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Pastor Noel
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Recent Tweets
My blog posts seem to be getting less and less frequent. I have begun using Twitter and Facebook to stay in touch with the online church community more than my blog. Some people don't use those tools and consequently don't see those posts. So I will occasionally just list those in this space in addition to the occasional blog post.
Pastor Noel
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Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it ... will do no good. Ps 127 ~ 5:55 AM Aug 5th
Same Scripture but different emphasis for Sunday message... New title: Final Warning: You Will Be Tested, I Will Help You... Rev 2:8-11 ~ 1:00 PM Aug 4th
Working on our prospect database.... noticed we have five people requesting to be baptized this Sunday.... Wow! ~ 12:50 AM Aug 4th
Good service and fellowship tonight with our team home from Kenya... ~ 8:30 PM Aug 2nd
Looking forward to being back in worship with my faith family... ~ 6:09 PM Aug 1st
Upcoming Message Series... http://bit.ly/bw5M9 ~ 9:15 AM Jul 31st
My 'son' in Kenya (Noel Junior) sent these keekoy's (sp?) to his 'sisters'... http://twitpic.com/c7iee ~ 10:35 PM Jul 30th
I'm home... Long day, but good day... ~ 10:29 PM Jul 30th
About to leave church to make a visit, then go to a meeting, then if time, another visit, then back to study... is vacation really worth it? ~ 4:48 PM Jul 30th
Good news... Revelation 1:3 promises that that Lord will bless the person who reads the book of Revelation... ~ 7:48 AM Jul 30th
An early start... Trying to pack a week's worth of work into two days... ~ 3:42 AM Jul 30th
Just finished the book, Eat This Book, by Eugene Peterson... Didn't agree w/ everything but I learned much... I will read this book again... ~ 1:02 PM Jul 29th
Looking forward to tomorrow, my 14th Wedding Anniversary. My wife is the 2nd biggest blessing in my life and a daily source of joy to me! ~ 11:30 PM Jul 28th
Just finished the book, 'The Purity Principle' by Randy Alcorn... Every married couple should read this book twice a year! ~ 6:31 PM Jul 27th
Preparing a four week series from the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation... I'm looking forward to preaching again... ~ 3:11 PM Jul 27th
Back in the saddle this morning... ~ 6:36 AM Jul 27th
Is praying for a great, God honoring worship service this morning... ~ 5:40 AM Jul 26th
Sitting by the pool working on an outline on my laptop... http://twitpic.com/bl7bv ~ 1:38 PM Jul 25th
Pastor Noel
--------------------------
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it ... will do no good. Ps 127 ~ 5:55 AM Aug 5th
Same Scripture but different emphasis for Sunday message... New title: Final Warning: You Will Be Tested, I Will Help You... Rev 2:8-11 ~ 1:00 PM Aug 4th
Working on our prospect database.... noticed we have five people requesting to be baptized this Sunday.... Wow! ~ 12:50 AM Aug 4th
Good service and fellowship tonight with our team home from Kenya... ~ 8:30 PM Aug 2nd
Looking forward to being back in worship with my faith family... ~ 6:09 PM Aug 1st
Upcoming Message Series... http://bit.ly/bw5M9 ~ 9:15 AM Jul 31st
My 'son' in Kenya (Noel Junior) sent these keekoy's (sp?) to his 'sisters'... http://twitpic.com/c7iee ~ 10:35 PM Jul 30th
I'm home... Long day, but good day... ~ 10:29 PM Jul 30th
About to leave church to make a visit, then go to a meeting, then if time, another visit, then back to study... is vacation really worth it? ~ 4:48 PM Jul 30th
Good news... Revelation 1:3 promises that that Lord will bless the person who reads the book of Revelation... ~ 7:48 AM Jul 30th
An early start... Trying to pack a week's worth of work into two days... ~ 3:42 AM Jul 30th
Just finished the book, Eat This Book, by Eugene Peterson... Didn't agree w/ everything but I learned much... I will read this book again... ~ 1:02 PM Jul 29th
Looking forward to tomorrow, my 14th Wedding Anniversary. My wife is the 2nd biggest blessing in my life and a daily source of joy to me! ~ 11:30 PM Jul 28th
Just finished the book, 'The Purity Principle' by Randy Alcorn... Every married couple should read this book twice a year! ~ 6:31 PM Jul 27th
Preparing a four week series from the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation... I'm looking forward to preaching again... ~ 3:11 PM Jul 27th
Back in the saddle this morning... ~ 6:36 AM Jul 27th
Is praying for a great, God honoring worship service this morning... ~ 5:40 AM Jul 26th
Sitting by the pool working on an outline on my laptop... http://twitpic.com/bl7bv ~ 1:38 PM Jul 25th
Friday, July 31, 2009
Upcoming Sunday Morning Messages
Beginning this Sunday I will preach a series of messages through the seven letters Jesus gave to the churches in the book of the Revelation. This is Christ's final warning to the church and to believers living in our day. I am looking forward to diving into this and seeing the changes God will bring in our lives and our church...
