Great Christmas Fellowship the 16th

We had a fantastic time for our Christmas Fellowship last Sunday night. We had great food and fun. The Songspinners performed a classic Christmas show (it was a moooooving experience) and we followed our potluck dinner with a time of singing and silliness. Our thanks to all that brought the fabulous food and for all the work that everyone put in to making it happen. The Songspinners always enjoy coming to perform because our church is so receptive and participatory. Thank you all so much.

 

Sunday night the 23rd the church will have a special Christmas worship service at 5pm. We will sing traditional carols, have special music from Lisa, Greg and Nancy, and close with a candlelight observance. We are having this service as a special time of simple worship and thanksgiving as a church, to give the Lord thanks for giving us another lease for our location.

 

Don’t forget church cookbooks for Christmas gifts this year! Payment for church folks is voluntary because of last year’s “beard-shaving” event; if friends or family want several of them the $10/per amount would be greatly appreciated. If our blog friends want a cookbook send us a message and we’ll get it to you.

For all of our church members, friends and family members, we wish you a blessed Christmas season in honor of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He left the glory of heaven to come to earth to die for our sins. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Son of God, Son of Man, Humble Servant and Coming King!

Songspinners at Heartsong Church Dec 2

This Sunday night December 16 is our annual Christmas fellowship with the Songspinners here; start time 5:30pm. We expect a large crowd as friends and family members always make it a priority to come so keep that in mind as you prepare your feasts - Potluck following! Bring the fridge!

We have the new lease from the owner and have signed it.

To offer thanks to the Lord and prepare for the coming year we will have a special worship service next Sunday night the 23^rd at 5pm

We sent a total of 8 boxes to our soldier in Afghanistan, for him and his squad. 6 of the boxes have arrived already and they were very appreciative. Apparently the most coveted items were the disposable razors because they don’t have to pay for them themselves! The first response they had was, “you mean it’s free?” I am so glad we were able to bring some smiles to their important work over there. Thank you all so much for your generosity. If you want to send more we’ll make it happen; just keep the stuff coming.

Don’t forget church cookbooks for Christmas gifts this year! Payment for church folks is voluntary because of last year’s “beard-shaving” event; if friends or family want several of them the $10/per amount would be greatly appreciated. If our blog friends want a cookbook send us a message and we’ll get it to you.

For all of our church member, friends and family members, we wish you a blessed Christmas season in honor of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He left the glory of heaven to come to earth to die for our sins. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Son of God, Son of Man, Humble Servant and Coming King!

Thanksgiving 2012

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:8-10) And may I add, He always blesses us far more than what we deserve. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving 2012

Let us give thanks for what the Lord has done and for those blessings He has not given yet. Things are not going well in this great land of ours, and some are struggling through the darkest days of their lives. But there is still much to be thankful for. One thing is sure; in a world where so many impulsively see only the darkness and make sure we all know it’s dark, those that are singing the song of giving thanks will stick out like a sore thumb. Let us sing and give thanks to the Lord to the top of our lungs!

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:25)

A Pastor’s Commentary on Psalm 26 and Thanksgiving

I shall wash my hands in innocence, and I will go about Your altar (come to church!), O Lord, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving (come to church and sing praises!) and declare all Your wonders. O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house (so come to church this Sunday!) and the place where Your glory dwells. (again with the church thing) Psalm 26:6-8

Some Thanksgiving Quotes

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. (Opening quote from the Thanksgiving Proclamation signed by George Washington, President of the United States of America, October 3, 1789)

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. ~ Abraham Lincoln, at Thanksgiving time during the Civil War, 1863

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~ Theodore Roosevelt, 1901

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. ~ Johnny Carson

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? ~ Erma Bombeck

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

 
Some Personal Thanks
I wonder what pumpkin pie tastes like when I’m not already full?
I’m thankful for elastic waistbands in pants
I’m thankful for the hugs of a grandchild
I’m thankful for the giggling of little girls
I’m thankful for a long hike on a well-worn trail with a warm sun at my back
I’m thankful for the sound of singing when it’s not expected
I’m thankful for people who aren’t afraid to let out a good belly-laugh
I’m thankful for those that don’t get offended when someone says something funny about them
I’m thankful for good food and good company
I’m thankful for my son and daughter who keep giving me beautiful grandchildren
I’m thankful for the view from the top of the trail, knowing that the path back to the car is all downhill
I’m thankful for a fresh-painted room where nothing further needs to be done to it
I’m thankful for the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of these United States; long may they be the principles for the governance of this land
I’m thankful for my beautiful wife who puts up with my little irritating habits (I would list them all out here but space does not permit)
You can make your own list of little and great things to be thankful for this year

 

Voting Time and Daylight Savings Ends

I worked for the county doing the early voting at Chapel Hills mall for 2 weeks. We helped over 2000 people on Friday alone so it was very, very busy. Don’t forget Election Day is Tuesday if you haven’t already voted as it seemed most of the county had where I was.

