to be willing to do whatever God calls us to do, be whoever He wants us to be, and go wherever He may ask us to go.  Our lives do not belong to us.  We belong to God and we should not get in the way of His will for our lives.

Holiness challenges us to live holy lives.  The author takes a look at the holiness of God and reminds us that we are to measure our lives according to His holiness and not compare ourselves to others.  The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God and that we are to reflect that image in all that we do.  This is why we should strive for holiness.

Reading this book made we take a good look at my life and see where I was falling short in my own walk with Christ.  It has helped me to change my perspective and focus more on pleasing Christ and reflecting His image.  I hope it will challenge you as well. 

Nancy Leigh DeMoss also hosts a daily radio program called Revive Our Hearts.  You can find a series of radio programs based on these books here.

Growing in Knowledge

In 2 Peter 3:18, Peter says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  In the previous verse, Peter was warning Christians to guard against those who take the Scriptures and twist them out of context to mean what they want them to mean.  Then he tells us to grow in the knowledge of Christ.  How do we do this?  By studying the Bible.  When you want to get to know someone better, you spend time with them.  The same goes for getting to know God better.  We have to spend time with Him.

I know Bible study can seem like a daunting task at times, but it does not have to be.  There are so many helpful tools out there to aid us in this process.  Let's look at a few of them.

The first book that I want to mention is a Bible concordance.  A Bible concordance gives you a list of every word in the Bible and the reference where you can find it.  For example, if you wanted to do a study on love you could look up the word "love" in the concordance and it will list every verse in the Bible that contains the word.  It is important to make sure that your concordance matches the version of your Bible so that the words will be the same when you look up the verses.  I would recommend an exhaustive or comprehensive concordance for the most thorough study.

A Bible dictionary can also be helpful to your Bible study by giving a little bit of information on people, places, and words in the Bible that you may not be familiar with.  Some even include a pronunciation guide to help with all of those difficult names!

If you want to study a topic or passage of Scripture with a little more help and guidance, you can use a Bible study guide.  These booklets study the Scripture in an interactive way by asking questions that challenge you to think about what you are reading and show you how to apply the principles of the Bible to your life.

Along the same lines, there are commentaries on the whole Bible or individual books of the Bible that give you the author's interpretation of the Scriptures.  These books often include cultural background and other information that show you the context of the setting and time period of the particular passage you are studying.

There are also many books that are not necessarily Biblical studies, but are based on Biblical principles and can really encourage and challenge us as Christians.  The main thing to remember is this, just because it is written by a "Christian" author, does not make it accurate.  Any time you read a book that claims to be based on the Bible, you should make sure that it matches what the Bible actually says.  The Bible is always the final authority to prove something true or false.

Now here's the fun part.  Below is a list of books and authors that I would recommend.

The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman

• deals with relationships
• available in several versions that focus on specific relationships such has with your spouse, children, or teens

Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

• learn how to confront the lies of Satan with Biblical truth
• also available, Lies Young Women Believe with co-author Dannah Gresh

Then Sings My Soul Volumes 1, 2, & 3 - Rob Morgan

• tells the stories behind some of the old church hymns
• also available, Near to the Heart of God, a daily song and a little information about it.

The Remarkable Women of the Bible - Elizabeth George

• lessons we can learn from the lives of Biblical women

Where Is God When It Hurts - Philip Yancey

• why we suffer and how we can cope

The Grand Weaver - Ravi Zacharias

• everything that happens in life, good or bad, is part of God's intentional and perfect work in your life

Do Hard Things - Alex & Brett Harris

• teenagers are no longer asked to do anything hard, but should things be different? 
• (also a good read for adults)

 



For Women Only - Shanti Feldhahn

• learn how to love your man for who he really is

I hope to be adding to this list regularly, so check back often!

Recently, 4 young people were baptized at Christ's Church! We praise God that they accepted Christ as their Savior and chose to follow Him in this act of obedience. Here are their photos.

Gunter

Maliya

Jeremy

Carli

..."Jesus said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 19:14

Senior Saints, Let’s Stay Busy For God!by Mrs. Pat Thomas

When my husband passed away with pancreatic cancer a few years ago, I wondered what I was going to do with the rest of my life. After almost 49 years of marriage to a minister, I had led a busy, delightful, exciting life. We had moved back and forth across the country several times starting new churches, holding evangelism conferences, attending church conventions, visiting missionaries, and serving God in many capacities. Church planting was always my favorite of all the ministries in which we had been involved.

After my husband’s death, I found myself grieving deeply as I kept a lonely vigil, walking around our beautiful retirement home and visiting his grave at the cemetery. I believe the grieving process is natural and necessary, and is part of God’s plan when we lose those we love. Grieving causes believers to cling to the Lord and trust Him completely to carry us through this trying time. And God certainly proved Himself faithful to strengthen me as I made funeral arrangements, selected a grave marker, cancelled my husband’s cell phone and credit cards, filed federal and state taxes, and completed a mountain of legal matters.

However, I also did some practical things that greatly helped me through this very difficult grieving process. I continued to teach the women’s Bible class and also played the organ at my local church. I had more time to spend in prayer and Bible study now that I had fewer housekeeping duties. But when the opportunity came for me to make a major move to the San Tan Valley, Arizona area to help in the establishing of Christ’s Church Free Will Baptist, I jumped at the chance! Now I am actively involved in the church music program and doing volunteer church clerical work.

It would be easy as senior saints for us to use our increasing age and declining health to “rest on our accomplishments” and become inactive in the work of God. However, I believe these years can be some of our most productive for Christ. Here are some things I want to suggest to all senior saints, no matter the age, health, or circumstances, to keep us involved in ministry in the “golden years” of our lives:

1. Take care of your health; eat right, exercise regularly, and control body weight. Certainly we experience declining health and become less active as we age. Many times debilitating diseases strike us, but as good stewards of our “temples”, we need to do our part to stay healthy.

2. Work on your personal appearance. We don’t need to look dowdy, drab, dated, dull or dreary just because we are older. We can be modest and conservative, yet still be up to date in our dress styles. As senior saints we need to do our best to set an example to younger people who are “dressing down” in today’s society. Let’s set an example to them by dressing our very best for church services and always look nice when we go out in public.

3. Down size and simplify your life. Many senior saints have too much “stuff”! Our houses and garages can become very cluttered. We need to have pity on our children and grandchildren and get rid of our “trash and treasures” while we are alive so they won’t have to do it when we die. Besides, the less “stuff” we have to worry about, the less housekeeping we will have. This will free up more time to serve the Lord.

4. Stay active mentally by constantly learning new software on the computer. Make your life easier by learning to pay bills and taxes online. Communicate with your family, friends and missionaries by email. Use Bible software to prepare Sunday School and Bible lessons. Read good books and study God’s word as long as eyesight permits. When and if eyesight fails, listen to God’s word and good Christian music on CD or use an .mp3 player.

5. Listen to the news and stay knowledgeable about current affairs. Vote and stay politically and socially involved. Don’t become a “couch potato” or a hermit who never leaves the house.

6. Stay busy for God and active in your local church. Talk to your pastor about starting a senior prayer breakfast or potluck luncheon. Continue to be a witness for Christ. If you can’t see to drive a car, use the telephone to contact prospects and absentees. Since you have more leisure time, write or send emails to missionaries on the field and assure them of your prayers.

7. Get involved in ministries that are new to you. Go on mission trips with your church youth group. Be willing to sell out, move to a new area, take a new position and enter a new ministry.

8. Be a good steward of your life’s savings. Be generous with your giving. Pay your tithes and give to missions and benevolent causes. Remember God’s work in your will. Set your house in order legally. It is important to have a current will and living will, giving power of attorney and medical instructions if or when you become incapable of making decisions.

There is never a time for a child of God to sit down and quit working for the Lord. I believe the senior years offer many wonderful opportunities for ministry. Most senior saints are retired and no longer work at secular jobs. We can vegetate, become TV addicts, and sleep our lives away - or we can use the “golden years” to accomplish much for the Lord. So, let’s get busy and stay busy for God!

Let Love, In All Relationships, Abound

The following was written by a guest blogger who is a dear friend of mine. I think what she has to say will be a blessing to you. ~ Brooke

Like many teenage girls, I babysat to earn a few extra bucks. I bonded with my little charges as I changed their dirty diapers, hunted for them in a game of hide-and-seek, and soothed them to sleep with a bed-time story. However, a special relationship developed with just one little guy over the years, so much so that one day as I left him with his mother, I heard him whisper to her, “Mommy, I love her.”

A relationship between a babysitter and her charge is just one of many relationships that exist. There are those between spouses, siblings, friends, and coworkers, just to name a few. Not only are there many, but they vary in depth – some are deep, but others casual. Despite the depth, we should display love in each one – whether they are casual and fleeting, deep and ongoing, or troubled and broken.

The grocery store clerk or the stranger we bump into are those with whom we have casual or fleeting associations. Small acts of love can go a long way in these relationships. Kind words may encourage the down-hearted grocery clerk, and returning the lost wallet to the stranger who’s unaware that it’s missing may cause him to consider if he’d do the same. Acts of loving-kindness, even in brief and informal relationships, glorify God.

“…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

The best friend or beloved family member are those with whom we’ve developed deep and ongoing bonds. In these relationships, love should have no boundaries. We may bake a cake to congratulate the friend’s success or fly across the country to comfort the grandparent in sorrow. Love should always be at the ready in deep and ongoing relationships to celebrate blessings and provide comfort in sorrow.

“A friend loves at all times…”
Proverbs 17:17a

The frustrated coworker or the friend who caused hurt are those with whom we have troubled or broken connections. Exhibiting love in these relationships is essential for peace and restoration. Offering to help the aggravated coworker with his tasks can soothe troubled waters, and praying for the friend who caused hurt can build a bridge towards restoration. In troubled and broken relationships, love’s power to soothe and heal reaches beyond what we can see.

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
Luke 6:27

While it’s true that we live in a sinful world and no relationship will ever be perfect, as Christians, we can model Godly relationships – ones in which love abounds and God’s glory is revealed. And sometimes we are blessed to have special relationships, where love reigns supreme, as I had with my young charge of nearly 15 years ago.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
I Corinthians 13:4 – 7

As Christians, we know to look to the bond between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as our relationship model. Because mankind is created in God’s image, and because God is relational, we are relational too.

So after building good relationships, how do we sustain them? There are many different ways to cultivate good relationships and one short article couldn’t possibly list them all. But, keeping God at the center, and displaying love, humility, and selflessness are no doubt essential to sustaining healthy relationships. The moment we focus on self we risk halting the growth of a new relationship, disrupting the balance of a harmonious relationship, and ruining the chance of restoring a broken relationship. ~ TW