Category: FBC

“Ask, and you will receive,

that your joy may be full.”

~John 16:24~

Mr. Jimmy Tolar is home and doing better. Thanks for your prayers.

Mr. Gene Ott of Osyka has cancer. Pray for him as decisions are made regarding his care.

Mrs. Gloria Boone has moved in with Wade east of Arcola. Pray for them as they make adjustments to living together again.

Joan Hagan had her pre-op visit yesterday. She is scheduled to have surgery at 7:30 Wednesday morning in Slidell. Joan is very happy to be having this surgery. Pray for her and all those caring for her during this time.

Joan’s lifelong friend, Charlsee, was planning to take her to Slidell Wednesday, but has pneumonia. Pray for Charlsee to get well soon.

Annie Armstron Easter Offering

FBC, K Goal – $13,000.00

Received so far – $11,181.85

DAILY RESOLUTION

At the beginning of a New Year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers’ New Year’s resolutions on the bulletin board.

As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. “Why weren’t my resolutions posted?” She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions. Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded.

This teacher’s first resolution was not to let little things upset her in the New Year.

Maybe this is a good time to see how you’re coming on your New Year’s resolutions (if indeed you made any). The above story demonstrates why making resolutions may not be such a good thing and, in fact, may be detrimental to our spiritual growth. What happens when we make resolutions? At some point, the resolution is likely going to be broken. It may be a matter of days, weeks, or months, but eventually we tend to falter.

If your resolution involves dieting, there will likely come a day when you’ll sneak a piece of fudge. If your resolution is quitting smoking, there will likely come a day when you’ll reach for that cigarette you’ve been craving. If your resolution is reading the Bible every day, there will likely come a day when things are so hectic that you miss your reading.

And once the resolution is broken, it becomes even easier for it to crumble further. The incentive that kept you going (“I’ve maintained my commitment to this point”) is now gone. One slip leads to two which quickly leads to three, and before long we have the attitude, “I’ve messed up so much that it’s not even worth continuing to try.” So what is there left to do? For most of us, we set our sights on January 1, 2009 and determine when that day rolls arounds, we’ll try it again (“and NEXT time I’ll do it!”).

Allow me to suggest an alternative. Instead of yearly resolutions, what if we made daily resolutions? Begin each day with this prayer:

“Father, today I want to live for you. I want to dedicate to you my time, my energy, my passion and my resources. Today, I will seek to add one quality that will make me more like You. Today, I will seek to eliminate something in my life that doesn’t please you. I will seek to be more conscious of You in my life. I will try to be more appreciative of the blessings I receive from Your hand, and I will look for opportunities to show You glory in the way I deal with people and in the way I react to situations I face.”

Make it your resolution to end the day a little bit closer to God than you began. The goal is spiritual growth…

“…Till we all come to the unity of the faith

and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to a perfect man,

to the measure of the stature

of the fullness of Christ…

speaking the truth in love,

may grow up in all things into Him

who is the head — Christ.”

~Ephesians 4:14,16~

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Grow some today! That’s grow in the Lord today!

Anna Lee

Sometimes it takes a painful experience

to make us change our ways.

Proverbs 20:30 (GNT)

Thursday, May 1, 2008 has been set aside for National Day of Prayer. The official website is located at http://www.ndptf.org/home/index.cfm?&Flash=1 Spend a little time on the site to learn various ways you can become involved in praying. In Kentwood, you can join others at te monument by the city hall at 12:30 Thursday. If you cannot be there, pray wherever you are.

Mrs. Micky Cade’s grandson, James (21), had an accident in the fog Friday morning. Pray for him as he receives treatment for his injuring.

Curt Martin was able to work on his job and with On Mission in Kentwood. He said the problem in his leg is much better. Please continue to pray for complete healing.

Jesse Dean is about the same. Pray for him as he continues therapy.

The youth of FBC, Kenwood will have a spaghetti fund raiser to earn money for summer camp. It will be takeout only and donations only.

If you have not already volunteered for VBS, please contact the church office or Judy Fowler. Mark your calendar for June 9-13 8:30-11:30 A.M.

Deacons for the week will be Robert Callihan and Bubba Hulkaby. Please feel free to call them if you need them.