I saw some old friends during the early voting: Jim and Carol Thomas and David and Marti Walker came through. I also saw Terry and Doris’ son Mike and their grandson during the early voting. One of my co-workers asked me if I knew everyone in the county, so many came through that I have known through the years. I don’t but there were times when it seemed like every other person was an old acquaintance.

I made new friends during the time I worked; they were all good people that worked really hard to make sure people got to vote.

Tomorrow marks the end of Daylight Saving time so we get that extra hour of sleep for tomorrow; it gets dark earlier but I’m glad for the sleep as I’m sure you are, also.

Lisa will be gone so our worship will be karaoke as I like to say; you will still enjoy Lisa’s playing on the discs so come on out for tomorrow morning!

We finished up our study on “Dueling Denominations” last Sunday morning for Sunday School. We’ll return to the book of Acts chapter 16 tomorrow.

May the Lord bless ya’ll real good!

Bulletins will continue

I had planned on only printing bulletins when they were needed, but someone has provided for the print cartridges so we will keep printing the bulletin weekly. The cost of print cartridges is something churches and businesses constantly fight, so it’s great that someone decided to provide for them. Do check this blog and emails as we will also update you that way
This also means prayer requests will be printed weekly on the bulletin
I found myself in a video news report from Fox 21 News this past week (I think it was Wednesday) while working on the election. You can see me in “action” on YouTube from their website. The main reason I was in the video was that the camera just loves my face, but then again, doesn’t everyone?
 
Worship the Lord
Scripture Reading: Praise the Lord, O servants of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:1-3
Bless the Lord, O my Soul
Blessed Be the Name of the Lord
Blessed Be Your Name (You Give and Take Away)
Blessed Be the Lord God Almighty

What is a Baptist preacher? A Baptist preacher is joyful, has a rockin’ and rollin’ sense of humor, thinks most things are fair game for a good laugh (short of the profane), enjoys good food, wants to help people, loves the Word of God more than anything or anyone else in life, has a loyalty to the local church that is so deep it hurts, believes that the Lord is what people need more than anything material/physical, will not compromise the most important doctrines of Scripture for any person, wants to glorify the Lord in everything he does, thinks worship is the number one activity of the church, doesn’t mind doing menial tasks in the church, thinks laughter is one of the sounds of worship along with singing and Scripture reading, and just simply loves the Lord and His folks. That is what a Baptist preacher is.

A Visit From Big Sis!

We enjoyed having Greg's sister and brother in law, Barbara and David Lingo in our services this past Sunday. David and Barbara were professors at the Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO until 2011. David recently retired from the pastorate at Berean Baptist Church in Bolivar, MO. They took some time to visit with Greg and Ruth. Barb and I lost our Mom last Christmas day and that was the last time I saw Barb  so it was good to see them again. She also played the piano for us in Lisa's absence and she played for me as I sang "Til the Storm Passes Over," an oldtime favorite. We took them up Pikes Peak, went fishing at Skaguay Reservoir above Victor, and visited the Bible Through History exhibit at Glen Eyrie. We also ate....a lot. Thank you, Barb and Dave, for your faithfulness in serving the Lord for so many years.
We will have a potluck fellowship this Sunday night at 5:30pm and we will bring the church folks up to date on how everything is going at the church. Things are going well but it's time to give some reports so that we are all informed on the state of the church.



Greg with his sister Barbara Lingo up fishin'

At church Sept 16, 2012

Brother in law David Lingo: gone fishin'



Sunday Afterglow for Labor Day Weekend

We had a good Sunday even with so many out for the Labor Day Weekend. Ron and Carol Campeau were on their way to WA due to the death of Ron’s father Dan. Our prayers go with the Campeau’s as they travel and for the strength of the family in their bereavement.

Next Sunday our missionary to the Madeira Islands Ed Potter will be with us. Ed and Abbie had to travel to the states because of the passing of Abbie’s father Ed Byrd in AR, who was a longtime seminary teacher and pastor. Bro. Byrd is also Emma Smith’s father so Carlton and Emma were also in AR.

The following Sunday Greg’s sister Barbara Lingo and her husband David will be visiting. David recently retired from the Berean Baptist Church in Bolivar MO so Dave and Barb are taking some time to come see Greg and Ruth.

Greg and Nancy started Songspinners practice for the coming Christmas season.

We had a great Sunday last week at Heartsong Church, 5660 N Academy (Doyle Combs, worship leader). Most of our church was there so we were well represented. Heartsong really appreciated our music, especially our pianist par excellence Lisa. Lisa played for the entire worship service and I sang 3 songs, “You Raise Me Up,” ”God Bless the USA,” and “Ready to Fly.” Lisa played with the small orchestra for the service so this was a new experience for her and she did an excellent job.

We are grateful for this church’s kind response to us and hopefully we can reciprocate their congeniality (got a new thesaurus) in some way in the future. The people were wonderful and we hope it was a great experience for our folks. It is important that we get to know other Christians and fellowship with them; remember Freedom folks, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

When we started as a church back in 1988 the encouragement of another church would have been so helpful, and this was our chance to encourage this young church in their endeavor to continue their ministry. Nancy and I greatly enjoyed Doyle’s music ministry and we have had a strong connection with Doyle and Rhonda for their vision of gospel music as a strong basis for the ministry of a church. We’re not Methodists-we’re Baptists and proud of it, but our differences were not so great that we could not enjoy this unprecedented opportunity to gather together to celebrate worship with this new church.

This Sunday is during Labor Day Weekend so we know we’ll have some folks out of town, but we’ll be back to our regular services and will worship with all that are here, same Bap time, same Bap channel!

Greg and Nancy started Songspinners practice for the coming Christmas season.

Don't Forget Go To Heartsong this Sunday

Most of you know Nancy Jenkins and I (the pester) have enjoyed singing with the Sunrise UMC choir at Christmas and other presentations over the years. Doyle Combs, the music director, was gracious enough to have us sing.
In addition, Doyle’s wife Rhonda coordinates the Songspinners group which Nancy and I enjoy.
Doyle was dismissed as the music director at Sunrise last December; many people have left Sunrise. They started a new work called Heartsong Church at 5660 N Academy, next to the Silver Pond Chinese Restaurant.
I have received an invitation from Heartsong Church to preach and sing for them this Sunday August 26th. The Freedom Baptist Church worship service will be at Heartsong for this Sunday only; all are invited to come out and join in a combined worship service at 10am.
Heartsong’s worship and format is very similar to ours. We will sing hymns and choruses; I will sing 3 songs and preach. Lisa will play for the entire service.
For that Sunday, Freedom will not have Sunday School but Ron Campeau will go to the church and open the doors for the 10am service, thinking it best that we not have a Sunday with the doors closed. Ron will meet anyone that attends and handle the worship by CD.
For Freedom’s offering that Sunday, place your offering in an envelope marked “Freedom” or “FBC” and place in the offering at Heartsong. The offering will be at the end of the service (a little different than how we do it)
When we started as a church back in 1988 the encouragement of another church would have been so helpful, and this is our chance to encourage this young church in their endeavor to continue their ministry. Nancy and I greatly enjoyed Doyle’s music ministry and we have a strong connection with Doyle and Rhonda for their vision of gospel music as a strong basis for the ministry of a church. We’re Baptists and proud of it, but any differences between us are not so great that we cannot enjoy this unprecedented opportunity to gather together to celebrate worship with this new church. It's not like we do this every Sunday (in fact we've never done anything like this before) so why not branch out and meet some folks that are doing something very similar to what we did back in '88?

