Prep for Tomorrow

Tomorrow's message outline is printed in the bulletin, and Carla did the projection slides for me yesterday, but I need today to polish things up a bit.  So it is a study day.

I will be preaching on the Six Actions of a Healthy Family from Ephesians 5:22-25; 6:1-4.   I am really looking forward to sharing this on Mother's Day.

I ran across an illustration in my reading today that is way too corny to use in a message, but some of you will enjoy.  Here it is:

Recipe For Child Raising
 1 cup of Proverbs 22:6
 2 Tablespoons of Proverbs 19:13
 1 Dash of Proverbs 23:13
 1 Teaspoon of Proverbs 3:5
 1/2 cup of Titus 2:3 through 7
 Mix all the ingredients, add a pound of persistence, one cup of love, and whip until right consistency. This recipe is recommended by the Creator of Mankind.
 Please add a pinch of Ephesians 6:4

(I will list the Scripture verses below.)

So now I am going to sit out on the deck, and obey 1 Timothy 4:13, "Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."  I'm reading "The Fulfilled Family" by John MacArthur.  Good book.  You can purchase it from Amazon.  (Soon, when our construction is complete, we will have books like this that relate to Sunday's messages for sale in our bookstore each week.)

Remember, our new Connect Group semester begins tomorrow.  If you haven't yet signed up for a group, just come a little early, and you can get signed up at the main welcome center in the worship center foyer.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Pastor Noel

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Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 19:13 - A foolish son is the ruin of his father, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
Proverbs 23:13 - Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
Titus 2:3 - the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—
Ephesians 6:4 - And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Better Living Through The Book of Proverbs

We are quickly approaching time for sign-ups for the next Connect Group Semester. I am really looking forward to this next semester. I have decided to lead a Sunday, 9:30 co-ed group instead of my usual weekday group for men. All total we believe we will have six young co-ed groups meeting in the Sunday, 9:30 slot this go around.

I just put together the description piece for my Connect Group for this next semester. (Catalogs are being printed next week.) Take a look...

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Better Living Through The Book of Proverbs

In this group, we will study the principles taught by the book of Proverbs and learn how those principles can impact and improve our daily lives. So many practical issues are dealt with in Proverbs:

* How To Be a Better Wife
* How To Raise Godly Children
* How To Lower the Stress of Finances
* How To Manage Time and Priorities
* How To Deal with Bad Relationships
* How To Refrain from Sexual Sin
* How To Have Lasting Integrity
* How To Have a Happier Home
* How To Be a Leader
* How To Make Wise Decisions
* How To Be a Better Husband & Dad
* How To Overcome Anger
* How To Always Have Enough Money
* How To Live Without Regret
* And on and on...

We will begin our study by learning about the background and the structure of the book of Proverbs so that we will be well equipped to mine its riches. Then we will begin to study the book for practical application. We will use both teaching and discussion to sort out the meanings because as the book of Proverbs says, "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established and there you will find safety." (Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 11:14)

As our book for this group, we will use the Crossway Classic Commentary on Proverbs by Charles Bridges.

This group will be geared to the age range of those with children still in the home.

Pastor Noel

Memorial Weekend Wrap Up

Well as I'm preparing my Connect Group Bible study for tomorrow morning and thinking back through the weekend, I am so thankful for the last three days. I got to spend some good quality time with my girls; I was able to ride my bike with some good weather, finally; we had a great day of worship; I got to go out on a date with my wonderful wife; and I got to spend some time with some good friends...

This upcoming week will be extra busy because I'm starting one day behind, but it should be a good week.

Tomorrow morning starts off with my Men's Connect Group, then a quick meeting with the bank (they are lowering my interest rate on my mortgage!!!), then staff meeting, then hopefully I can focus on preparing for upcoming messages for a few hours.

I hope you had a good weekend and I pray that this next week is a great week for both you and me...

Pastor Noel

A Good Start

Yesterday had a great start and a great finish. I'll tell you a little about the start here and I'll fill you in on the finish in my next post.

Yesterday was day one of our Tuesday morning men's Connect Group for the Summer semester. Things went well. All the men shared some personal prayer needs and we prayed individually for each of those needs. We also began to look at the Genesis story of the life of Joseph. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do through these 15 weeks.

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Today I will be preaching at Violet Conners' funeral. I sat down yesterday with her husband and their three adult children. I've got to say there have been few times I've been with families that seem as close and as supportive of each other as them. I am actually looking forward to the funeral today. It will be a real celebration of Vi's life.

Pastor Noel

Joseph Group

This morning is the first day of our new men's Connect Group for the summer semester. I'm really looking forward to it. As I was studying yesterday and preparing for how we would begin, I realized that almost every issue or struggle that men deal with is dealt with somewhere in the story of Joseph. Thirteen chapters in the book of Genesis... More than almost anyone else in the Bible... Joseph is a man every Christian man should study closely.

By the way, we had a pretty good day Sunday. Good crowd in worship despite the first really good weather day in a while.

Well, I had a good devotional time today. Time to get ready to head out...

Pastor Noel

Reasons I'm Looking Forward To Tomorrow

I'm looking forward to tomorrow for several reasons...

... Tomorrow is the first day of our new Connect group semester. We have some new groups and some carry over groups. All of them will be good. Tomorrow we will have several people attend a Connect Group for the first time. In fact, I just received an email from someone that will be doing that. If you have not yet signed up for a group, just join us tomorrow at 9:30 and we will help you find a group that will be a good fit for you.

... Tomorrow we will begin again our Sunday morning prayer time around the alter. During weeks we have Connect Groups, many people from our church meet at 9:10 and gather around the altar as our deacons lead us in prayer for the upcoming service. I look forward to these special times.

... I'm fired up about my message tomorrow morning. See previous blog posts to read about that.

... I'm looking forward to our new Sunday night study. You can also read more about this in previous blog posts.

... I'm looking forward to meeting new people who will be visiting our church for the first time tomorrow.

... I'm looking forward to worshiping the Lord tomorrow!

Pastor Noel

Day of Meetings and More

Tuesdays are mostly meeting days. Things went well. Pastor Shawn tells me we have 256 adults signed up for adult Connect Groups for the Summer semester. That is good. We will likely have a few more sign up this week and a number of people will just show up for a group this next week and we will sign them up then. So this should be another good semester.

Think through people you know that could still be invited to the group you are going to attend. Give them a call this week. I think I'm going to invite the guy who has been working on my car lately and also our church architect. I don't know if either has a church but it can't hurt to ask.

Well, today is also the day I take a kid to dance practice, so I'm sitting outside the dance studio watching people fight over parking places in the rain. Fun, fun...

Pastor Noel

Upcoming Week

It is going to be a busy week but I had a refreshing time with the Lord this morning so I am ready...

This morning is the Heartbeats Golf Tournament. That is an annual event where we try to raise a little money for Heartbeats, a great organization that helps women in crisis situations, and have a little fun as well. Looks like it is going to rain all morning, so I don't know what that is going to do to the schedule.

I will be preaching a funeral at 1:00 p.m. today. The funeral is for someone I never met. These kinds of funerals can be difficult. Pray that I will have wisdom.

A couple of meetings this afternoon, and I hope to get a little bit of a jump on message prep this week since we are starting a new PM series.

Here is what I'm praying for this week...

... Some decisions about construction plans for preschool facility...
... Connect Ministry: The new semester begins Sunday...
... PM Series. I'll blog more on this tomorrow.
... Youth Ministry: Troy and I will be working together this week...
... New Member Class on Wednesday night...

Pastor Noel

Sunday

I'm sitting in Lexington, KY this morning waiting for the family to wake up and looking over my notes for tomorrow morning's message. Tomorrow we will be continuing our focus on life lessons we can learn as we study the Old Testament character of Joseph. This Sunday we will be focusing on Genesis 39 where we see Joseph showing an unusual amount of character in the face of temptation. When you stand back and look at this event from a distance, you can't help but marvel at his integrity, and when you take a very close up look you can't help but learn some important lessons that Joseph knew to help him live with so much integrity. We all need to learn these lessons.

We will also take some time to focus on the upcoming Connect Ministry semester. We have a testimony planned that will thrill you as we point to some of the life change we've seen in recent semesters. If you haven't yet signed up for a group, read through my recent blog posts for some suggestions or go to our website (www.FirstBaptistHeath.com) to see the whole catalog.

I've been in Anniston, AL these past two days visiting with my Mom. She has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. She started chemotherapy last week, and she will start radiation next week. I wanted my girls to be able to spend some time with her before the treatment got into full swing. We had a good couple of days. Thank you for all who have been praying for her as she goes through is difficult time in her life.

Pastor Noel

More Connect Groups

We have so many great Connect Groups this next semester. It is hard to know which ones to blog about before Sunday. I've listed the descriptions for two more adult co-ed classes below.

Crazy Love is taught by Sam Smith. This will be a good group. I've read the Crazy Love book by Francis Chan. It is one of the best books I've read. I know it has made an impact on Sam's life too when he read it a year or so ago. I recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn to a have a more intimate walk with the Lord.

Essential Truths is taught by Ron Baughman. This group is going to focus on having a better grip on the core truths of the Christian faith. Not only will this help you in your personal walk but it will also help you to share and make an impact on those around you. I think this will be a good group both for those who have been walking with the Lord a while and those new to the faith.

Both of these groups meet Sundays at 9:30 at the church. If you would like to sign-up for either of these or any other group for this next semester you can fill out a Connection Card at church this Sunday or you can sign-up on our website at www.FirstBaptistHeath.com. Remember this Sunday is the last official sign-up day.

Below are the group descriptions. A catalog of all the groups can be found on the church website.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

The God of the universe is crazy about you! His love is the most powerful thing in the world and He wants to give it to you, so you can live for Him. If you have made a commitment to follow Christ, then join this group to be reminded and challenged in your walk. Let the love you have received from God impact your life like never before.

Essential Truths: Knowing Christ Personally

In this study you’ll learn what God expects of you, how to make life more meaningful, apply what you learn, and embrace life changing goals for yourself. Perhaps you’re a new follower of Jesus Christ, or maybe you’ve never fully understood the essential, core truths of the Christian faith. This revealing 13-week study will answer many of the questions you bump into as you seek to live out real-life faith.

Pastor Noel

Total Money Makeover

One of the Connect Groups I am excited about this next semester is Total Money Makeover led by Scott Parry and Eugene Danner.

Scott and Eugene are going to lead this group through the Dave Ramsey book by the same title. Donna and I have read this book and tried to put it's principles, which are really Biblical principles, into practice. It has made such a big difference in our lives, and not just financially.

I believe every couple and every adult should go through this book no matter where they are financially. If we could learn to apply God's principles of money management to our lives, it would change our marriages, the direction for our future, our joy and contentment, and on and on...

I give away literally dozens of these books every year as I counsel with people struggling to get their footing in life and marriage. I believe going through this with Scott and Eugene would be a great experience.

This group meets on Wednesday evenings at 6:00. If you would like to sign up for this or any other Connect Group you may do so by filling out a card at the church and dropping it in a Connection Box or you can just go to our website: www.FirstBaptistHeath.com. There is also a catalogue there of all of the Summer semester Connect Groups.

This coming Sunday, 5/16, is the last day to sign-up, so don't wait too long!

Pastor Noel

Connect Group: Evangelism

I want to highlight one of our upcoming Connect Groups for the summer semester.

Evangelism: The Way of the Master

This group will be led by Jason Hurley. In this group, Jason is going to lead people to have the tools and the confidence to be able to share their faith in any circumstance. The book, The Way of the Master, by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort teaches people how to lead people in make a profession of faith the way Jesus led people.

In addition to the regular group times which take place on Sunday mornings at 9:30, Jason is setting up opportunities for the group to go out and share the gospel in non-threatening environments. The goal is that when the fifteen week period is over, that everyone in the group will not only have the know-how but the practical experience that will help them be more bold and effective for the Lord.

Jason will be a great leader, in fact he has led this study multiple times before in a previous church. I believe this could be a great group for any adult who wants to take another step in their faith and make a difference in the lives of those around them.

If you have any questions, send me an email. I would love to help you. You can sign-up for this group either by filling out a Connections Card at church or by visiting our website at www.FirstBaptistHeath.com.

Pastor Noel

P.S.
By the way, don’t forget that this Sunday morning we have a special ladies speaker for the ladies and a special men’s speaker for the men. Both of those are at 9:30. The men are in Harmon Hall, and the ladies are in the worship center. Worship is at our regular time of 10:45 a.m..

Attention Men

Below is an email I sent to the men in our church and community today. if you would like to be a part of this or any other Connect Group this summer, you can register online at www.FirstBaptistHeath.com.

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Dear Men,

This Summer semester, I will be leading a Men's Connect Group on Tuesday mornings at 7:00 a.m. focusing on the life of Joseph in the Old Testament.

As men, we can learn much from Joseph. He faced many of the same issues we face. As leaders in our families, our careers, and our church, we need to know what Joseph has to say. Take a look at a list of some of the things Joseph faced in his life...

Rejection by his peers...
Sexual temptation...
Career failures...
Career successes...
Poverty...
Wealth...
Oportunities to get revenge...
Family issues...

So we will take 15 weeks this Summer beginning on Tuesday, May 25. We will immerse ourselves as deeply into Joseph's life as we can. We will help each other see how the lessons we learn can make a real difference in our lives. It's going to be a great study.

I know many of you will be traveling some through the summer and you know today that you will not be able to make all fifteen Tuesdays. That's OK. If you have an interest, still sign up. Let's help each other find the help we need from the Lord and His Word this summer.

To register for this group you can go to our website (www.firstbaptistheath.com), register at church by completing a registration card, or by simply replying to this email.

I look forward to having many of you in my group.

Pastor Noel



P.S.

~~ Pass this email around. The class is open to any men who are interested in coming.

Interesting Day

There have been no shortages of interesting days lately. Frankly, I wouldn't mind a good, long, boring, uneventful day. Well, the Lord is in control... No doubt.

One of the biggest things going on around the church this week is preparation for the next semester or small groups (Connect Ministry). Sign-ups are coming along, but we are still looking for a number of new people to sign-up in the next two weeks.

Last Sunday Ken and Denise Tobin pulled me aside. (They are one of the middle aged couples we've recently baptized.) They told me that it was our new semester strategy for Connect Ministry that finally got them to transition from worship attenders to being involved in small groups. It was only a few weeks after being in a small group (they were in Greg Burns' group) that they came to see me about their salvation. I had the wonderful privilege of leading them to the Lord.

There are more stories like that to tell about each Connect Ministry semester we've had so far. I'm praying for more and more of our worship attenders to take the step this semester.

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On another note, didn't Julia George do a great job leading us in special music this past Sunday. It was neat seeing her sing while her dad played the drums and her brother played the guitar. We have some talented people in our church.

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Also thanks for the calls, emails, and words of encouragement many of you shared Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. It means more than you know.

Glad to belong to the Lord,
Pastor Noel

Men's Connect Groups -- Part 2

Below is another email I sent out to all of the men in our church for whom we have an email in our system. For some of our men we either don't have an email at all or we have an incorrect email. So, here it is...

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Dear Men of First Heath,

This morning, let me recommend another men's connect group for next semester...

About a year ago I picked up a book someone had recommended to me called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I don't think at that point I had even had heard of Francis Chan. The book was short and easy to read, so it didn't take long to get through, but wow! It turned out to be one of the very best books I've ever read.

Crazy Love is about how much God loves us and how we can be closer to Him. And while that seems like the theme to a hundred thousand books, this book is different. This book is so genuine and so fresh, I promise it will change your outlook and understanding of how much God loves people.

This next Connect Ministry semester, Sam Smith, who I think read the book about the same time I did, will be leading a connect group centered around a study of this book.

This would be a great group for all of our men, young or old, new Christian or long-time Christian.

The group will meet at the church each Monday, at 6:00 a.m..

If you would like just a taste of what the book is about, visit the website www.CrazyLoveBook.com and watch some of the brief videos there.

You can see all of the men's groups on our website: www.FirstBaptistHeath.com. Click on "Love People" and then on the link for our Connect Group Catalogue.

To sign-up for this group or any other group, just visit our website or call our church office (740-522-5245). If you have any questions about the groups that are offered, email our small groups pastor, Pastor Shawn (Shawn@FBCHO.com), and he will be glad to help you.

In Christ,
Pastor Noel

Men's Connect Groups -- Part 1

This is a copy of an email I sent out to all of the men in our church for whom we have an email in our system. For some of our men we either don't have an email at all or we have an incorrect email. So, here it is...

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Dear Men of First Heath,

As you probably know, we are in the process of helping people sign-up for our next semester of small groups. We call these groups Connect Groups.

Last semester we saw a number of new men get connected in groups and we saw these same men really begin to grow stronger in their faith and walk with the Lord. I believe this next semester will be even better.

This semester we are offering seven men's groups. These seven groups will be offered on five different days of the week. There will be morning groups and evening groups... There will be weekend groups and weekday groups... There will be something to fit any man's schedule. Of course, many of you will choose to be in one of the thirteen mixed adult groups instead of specifically a men's group and that is fine, but take a close look at the men's groups that are offered this semester and see what fits best for you.

You can see all of the men's groups on our website: www.FirstBaptistHeath.com. Click on "Love People" and then on the link for our Connect Group Catalogue.

Let me highlight one of our men's groups today. I'll highlight more in emails later in the week.

Apologetics: Surprised By Faith
Group Leader: Dr. Eric Chico
When: Tuesdays, 7:00 a.m.

Have you ever wondered what the evidences or the proofs for our faith were? Have you ever struggled with how you could speak intelligently with an unbeliever or a skeptic about why he should choose Christ? Have you wrestled with some of the criticisms of the Christian faith and wished you could give a better answer either for your own benefit or the benefit of someone else? If so, this would be a great group to be a part of.

Eric has spent his life studying apologetics, the reasons and the arguments behind why we believe what we believe. Eric is uniquely qualified to lead this group.

This would be a great group for men who want to stretch their faith.

To sign-up for this group or any other group, just visit our website or call our church office (740-522-5245). If you have any questions about the groups that are offered, email our small groups pastor, Pastor Shawn (Shawn@FBCHO.com), and he will be glad to help you.

In Christ,
Pastor Noel

Focused on Service

Each week in our Connect Ministry (small groups), our leaders spend some time focusing on encouraging people to be involved in ministry and service. I just had a meeting this morning where we reviewed some of the new sign-ups. It is so encouraging to see so many of our people getting involved!

As an example, in my Tuesday Morning Men's Group, we had eleven in attendance today. Of those eleven men, three signed up to come listen to boys say their AWANA verses on Wednesday nights, two signed up for our weekly soul winning class, and one signed up to serve in our Food Pantry Ministry.

Our leaders are doing such a great job encouraging people to serve... Disciples are being made!

Thankful to Pastor such a Wonderful Church,
Pastor Noel

Letter to the Church...

Below is an email I sent to our church members for whom we have an email address on record...

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Dear Church Family,

I'm in my church study preparing for our weekly staff meeting, and I thought I would send out a quick email to the church and share some good news...

First, I just received an email from a lady in our church that felt convicted to go and share Christ with her 95-year-old, Jehovah's Witness aunt. She took her notes from my sermon on the myth "Dead People Go To A Better Place". Her aunt repented of her sins and professed her faith in Christ. Wow!

Some more good news...

Sunday, September 27, was the first day in our new Connect Ministry semester. We had a record attendance of 419 people for the first week! We were up in every age category we measure. We were very grateful for that incredible number but had braced for the number to drop for week two. Guess what... it didn't drop... it went up! When all of the numbers are in, it looks like the total will be between 440 and 450 in small group attendance.

Tomorrow (10/7) I will begin to focus on 1 & 2 Timothy in my daily quiet time videos. If you would like a little help and accountability with your quiet times, check out MyMornings.blogspot.com to see my daily videos. There is an introductory video you can view here and then just join in with the others who are sharing together in our devotions each morning.

This coming Sunday morning I will be continuing my series on "Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe." We will be focusing on the myth: God Forgets All Our Sins. I am looking forward to the day of worship. I hope you will be here with us.

Pastor Wally, Pastor Shawn, Scott, and I will be meeting early tomorrow morning, as we do each Wednesday, to specifically pray for our church members and our community. If you send an email to info@fbcho.com before 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, I promise we will pray especially for you and your need when we gather together.

Pastor Noel

Thoughts on Last Sunday and the Next...

This past Sunday was a great Sunday of worship...

• We had a great crowd... both on the main floor and in the balcony! (In fact we had some families that had a difficult time finding seats together. I want to remind our regular worship attenders to sit as close to the front as you can get and to scoot to the center of the row you are sitting on. That will help us make things easier and more comfortable for our guests each week.)

• We began the service with baptisms which has become an almost weekly occurrence. I pray this will always be true, and I pray that we never get 'used to it'. We should always marvel at the grace of God that changes lives.

• We had a very good response during our invitation... a number of people and families praying at the altar. We had one young adult lady make a profession of faith and three youth make public that they had made professions of faith over the weekend.

• Sunday night was a blast. We had a real wedding in our evening worship service... Sound strange? It was great! We had a young couple come into our church a few weeks ago. They made a profession of faith and began to allow the grace of God to change their lives. One of the things they wanted to do was to get married and re-start their family the right way. They didn't have the resources to have a wedding so we decided we would just make it a part of our worship service and celebrate the grace of God... How God's grace was changing them and how God's grace is changing all of us. So we had a wedding, a sermon, and a couple of baptisms... Then we had a giant reception. I was so proud of how our church came out to celebrate with the young couple and how they blessed them with money and gifts at the reception... Wow! What a great example of the love of Christ.

This next Sunday is going to be fun as well...

• Our new semester of Connect Groups begins Sunday. We are hoping for a record attendance and involvement in our Connect Ministry beginning this week. If you haven't signed up for a group, there is still a few days left. Go to our website, fill out the form, and choose your group. Some of the groups are closed now, but we will do our best to get you in the group you choose.

• This week we will be continuing our series of messages on 'Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.' This weeks myth is... God Helps Those Who Help Themselves. We will be in Genesis 16.

• Pastor Wally just let me know we have two more baptisms schedule for this Sunday morning!
  

A quick note on our daily Quiet Time encouragements. If you sometimes struggle with having a daily devotional time, take a look at our daily QT Encouragement blog... MyMornings.blogspot.com.

Pastor Noel