Honesty

KneEmail
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:10).
Mike Benson, Editor

“Truth is so scarce that nearly everyone is suspect…

Business people, advertisers, commentators, clerks, salesmen, lawyers, doctors, tradesmen, teachers, writers, politicians, and even many, if not most, preachers are suspect. Our whole society is largely built on a network of fabrication, of manufactured “truth.” We shade the truth, we cheat, we exaggerate, we misrepresent income tax deductions, we make promises we have no intention of keeping, we make up excuses, and betray confidences-all as a matter of normal, everyday living.” (John MacArthur)

“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:37).

Have a wonderful week.

Anna Lee

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you,

live at peace with everyone.

~Romans 12:18 (NIV)~

Thank you for praying for my mother, Dot Smith, last week. She is much better now.

You can pray for several people are in North Oaks:

• Mr. Henry Harris
• Gary Travis of Roseland
• Mr. Buddy Holmes (friend of Bro. Joe Baugh)
• Karen Baugh (sister-in-law of Bro. Joe)
• Mrs. Jeanette Rhodus
  
• Jimmy Tolar
• Randy Fairburn
• 
  

Pray for Lisa Davis, sister of Susan Rimes, as she undergoes treatment for cancer again.

Continue to pray for Joan Hagan. She’s resting in bed and trying to get over her falls so she can have surgery Wednesday.

You are invited to a special prayer meeting for Joan Hagan today at 4 P.M. at te Secret Closet Clothes Store (by the railroad tracks on highway 38). A love offering will be taken to help purchase a piece of equipment Joan needs.

I talked with Rebecca Blades‘ aunt. She said it was a miracle Rebecca is alive. Rebecca continues to improve. Keep her in your prayers.

Prayer has been requested for Bobby Warren of Arcola. He was injured in a motorcycle accident.

Deacons for the week

• Jimmy Tolar
  
• Lloyd Hayden

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering

• Received – $10,636.85
• Goal – $13,000.00
• We’re 82% there!

There will be a youth spaghetti fundraiser Sunday, May 4th. Call Bro. Bucky to see how you can help.

Two youth need sponsors for camp this summer. Contact Bro. Bucky for more information.

Vacation Bible School

• Outrigger Island
• June 9-13
• 8:30-11:30
• Volunteers needed

On Mission in Kentwood

• Saturday, April 26
• Starts with donuts at 8 A.M.
• Bring brooms, rakes, gloves, etc.
• Call the church to sign up or to give a name of someone who needs assistance

PLAYING GOD

We sometimes refer to someone’s actions as “playing God.” By that, we usually mean that they are standing in judgment over another person in a way that only God can, or that they are making a decision regarding who will live or who will die. Most of the time, we use that term in a negative way. I heard a story recently, though, told by Mee Spousler that sheds a whole new light on the term “playing God.”

Mee tells how she was trying to put her three-year-old son to bed for a nap. When she was unsuccessful, she put him in her bed and laid down with him to encourage him to rest. She fell asleep, but he didn’t. When she woke up, she saw him sitting on a chair at the end of the bed, and asked, “Luke, what are you doing?”

“I’m playing God,” he replied.

“Playing God?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m watching over you while you sleep.”

What a beautiful thought, because that is what God does. David wrote: “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.” (Psalm 3:4-5)

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all, like that 3-year-old boy, learn to “play God” in ways that would impact this world for good?

We need to “play God” by looking at the hearts of people rather than the clothes they are wearing.

We need to “play God” by forgiving those who have offended us.

We need to “play God” by refusing to allow race or the color of a person’s skin to create barriers.

We need to “play God” by being patient, kind, and loving to the the people we deal with throughout the day

We need to “play God” by showing compassion to those who are suffering or in need.

We need to “play God” by keeping our promises and living lives of honesty and integrity.

We need to “play God” by living in such a way that we reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father.

I hope and pray that people around you will see you “playing God” this day.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

We need to “play God” by showing compassion to those who are suffering or in need.

You can do this by participating in On Mission in Kentwood Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

Anna Lee

[The boy’s father said,]

“. . . If you can do anything, do it.

Have a heart and help us!”

Jesus said, “If?

There are no ‘ifs’ among believers.