8/02 --- Final Warning: Don't Neglect the Passion (Rev 2:1-7)
8/09 --- Final Warning: Persevere through Persecution (Rev 2:8-11)
8/16 --- Final Warning: Don't Believe the Lies (Rev 2:12-29)
8/23 --- Final Warning: Hypocrisy is Poison (Rev 3:1-6)
8/30 --- Final Warning: Seize the Day (Rev 3:7-13)
9/06 --- Final Warning: The Final Warning (Rev 3:14-22)
Pastor Noel
8/02 --- Final Warning: Don't Neglect the Passion (Rev 2:1-7)
8/09 --- Final Warning: Persevere through Persecution (Rev 2:8-11)
8/16 --- Final Warning: Don't Believe the Lies (Rev 2:12-29)
8/23 --- Final Warning: Hypocrisy is Poison (Rev 3:1-6)
8/30 --- Final Warning: Seize the Day (Rev 3:7-13)
9/06 --- Final Warning: The Final Warning (Rev 3:14-22)
Pastor Noel
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Columbine
I just finished the book, Columbine, by Dave Cullen. It tells the story of what really happened at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, when two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold killed twelve students and one teacher and injured many more before committing suicide.
It was a very interesting book… more than you would think, though it is difficult to read because of the very offensive language.
There are many lessons to be learned from this tragic event. People involved in law enforcement, school administration, media, and those responsible for emergency response or security for a large facility should definitely read this book.
I’m not involved in any of those fields, so I read the book as a father of two pre-pre-teens and as a pastor. Here are some of the lessons I learned and a few truths that I was reminded of…
• Media reports of anything beyond the basic facts of a news event are mostly wrong! Most of what you know about the Columbine event is wrong: the background of the killers, the kind of people who were targeted, the motives, the events of the stand-off… With the Columbine tragedy certain wrong information was given by the media in the beginning and even when it was clearly shown to be wrong, the media stuck with it because it was more ‘interesting’ than the truth. It seems every time I am involved in a news event or have some knowledge of what really happened, I am amazed and surprised at how the newspaper reports differ from what really happened.
• Having a two parent home with a stay-at-home mother doesn’t guarantee your kids will turn out great. Parents need to be committed to being involved in their kid’s lives beyond just providing a stable home. Parenting must always be active; never passive.
• Parents should take seriously the warning signs of aberrant behavior. While much of the time there may not be reason for alarm, we should not operate from that assumption. I know from the few suicide cases I’ve been involved with that this truth is too often ignored.
• Having a relationship with Christ really does make a difference in the way we are able to handle tragedy. There really is a peace that passes understanding! The author, while definitely not writing from a Christian perspective, remarked at how very different the reactions were between the Christian parents and the non-Christian parents when the bad news started pouring in.
• In a tragedy, churches should focus on caring for and loving people not on aggressive outreach. The Holy Spirit will draw people to Christ. In the midst of a tragedy, our first response should be love in deed and in word. I believe in evangelism, but the message from the church to the world should be that we love you and Christ loves you, not that we want to take advantage of a difficult situation to ‘sign you up’. If a church doesn’t have a stronger witness and testimony in the community a year after the tragedy, then the church didn’t respond in the right way.
• It is never right to exaggerate or embellish a story to accomplish a good and noble purpose. Some of the great stories of Christian faith that could have come from this event have been lost because well meaning Christians encouraged or embraced known exaggerations, and when the embellishments were proved inaccurate, the whole story lost credibility. God will never bless an untruth, no matter our good intentions.
Pastor Noel
It was a very interesting book… more than you would think, though it is difficult to read because of the very offensive language.
There are many lessons to be learned from this tragic event. People involved in law enforcement, school administration, media, and those responsible for emergency response or security for a large facility should definitely read this book.
I’m not involved in any of those fields, so I read the book as a father of two pre-pre-teens and as a pastor. Here are some of the lessons I learned and a few truths that I was reminded of…
• Media reports of anything beyond the basic facts of a news event are mostly wrong! Most of what you know about the Columbine event is wrong: the background of the killers, the kind of people who were targeted, the motives, the events of the stand-off… With the Columbine tragedy certain wrong information was given by the media in the beginning and even when it was clearly shown to be wrong, the media stuck with it because it was more ‘interesting’ than the truth. It seems every time I am involved in a news event or have some knowledge of what really happened, I am amazed and surprised at how the newspaper reports differ from what really happened.
• Having a two parent home with a stay-at-home mother doesn’t guarantee your kids will turn out great. Parents need to be committed to being involved in their kid’s lives beyond just providing a stable home. Parenting must always be active; never passive.
• Parents should take seriously the warning signs of aberrant behavior. While much of the time there may not be reason for alarm, we should not operate from that assumption. I know from the few suicide cases I’ve been involved with that this truth is too often ignored.
• Having a relationship with Christ really does make a difference in the way we are able to handle tragedy. There really is a peace that passes understanding! The author, while definitely not writing from a Christian perspective, remarked at how very different the reactions were between the Christian parents and the non-Christian parents when the bad news started pouring in.
• In a tragedy, churches should focus on caring for and loving people not on aggressive outreach. The Holy Spirit will draw people to Christ. In the midst of a tragedy, our first response should be love in deed and in word. I believe in evangelism, but the message from the church to the world should be that we love you and Christ loves you, not that we want to take advantage of a difficult situation to ‘sign you up’. If a church doesn’t have a stronger witness and testimony in the community a year after the tragedy, then the church didn’t respond in the right way.
• It is never right to exaggerate or embellish a story to accomplish a good and noble purpose. Some of the great stories of Christian faith that could have come from this event have been lost because well meaning Christians encouraged or embraced known exaggerations, and when the embellishments were proved inaccurate, the whole story lost credibility. God will never bless an untruth, no matter our good intentions.
Pastor Noel
Monday, July 13, 2009
Update...
We had a great day of worship yesterday!
First, what a great morning of singing... the choir really showed out... the worship music was wonderful... In the last three weeks, Pastor Shawn has taken our worship time to a new level. I appreciate his hard work. I believe the Lord was truly honored yesterday morning in our service.
Our Patriotic Celebration last night was a big success. Good food... Great crowd... Super service! It was encouraging to see so many people come from our community join us for the celebration. Our choir did an exceptional job. I heard many good comments from a ton of visitors following the service.
Pastor Noel
First, what a great morning of singing... the choir really showed out... the worship music was wonderful... In the last three weeks, Pastor Shawn has taken our worship time to a new level. I appreciate his hard work. I believe the Lord was truly honored yesterday morning in our service.
Our Patriotic Celebration last night was a big success. Good food... Great crowd... Super service! It was encouraging to see so many people come from our community join us for the celebration. Our choir did an exceptional job. I heard many good comments from a ton of visitors following the service.
Pastor Noel
Monday, July 6, 2009
Chafisi Orphan Ministry in Kenya
Well, we had another early morning Kenya meeting today... nobody should have to have a meeting at 5:00 a.m. The next time we partner with an international mission effort, we will partner with one west of us so that the meetings can be later in the day ;)...
So everyone wants to know... how are things going?
Good news! We have 42 orphans who all have uniforms, shoes, food, transportation, and paid tuition to school! We received a good report this morning concerning this ministry. I am thankful for all of you who make this ministry possible by your sacrificial giving, and I am thankful for the work of our four church members who have been in Kenya the past six months helping to facilitate this ministry. (By the way, if you would like to help us maintain this ministry or even help us minister to more orphans, contact the church and ask to speak with Carla. It costs us about $40 per month per orphan to provide this ministry. When you contact us, we can give you further details.)
The second piece of news is... our team in Kenya will be returning to Heath on July 22. They are coming back for a breather and to make preparations for a probable return in December. Pray for them as they travel and as they seek to get re-adjusted to living here.
Stay tuned for more updates in the days to come...
Pastor Noel
So everyone wants to know... how are things going?
Good news! We have 42 orphans who all have uniforms, shoes, food, transportation, and paid tuition to school! We received a good report this morning concerning this ministry. I am thankful for all of you who make this ministry possible by your sacrificial giving, and I am thankful for the work of our four church members who have been in Kenya the past six months helping to facilitate this ministry. (By the way, if you would like to help us maintain this ministry or even help us minister to more orphans, contact the church and ask to speak with Carla. It costs us about $40 per month per orphan to provide this ministry. When you contact us, we can give you further details.)
The second piece of news is... our team in Kenya will be returning to Heath on July 22. They are coming back for a breather and to make preparations for a probable return in December. Pray for them as they travel and as they seek to get re-adjusted to living here.
Stay tuned for more updates in the days to come...
Pastor Noel
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Pastor Fredrick Update III
I received an email a little after midnight last night that said pastor Fredrick had surgery at 10:00 pm Kenya time and is doing well. It didn't give any further details. I'm guessing that is good news.
Pastor Noel
Pastor Noel
Monday, June 1, 2009
Pastor Fredrick Update II
There has been a lot of confusion today about Pastor Fredrick's situation. He waited all day and they were unable to operate. It isn't clear why. Continue to pray...
Pastor Noel
Pastor Noel
Pastor Fredrick Update
Here is an email I received early this morning from our team on the ground in Kenya...
Pastor Fredrick is in surgery for appendix @ Kalifi Hop. @ 8 AM this morning. He was taken to Kalifi (was taken to Mombasa first for a good ct scan, then they sent him to Kalifi) the trip to Mombasa started between 10 and 11 pm last night, it was late before they got to Kalifi Hospital.
Mombasa is about one and half hours from here and Kalifi is 45 minutes from here. Mwatete said he will be in the hospital for five days. We will send updates.
Thank you for your prayers.
Your in Christ
John, Sandy, Lisa, and Greg
Pastor Fredrick is in surgery for appendix @ Kalifi Hop. @ 8 AM this morning. He was taken to Kalifi (was taken to Mombasa first for a good ct scan, then they sent him to Kalifi) the trip to Mombasa started between 10 and 11 pm last night, it was late before they got to Kalifi Hospital.
Mombasa is about one and half hours from here and Kalifi is 45 minutes from here. Mwatete said he will be in the hospital for five days. We will send updates.
Thank you for your prayers.
Your in Christ
John, Sandy, Lisa, and Greg
Monday, May 18, 2009
Congressman Pat Tiberi
In my previous blog, I noted that Congressman Space had agreed to meet with me for prayer in Washington this week. I also want to let you know that Congressman Pat Tiberi has agreed to meet with me this week for a time of prayer as well. I will be meeting with Congressman Tiberi this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. I am very much looking forward to meeting Congressman Tiberi. I am very thankful that he is the Representative from my district!
These two Congressmen, Tiberi and Space, lead the districts that include most of our church members. I submitted requests to our two Senators, and while initially I received confirmations from both of their offices, they have now informed me that they will be unable to meet with me due to scheduling difficulties.
The reason I am traveling to DC is to attend a special briefing for pastors where we will be informed about the behind the scenes status of issues and legislation that our church family and Christians everywhere are most concerned about.
This is a critical time in the history of our nation. This is a critical time for issues such as the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, and the rights of parents. These are not merely political issues, these are spiritual issues... and biblical issues. Pray that our voice can be heard on these issues. Pray that our political leaders will have the godly wisdom necessary to make the right decisions concerning these issues.
Pastor Noel
These two Congressmen, Tiberi and Space, lead the districts that include most of our church members. I submitted requests to our two Senators, and while initially I received confirmations from both of their offices, they have now informed me that they will be unable to meet with me due to scheduling difficulties.
The reason I am traveling to DC is to attend a special briefing for pastors where we will be informed about the behind the scenes status of issues and legislation that our church family and Christians everywhere are most concerned about.
This is a critical time in the history of our nation. This is a critical time for issues such as the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, and the rights of parents. These are not merely political issues, these are spiritual issues... and biblical issues. Pray that our voice can be heard on these issues. Pray that our political leaders will have the godly wisdom necessary to make the right decisions concerning these issues.
Pastor Noel
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Congressman Zack Space
I want to give credit where credit is due...
Congressman Zack Space's office just called to confirm that I could come by his office in D.C. next week to pray with him.*
I appreciate the opportunity. I believe we should all pray for all of our political leaders and I am thankful for those who will take time out of their busy schedules for something like this.
I look forward to praying the that the Lord add daily to the Congressman's wisdom, discernment, and courage. I look forward to praying for him personally, his health and his family. I look forward to praying that the Lord will always reveal Himself to the Congressman such that the Congressman will having a growing knowledge and appreciation of God's goodness and grace.
I ask that you pray for me as I pray for him on Thursday, May 21 at 4:15 p.m..
Pastor Noel
*...although they did also want to confirm that I just wanted to pray with him and not advocate any issues :). I wonder what would make them think I would have any policy issues to debate with the Congressman? Nonetheless, I will honor their request and his time.
Congressman Zack Space's office just called to confirm that I could come by his office in D.C. next week to pray with him.*
I appreciate the opportunity. I believe we should all pray for all of our political leaders and I am thankful for those who will take time out of their busy schedules for something like this.
I look forward to praying the that the Lord add daily to the Congressman's wisdom, discernment, and courage. I look forward to praying for him personally, his health and his family. I look forward to praying that the Lord will always reveal Himself to the Congressman such that the Congressman will having a growing knowledge and appreciation of God's goodness and grace.
I ask that you pray for me as I pray for him on Thursday, May 21 at 4:15 p.m..
Pastor Noel
*...although they did also want to confirm that I just wanted to pray with him and not advocate any issues :). I wonder what would make them think I would have any policy issues to debate with the Congressman? Nonetheless, I will honor their request and his time.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Live FBC Heath Prayer Updates
If you want to see live FBC Heath prayer updates you can follow the twitter account 'noeldearprayer' or you can go to the website: www.twitter.com/noeldearprayer.
Pastor Noel
Pastor Noel
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