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens

Tomorrow's worship and study
Sunday School: continuing our study on "Dueling Denominations" - the Baptists, other Baptist groups to include independents and the various "initial" Baptists: ABA, BBF, WBF, GARB, CBA and NABA (the CIA and NBA?)
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Sermon: the Book of Ruth
The book is set in the days when the judges governed; probably during the time of Gideon (3 generations prior to David in 1010BC per the 4th chapter would be appx Gideon’s time)
The cycle of spiritual futility: sin, punishment, crying to God, repentance, deliverance, and return to sin dominated 350 years of Israel’s history. So much of their history was spent returning to a place before God they had already been before, admirably returning to the Lord but not making any progress in their spiritual lives as a nation; in fact, regressing a greater distance than they ever returned
.
The main characters are Naomi, her daughters in law Orpah and Ruth, Naomi’s sons Mahon and Chilion, and a distant relative to Naomi named Boaz
The story contains tragedy, pain and ultimate good fortune; the providence of God shows in every detail
Providence – Latin “providentia,” “to see ahead of time” - the book of Ruth shows that Almighty God, in His providentia, is arranging the timing of Naomi and Ruth’s circumstances
Life hurts – it can crumble down around us in what seems to be an unstoppable spiral. It’s how you choose to react to the hurt that determines your happiness
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And don't forget next Sunday at Heartsong Church,  5660 N Academy
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Combined Worship at Heartsong August 26

Most of you know Nancy Jenkins and I (the pester) have enjoyed singing with the Sunrise UMC choir at Christmas and other presentations over the years. Doyle Combs, the music director, was gracious enough to have us sing.
In addition, Doyle’s wife Rhonda coordinates the Songspinners group which Nancy and I enjoy.
Doyle was dismissed as the music director at Sunrise last December; many people have left Sunrise. They started a new work called Heartsong Church at 5660 N Academy, next to the Silver Pond Chinese Restaurant.
I have received an invitation from Heartsong Church to preach and sing for them Sunday August 26th. They have invited the entire church to come up and have a combined service at 10am.
Heartsong’s worship and format is very similar to ours. We will sing worship choruses; I will sing 3 songs and preach. Lisa will play for the entire service.
For that Sunday, Freedom will not have Sunday School but Ron Campeau will go to the church and open the doors for the 10am service, thinking it best that we not have a Sunday with the doors closed. Ron will meet anyone that attends and handle the worship by CD.
For Freedom’s offering that Sunday, place your offering in an envelope marked “Freedom” or “FBC” and place in the offering at Heartsong. The offering will be at the end of the service (a little different than how we do it)
When we started as a church back in 1988 the encouragement of another church would have been so helpful, and this is our chance to encourage this young church in their endeavor to continue their ministry. Nancy and I greatly enjoyed Doyle’s music ministry and we have a strong connection with Doyle and Rhonda for their vision of gospel music as a strong basis for the ministry of a church. We’re Baptists and proud of it, but any differences between us are not so great that we cannot enjoy this unprecedented opportunity to gather together to celebrate worship with this new church. It's not like we do this every Sunday (in fact we've never done anything like this before) so why not branch out and meet some folks that are doing something very similar to what we did back in '88?

Psalm 28 – Dear Lord, Please Throw Down on the Wicked

"Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve. Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again."
I am struck by how many Psalms ask the Lord to defeat our enemies and “repay them for their evil.” Should we ask the Lord to punish evil and reward our righteousness? There is no condemnation for the Psalmist for asking these things, so it must be OK. This is quite a contrast to those that demand that all Christians everywhere forgive any and all that perpetrate evil against them without condition. We are told to “be nice” at all times and never respond to our enemies with anything but kind words and “unconditional love.”
I read many of the responses to the Chick-Fil-A controversy by those that hate Christianity. I can say I was in no mood to “be nice.” Many vented such vitriolic hatred toward Christians as to condemn us for eating fried meat while there were starving people in the world. No one mentions that Christians have been feeding the poor and helping the downtrodden for over 2000 years; that the church has helped more lost people than any government has ever done, and that our love and assistance to others has been without condition while any help that any government gives always comes with the demand for obedience and “strings attached.” We have given enough to feed the world 10 times over, even with today’s population.
Therefore I agree with the Psalmist to “repay them for their deeds and evil work; repay them for what their hands have done (and what their mouths have spewed).” However, repay them based on Your holiness, Your righteousness, and Your grace. In other words, repay them based on the same standards with which you judge me.
There is another side to this prayer; the Psalmist also wrote “do not turn a deaf ear to me…do not drag me away with the wicked.” There is a humility to this prayer, that even though we ask the Lord to deal with our enemies and those who ridicule us we also recognize that we can be wicked ourselves and need to appeal to His mercy whenever we pray. The darkest thought of our heart is that the Lord would abandon us. I would rather feel the wrath of God than His indifference. If I need grace, then those who persecute me also need His grace. Therefore even though I pray that the Lord would protect me and even punish my enemies, I approach this prayer with deep respect for my own sin, for in punishing evil I pray that the Lord will not also punish me.
“Dear Lord, protect me, reward righteousness and punish evil, and if in punishing evil you find evil in me, forgive me and deal with me.”

Trampolining through John: The Final Jump

We have completed our study of the book of John that began October 2, 2011. We jumped around in the book rather than go chapter by chapter in order to give some variety to our study and not be so married to “series” preaching. We will begin a new 95 part series on the interpretation of visions that happen after 15 cups of Baptist coffee (tongue firmly ensconced in cheek).
First section Prologue (1:1-18): Prologue: Jesus the Eternal Word of God
2nd Section John 1:19-4:54
  1:19-28  John the Baptist’s statements to the religious leaders
  1:29-34  John the Baptist’s statements at Jesus’ Baptism
  1:35-51  Jesus calls 4 disciples of the Baptist: Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael
  2:1-12 Changing Water to Wine in Cana of Galilee
  2:13-25 First Cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem
  3:1-21 Jesus and Nicodemus
  3:22-36  John the Baptist’s last statements regarding Jesus
  4:1-24 Jesus and the Samaritans (Judea to Galilee via Samaria)
  4:25-42  Faith, Truth and Miracles
  4:43-54  Healing the Nobleman’s Son (2nd sign in Galilee, 1st sign was water into wine)
3rd section chapters 5-8 (Increase of hostility from Galilee to Jerusalem at Tabernacles)
4th section 9-12 (Ministry in Judean Wilderness away from Jerusalem)
5th section 13-17 (Upper Room Discourse and High Priestly Prayer)
6th section 18-20 (Crucifixion and Resurrection)
7th section 21 (Post-Resurrection Appearance in Galilee and close of book)

The order and dates of our study in John:
John 17 – Jesus’ Prayer for Us
     Oct 2, ’11 and Oct 9, ‘11
John 8 - The Light of Freedom
     Oct 16, 23, 30th ’11 (Jesus the Light of the World)
John 5-7 – Jesus the Bread of Life
     Nov 6, 13, 27, Dec 11, 18, Jan 15, ’12 and Jan 22, ’12 (Answering Critics; Bread of Life; Opposition grows)
John 1:1-18 - The Word Was God
     Christmas Day 2011 and Jan 8, ’12 (Communication-Animation-Illumination-Incarnation)
John 1:19-4 – Meet the Author, the Baptist and the Messiah
     Jan 29, ’12, Feb 5, 12, 19, 26, Mar 4, 11 (Pay No Attention to Miracles or Money; Jesus and Nicodemus; Jesus and the Samaritans; Healing the Nobleman’s Son Long Distance)
John 18-20 – Trials, Crucifixion, Resurrection
      April 1, 8 and 15
John 9-12 – Ministry around Bethany and the Triumphal Entry, just before His Crucifixion
     April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27
John 13-16 – The Upper Room Discourse
     June 3, 10, 17, 24, July 1, 8, 15, 22
John 21 – The Restoration of Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee; Epilogue of the Gospel
     July 29, Aug 5

Sunday July 29; Granddaughter Alert!

We enjoyed having Tim, Christa and Neva Chandler (son and granddaughter of the pester) this past Sunday. They are from  Virginia Beach, VA where Tim is attending Regent University. I may have taken a few pictures of Neva; all I know my memory chip is now full

Sunday July 22 Preview

Brandon Mayes' backyard sunset

Freedom Baptist will join with Heartsong Church on Sunday August 26 for a worship service in which Greg will sing and preach. We thank the gracious people of Heartsong for this wonderful invite; more info will follow
Our beloved Bertie Mahan will be going home from the hospital soon; we will want to get some food to them during her recuperation
We were happy to see Johnie and Jackie Jackson back to worship this past Sunday; Jackie has been recuperating and it was good to see them both
The church's College group and Greg and Ruth have been meeting on Tuesday nights for book reading and discussion.  We have read "The Hobbit," "Blue Like Jazz," "Have a Little Faith," watched DVD's by Lee Strobel ("The Case for Creation") and have studied Nehemiah and Esther. We will study the book of Ruth and then take a break until the end of summer.
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Sunday School Lesson: Dueling Denominations, continuing in our study on Baptists, lesson #12, final wrap-up on Landmark Baptists and continuing with other Baptist groups and the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversies
Worship Sermon - The Upper Room Discourse, John 13-16, finishing up with 16:22-33, "I Have Overcome the World"
We have learned 2 new congregational songs that are old time gospel/bluegrass songs, Down to the River and Green Pastures. This Sunday we will be learning "Come Angel Band." We all have heard these songs down through the years but they are new as congregational songs for us.

Preparing for This Sunday July 15



Our latest addition devouring the church bulletin

So profound it was tasty

Studies from the Gospel of John
John 16: Preparing for Christ’s Departure
The Rest of the Story will be Told by the Spirit
16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
The disciples were at information overload spiritually, so the Lord told them He would not offer any more information at this time
“You cannot bear them now” meant they were in such sorrow and anguish they couldn’t deal with any more news about the Lord’s leaving; they had misunderstood the plan of God on Christ’s dying, resurrection, ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, a misunderstanding that led to emotional sorrow but could have resulting in emotional joy if they had but understood the plan of God. Their sorrow was unnecessary but Jesus understood they couldn’t handle anymore.
They were a little hardened against the Lord at this point because He was not going to do what they had expected Him to do, rise up, defeat the Romans and start the kingdom immediately; their false expectations led to an obtuse inability to understand, as it also does us.
But the Spirit of truth would arrive and get through to them about the Father’s plan through the cross and resurrection. Therefore the Spirit would guide them into the truth and show them only the Father’s plan.
The Spirit would not promote His own plan but only speak on the Father’s initiative and show them only the Father’s plan, a plan Jesus revealed to them but they were not able to understand.
“He will show you things to come” was the same as “He will guide you into all truth;” to this point they had understood only a part of God’s plan, so they needed all of the truth and would receive it with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit would only speak the words of the Father, but to do this also meant He would glorify Christ, for the Father’s plan was shown to the world through Christ His Son, and the Son was the Word of the Father.
All that belonged to the Father was also the Son’s. Whatever the Spirit would reveal would be directed by the Father and be in agreement with what the Son had taught and shown
He would take the teachings of Christ (“take of mine”) and make it known to them (“to show it unto you”)
All 3 persons of the Godhead were in agreement and completely consistent, so the work of the Spirit was the continuation of the work of Jesus Christ who came to do the will of the Father.
We have the privilege of continuing the work of Christ through the empowering Holy Spirit who indwells us. We are an integral part of this plan.

"From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.” (J. R. R. Tolkien, from Fellowship of the Ring)

Our church members and friends know that myself and church member Ralph Cox live on the west side of the Springs. We are south of the evacuation area and not part of Manitou Springs. Our only problem is smoke when the wind turns around to the west, but we're doing fine. The heat is higher than normal and with the wind direction is driving the fire behavior. The best one I heard so far is "Satan called....he wants his weather back!"

Photo of fire taken by Greg last Saturday
From Garden of the Gods

Be in prayer for us as always for all the struggles and pressures of life; one of the greatest tests of our spirituality is how we handle situations that are beyond our control. Remember to leave things in the hands of God. Pester Greg

Freedom Baptist Church
312 Auburn Drive
Special Event

 Sunday June 10, 2012 @ 4:15pm

 Performance by the Official Colorado Springs

Show Choir

 The Songspinners

(including church members Nancy Jenkins and Greg Chandler)
For an evening of song, dance & general silliness! And it’s free!
Dinner following

 

Sunday May 20, 2012

We had a great service today with the representatives from the Gideons with us, Skip and John. We enjoyed hearing about the spreading of God's Word and the church gave a generous offering to the  Gideons today. We value the opportunity to assist the Gideons with their ministry, a ministry in which there is no guile!

John and Skip, Gideons

Post-service fellowship

Sunday May 6, 2012

I forgot my camera so no current photos of the church folks for this past Sunday; more embarrassing photos will be forthcoming
Church News:
We will have a representative from the Gideons here May 20th
Mother’s Day is next Sunday May 13th
Father’s Day is June 17th
Congrats to Darrel and Carolyn on the celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary
The Songspinners will perform at the church Sunday afternoon June 10th 4pm

Sunday’s Teachings
Sunday School: Dueling Denominations (started study April 24 last year)
Baptists – General Summary, Origins, Distinctives
Origin from English Separatists – Puritans and Reformers
General Baptists and Particular Baptists; Anabaptists vs. Baptists
Influence of Arminian theology vs. Reformed theology
Beginnings under John Smyth in England and Holland

View of this past weekend's Supermoon in Hawaii

Sunday’s Sermon
Trampolining through John - Section 4, chapters 9-12
I Am the Good Shepherd: John 10:11-42
Continuation of the Shepherd Analogy used by Christ to indict the leaders of Israel
Chapter began at the Feast of Tabernacles in October and finished with the Feast of Dedication in November-December
Assurance to followers that they will never be rejected by the Father
Eternal security:
• Is. 14:24 As I have purposed, so shall it stand
• Rom. 10:13 Whoever calls on name of the Lord shall be saved
• Rom. 8:29 Whom He called He  justified
• Rom. 11:29 Gifts and calling of God are irrefutable
• Eph. 2:8-9 A gift of God
Eternal Security drives our spirituality:
• Makes us sensitive, responsive and obedient to His voice
• Makes us confident of our future

Sunday April 29

A hot sermon didn't help Britanie

Careful analysis of which pew to sit in

Eddie's miraculous cure for blindness...Hallelujah!

First Look at April 29

Here's a first look at tomorrow's bulletin and worship
FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH
April 29, 2012
Church News
We will have a representative from the Gideons here on May 20th
Mother’s Day is coming up May 13th; Father’s Day is June 17th
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Today’s Teachings
Sunday School: Dueling Denominations (started study April 24 last year)
Churches of Christ
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Today’s Sermon
Trampolining through John - Section 4, chapters 9-12
The Blind and the Lost: Jesus the Light and the Shepherd
John 9:25-10:10
John 9 with John 10
Spiritual sight vs. blindness on the part of the blind man healed in ch. 9 and blindness of the religious leaders
Chapter 10 a transition from blindness to the ability to hear the shepherd call his sheep into the safety of the sheepfold (which contrasts spiritual hearing vs. spiritual deafness)
The parable of the door of the sheep pen illustrated the open invitation to the nation to follow His guidance and be saved; all they had to do was hear His call to go into the door of the sheep pen and they would be safe in His care as the Good Shepherd
The blind man received sight and found his way; the Pharisees were blind and deaf and lost. Jesus had just ushered in the previously rejected blind man into the kingdom of God sheepfold
The Pharisees had also “put out” the blind man for his insolence in daring to defy their spiritual leadership; they thought they were sending the man out of the sheep pen but instead they sent him into the arms of Jesus where he was safe and sound
This “discourse” (speech on a particular topic) of Jesus started in chapter 9 and continued to 10:21. The setting did not change and the incident was one continuous flow
Jesus came to give abundant life, not death
• The doctrine of the Pharisees yielded spiritual starvation, bondage and death
• Through Christ is freedom and life, and taken care of by a loving shepherd
• Abundant life
 “Shall go in and out” – Freedom to be sheep and do what sheep do, without interference from “wolves”
 “And find pasture” – Be free of the worry and anxiety of not having needs met
 “He shall be saved” – To be afraid of nothing, that we don’t have to be afraid of anything but disobeying (for sheep are naturally afraid and “skittish”)
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WORSHIP SERVICE
I Will Sing the Wondrous Story p. 508
Great is the Lord  p. 31
Scripture Reading
I will give thanks to the LORD for His righteousness. I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. You have set your glory in the heavens. Ps. 7:17; 8:1-2 NIV
"How Great Thou Art" was based on a Swedish poem written by Carl Boberg (1859–1940) in 1885. The melody is a Swedish folk song. It was translated into English by British missionary Stuart K. Hine, who added two verses.
The inspiration for the poem came when Boberg was walking home from church near Kroneback, Sweden, and listening to church bells. A sudden awe-inspiring storm caught him and then just as suddenly subsided to a peaceful calm over Monsteras Bay. When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay like a mirror before him. From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush. The church bells were tolling in the quiet evening. It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the song, first published in 1886.
Stuart Hine first heard the Russian translation of the song in 1931 and wrote the English paraphrase “How Great Thou Art.” Other versions of the song appeared in the 1950’s and 1960’s because of its popularity. One of these versions is “O Mighty God” which was an attempt to portray the original translation of the song, but Hine’s version is the most popular.
Elvis Presley won Sacred Music Grammy’s for his recordings of the song in 1967 and 1974 (for the live version). Billy Graham chose the song to be the theme of his crusade in Madison Square Garden in 1957, performed hundreds of times by George Beverly Shea.
How Great Thou Art p. 4
O Mighty God, When I Behold the Wonder
(To the tune of How Great Thou Art)
Offering

Sunday April 22: Glory at 6081 ft.

Sit down fellowshipping

The long and the short of it, and yes he is standing up

Folks glad to see each other at church

Stand up fellowshipping

Like all Sundays, we dedicate ourselves to the joy of worship, prayer, teaching and fellowship. That's just what we do!
Praising God in song:
Our God Reigns  p. 229
Ten Thousand Angels
Great Is Thy Faithfulness  p. 43
Redeemed p. 521
Praising God with the public reading of Scripture:
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. Ps. 36:5-6; 89:5
Praising God with teaching:
Sunday School: Dueling Denominations
Churches of Christ
Independent movements that occurred through the leadership of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, and Barton W. Stone
Declared their independence from various denominations, seeking to restore the New Testament church
These churches about 5 million members, over 40,000 individual congregations worldwide, approx 13,000 congregations in US
Today’s Sermon
Trampolining through John
Section 4 of John, chapters 9-12
Beginning with John 9 – Healing of the Blind Man
As Jesus walked through Jerusalem He encountered a man with congenital blindness
Blindness was a malady with spiritual and theological significance for Jews:
• Is. 42:7 was one of 4 Servant-Songs in the book of Isaiah and mentions the opening of blind eyes as a Kingdom promise
• Is. 29:18 was quoted by Jesus as confirming His ministry to John the Baptist (Matt. 11:5), mentioned blind seeing and deaf hearing
• Is. 35:5 noted the eyes of the blind opened which referenced spiritual blindness of the nation to whom Isaiah was prophesying
The “disciples” mentioned here were probably not the 12, for they were not mentioned at all in chapters 7 and 8. This group was probably a group of nominal followers. They would have been trained in their synagogue education to think that physical maladies were a result of sin as a direct cause-effect relationship.
• The Rabbi’s did not emphasize universal, original sin as causing suffering in the world but that specific sins of an individual caused specific suffering. One Rabbi (Ammi) wrote, “There is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity.”
• Some Rabbis even held that a baby could sin in the womb, using Jacob and Esau as their proof.
• Some held to the belief that sins were generational, that a parent’s sins could doom their children. This was a variation on “karma” and God did note in the OT that “the sins of the fathers could be visited to the 3rd or 4th generation,” (generational sins) but that had a national application for Israel’s general unbelief, not a tribal or familial application. It had been misapplied by many Jewish theologians.
Since this man had been blind from birth this created a theological problem: how could this have caused his suffering, did he sin in the womb? Or was the man carrying the penalty of his parent’s sins?
Jesus answered, “Neither!” “It was neither this man nor his parents.” The man’s problem was not caused by specific sins by any party, but that “the works of God might be displayed in him.” The man would be an illustration of the spiritual blindness of the nation, a blindness that had lasted for generations, and that the Messiah would open their eyes if they would but believe.

First Sunday After Easter

Getting sassy talkback....I mean feedback

Congregation trying to look studious

Hawaiian shirts while 49 degrees outside?

We had a fun group last Sunday, enjoying the cold weather while I was in my first Hawaiian shirt of the season. It's a sure sign of spring when the pastor dons his Hawaiian garb and hangs ten while surfing through the book of John. Banzai!

Easter 2012

We had great services this past Easter Sunday. It was good to see all the family members and visitors who took time out from their family activities for the day to worship the Lord and His resurrection. We repeated our Homecoming songs (He Set Me Free/I Saw the Light/Jesus, Hold My Hand/Just Over in the Gloryland) that all enjoyed (Bill Gaither eat your heart out). Greg sang two fat tenor songs (John Peterson’s “My Song” and another old favorite “O What a Savior” with “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need”). Our thanks to Lisa Heald for all the hard work and tremendous piano playing of the day. Christ is Risen…He is Risen Indeed!

 Now that another "suit Sunday" has passed (Christmas and  Easter) we can now get the Hawaiian shirts back out guys.....Aloha and praise the Lord! (Although the forecast is for 42 degrees as the high, so maybe one more Sunday of long-sleeve would be prudent!)