Anything can happen.”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth

than the father cried,

“Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

~Mark 9:22-24, MSG~

Rebecca Blades (28), daughter of Forrest and Denise Blades, has been released from the hospital. She’s at her Alabama home so she can be near the hospital. Thank God for sparing her life. Thank Him for her improvement so far. Pray for her as she begins the long recovery ahead.

Pray for the senior adults who are homebound. Some are lonely. Some fall. Some make decisions about nursing homes. Some struggle to pay their bills. Etc. Pray God will use you to minister to their needs.

On Mission in Kentwood

We will meet at 8:00 A.M. Saturday morning to minister to needs in our community. This is your opportunity to get involved. God will bless your efforts.

The following is one of my favorite devotionals.

CRACKED POTS

The story is told of a water bearer in India who had two large pots. They hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck, but one of the pots had a crack in it. While the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master’s house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”

“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

“I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

In his compassion, the water bearer said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

It is an amazing thing (but true) that God is able to accomplish some wonderful things through our efforts, in spite of our imperfections. Paul said of his role as a preacher of the gospel:

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Cor. 4:7).

Though we may often feel inadequate and useless, if we will continue about the task that God has given us, we will produce fruit and influence lives in ways we may not even be aware of.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Cor. 15:58).

May your life “abound” this day in the work of the Lord! Though you may feel like a “cracked pot”, your efforts are not in vain.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

God can use you and me too!

Anna Lee

“O sing to the LORD a new song,

for He has done wonderful things….

He has revealed His righteousness

in the sight of the nations.”

~Psalm 98:1a-2, NASB~

Prayer Request from Romania

Dear Prayer Partners,

Please be in prayer Friday (10:00 AM Romanian time/3:00 AM US Eastern Time) as Ron and the national pastor visit the mayor of Valeni regarding the water well. Please pray for wisdom, discernment and that the heart of the mayor will open and his perspective will be made clear.

As always, we appreciate your faithfulness to pray.

Kept by Him, Ron and Charlotte

Team Romania

http://www.imbromania.ro

Special Announcements

• Share Group – 6:30 tonight at the Alford cabin (food, fellowship, & devotion)
• On Mission Celebration – FBC, Amite, Saturday at 4:30 P.M.
  
• On Mission in Kentwood – 8:00 Saturda, April 26
• Nursery Volunteers of 4-20-08 – Gail Brister, Sharon Martin, & Walter and Kathy Dykes
• Senior Adult Trip to Tanger Mall and Cabelas in Gonzales, Tuesday, April 22, Leave FBC at 8:30 A.M.

RESTRICTED AREA

Suppose we raised our children with guidelines patterned after the Old Testament law. Instructions regarding where they can eat and where they can’t might sound something like this:

Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and
of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but
not in the living room.

Of the hoofed animals, broiled or ground into burgers, you may
eat, but not in the living room.

Of the cloven-hoofed animal, plain or with cheese, you may eat,
but not in the living room.

Of the cereal grains, of the corn and of the wheat and of the
oats, and of all the cereals that are of bright color and
unknown provenance you may eat, but not in the living room.

Of the juices and other beverages, yes, even of those in
sippy-cups, you may drink, but not in the living room, neither
may you carry such therein.

Indeed, when you reach the place where the living room carpet
begins, of any food or beverage there you may not eat, neither
may you drink. But if you are sick, and are lying down and
watching something, then may you eat in the living room.

When I was a child, the rule may not have been worded quite that way, but the principle was surely in place. There were places where I was forbidden to go except in extreme or unusual circumstances.

The Jews of the Old Testament were in a similar situation. There was a place forbidden to them — that special room in the tabernacle and later the temple called the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies. It represented the very presence of God and the punishment for entering was nothing short of death. The only exception took place on the Day of Atonement when the high priest alone entered — and then only after the room was filled with the smoke of incense.

One of the things Jesus did for us on the cross was to open our access into God’s presence. Have you considered the significance of the tearing of the veil in the temple when Jesus was on the cross (Matt. 27:51)? What once was forbidden has now been made available!

“…[W]e have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.” (Hebrews 10:19-20, NIV)

You may still be restricted from eating in the living room, but going into the presence of God is now a possibility!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina