Stay Connected This Summer!

Barry’s blog…



My planning calendar is full this summer. How about yours?

Summer can be an exceptionally hectic season. We can become so busy that if we are not careful, we will lose our connection to our church family, our faith commitments and to God’s purpose in our life. During the summer months, it is imperative that we stay connected. To make the most of our summer opportunities…camps, retreats, mission trips, recreation, and personal travels…I encourage you to get connected and stay connected to church family, to ministry initiatives, and to God’s specific purpose for you. Here is a good place to begin:

• Live authentically! Be your unique self…a sinner saved by grace…no pretention…no hyper-religious attitude…living life to the max with a non-negotiable commitment to Christ.

• Give generously! Dedicate all of your income and resources to fulfilling God’s purpose in your life. Begin by bringing the first 1/10, a tithe, into the storehouse to support missions and ministries of our church. Your tithes and offerings support kingdom initiatives in our community and around the world.

• Serve passionately! God has given you the spiritual gifts, personal passion, and/or heavy burden for some area of ministry or service. Put your energy and your time where your heart is and ask God to bless others through your lifestyle.
  

Gather with us this Sunday as we talk about “Something Good in the Neighborhood,” as we study the Bible together, as we celebrate baptism with six of our new members, and as we encourage one another in our journey with Christ.

If I Should Die Before I Wake: Straight Talk About Mortality

Hebrews 9:27

 

Introduction:

1. Emily Dickinson wrote “Because I could not stop for death it kindly stopped for me.”

2. The anonymous writer of Hebrews writes, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Hebrews 9:27

3. James says “Life is a vapor that appears for a short time and then vanishes away.” James 4:14

4. The wisdom writer reminds us, “Do not boast about tomorrow.  No one knows what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1

5. As a child I was taught to pray, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…”

Outline:

• The ultimate mortality rate is 100%.

o       Sooner or later you are going to die.

o       No one knows their exact appointment with death.

o       Be respectful of death without being preoccupied with it.

 

• Focus on things of significant consequence.

o Avoid being dominated by trivial pursuits.

o       Identify the work and accomplishments that will outlive you.

o       How are you making a kingdom impact.

o       “I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer.”  -Buford Green, personal friend.

 

• Make everyday count.

• Days are too precious to waste.

• Live everyday to the maximum.

• “Carpe diem!”  Seize the moment.  Embrace the opportunity.

• Avoid procrastination, pettiness, and lethargy.

• “The enemy of your soul whispers fear and worry to you all the time and if you listen to that roar you will never hear the Spirit speak.”  - Reggie McNeal

 

• Make logistical preparations.

Ø      Life insurance

Ø      Memorial plan

Ø      Will

Ø      Advanced directive

Ø      Power of attorney

 

• Be solidly grounded in your faith.
• Live so that there is no doubt about what you believe.
• Build your life around the attitude and teachings of Jesus.
• You best prepare to die by living life to the fullest.

Conclusion:

The prayer I was taught continues, “If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take…”

If someday you die before you awake from your sleep, and you experience death quickly and peacefully, that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, that is how I hope to depart this world.

But, if you die before you wake up to discover God’s love for you, God’s plan for your life, and the unique gifts God has given you…now that would be a tragedy.

Tee It Up This Summer!

For many of us Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer.  Multiple summer activities present opportunities for recreation, travel, and family visits.

Our First Baptist Family is entering the busiest season of the year.  I looked at the church calendar today and almost became dizzy.   In addition to our weekly opportunities for worship and Bible study, during the next 10 weeks we are offering numerous opportunities for connecting through fellowship, discipleship, ministry, or mission involvement:  Alaska Cruise, Chapel Choir Mystery Tour, The Boomerang Express (VBS), Children’s Sport’s Clinic, Russia Mission Trip, Student Life Camp, World Changers, Children’s Camp, College Mission Trip, Men’s Mission Trip.

That means a lot of our folks are going to be busy, so busy that if we are not careful, we will lose sight of our commitments and our purpose.  In order to make the most of our summer opportunities…camps, retreats, mission trips, recreation, and personal travels….while staying connected to church family, ministry initiatives, worship and Bibles study, I invite you to Tee It Up This Summer by offering to God your Time, your Talent, and your Tithe.

• Time:  Summer is busy.  Dedicate your time…your calendar, your schedule, and your priorities…to fulfilling your God-given purpose.
• Talent:  Serve God by offering the best of your talents and your spiritual gifts in both the church and the community.
• Tithe:  Dedicate all of your assets and resources to God by bringing the first 1/10 of your income into the “storehouse” to support God’s work in our community and in our world.

Join us this Sunday for our Combined Service of Worship on our annual Senior Recognition Day as we celebrate God’s goodness and grace with our graduates, as we study the Bible together, and as we encourage one another in our journey with Christ.

Learn To Access and Manage Your E-Connections

From the pastor’s virtual desktop….

At First Baptist, we want people to get connected and stay connected with God and with each other.  One way to get connected with the important people in your life is through E-Connections. Each week I get e-correspondence from some of our youngest and oldest church members.  We have a dynamic group of students who are growing up in an internet savvy world.  We also have a progressive, forward thinking group of adults and senior adults who are becoming more and more e-connected. No one is too old to “connect.” In fact, a couple of weeks ago I learned that another one of our most veteran members, 93 years of age, is learning to email so that she can stay in touch with friends and family.

There are several advantages to web browsing, email, texting, and social networking:

• You can research almost any subject quickly.
• Emailing and texting can be more expedient and less expensive than traditional mail.
• It is easier to stay in touch with family and friends who live far away.
• Instant messaging, chatting, and skyping may be more affordable and enjoyable than long distance phone calls.
• E-correspondence saves paper.
• You can make online purchases for things like books, products, groceries, or airline tickets.

Just as there were negative possibilities with the advent of the automobile, the television, and the telephone, you also need to be aware of the negative potential of the internet and other electronic correspondence:

• Information is not always dependable.
•  Risqué or pornographic content is easily accessible.
•  Many online activities can become addictive.
• You are exposed to possible internet scams and viruses.

If you learn to manage e-technology, it can become a valuable resource for your work, your study, your entertainment, and your communication.  This week I am secluded away from our church campus working on preparation for the summer and fall sermons, making some progress on a few writing projects, and catching up on correspondence.  Even though I am away from my study, I have a “virtual pastor’s study” that goes with me wherever I go.   I am doing research through online Bible translations, commentaries, and theological journals.  My sermon plans and sermons are “written” on my laptop. All of my correspondence…prayer notes, thank you notes, and encouragement notes…are being sent and received through email.  And I stay up-to-date on our church hospital list and other prayer concerns through daily e-updates.

At First Baptist, we are taking steps to better utilize technology, to help each other stay connected and stay informed:

•  We have are continually upgrading our web site.
•  We send our weekly newsletter, The E-Builder, by email (as well as a printed copy to those who request it).
•  We send e-reminders for major events.
•  We provide an online version of the church pictorial directory.
•  Many of our Bible study groups and prayers groups have an email database through which to share events, devotional material, or prayer concerns.
•  We provide opportunities for E-giving and online registration for camps, retreats, and other activities.

If you do not have email or internet access, do not feel left out or intimidated by technology.  We continue to provide printed copies of almost everything you need to be an active and informed member of First Baptist Church.  But if you want to learn to utilize new information technology, it is not too late to begin.

As we continue to grow in faith and friendship, I hope that you will help those in your life to get connected and stay connected with God and others.

(Check out the following FBCP-related web sites:

www.fbcp.org – This is our primary church web site.

www.fbcpnotes.blogspot.com – This blog offers brief notes and outlines from the pastor’s sermons and studies

www.bayhillrev.blogspot.com – This is the pastor’s blog for articles on faith and culture.

www.bayhilljournal.wordpress.com – This is the pastor’s journal where he shares personal thoughts and reflections.)

How Are Things With Your Family?

II Kings 4:24-27

(sermon outline for Sunday May 10)

 

You can honor God in the way you manage and nurture family relationships.

Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?               II Kings 4:26 The Message

• Imperfect families are the norm.

• Some things we do almost guarantee that things will go wrong:

• When we talk more than we listen.
• When we spend more than we earn.
• When we ignore conflict rather than addressing it.
• When we fail to practice what we preach.

• Some things help us to get on the right track and stay there:

• Tell stories frequently.
• Manage your finances firmly.
• Reconcile quickly.
• Live consistently and authentically.

• You live life differently when you know that you are in God’s family. 

If you wait on your family to become the perfect family, you will be waiting for eternity.  But if you follow God’s guidance, your imperfect family can teach you valuable lessons about God’s grace.

My List of Reggie-isms

Last week our First Baptist family was honored to have author, minister, motivational speaker, and leadership coach, Reggie McNeal, as our guest.  Reggie led a workshop on Tuesday for the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association at the ROC and then joined us for our Midweek Gathering in Chipley Hall on Wednesday.

During our gathering on Wednesday evening I had an opportunity to engage Reggie in a conversation about his most recent book, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church.  As much as anyone I know, Reggie is in touch with what it means to be a missional (or mission-driven) church in the 21^st century. He also believes the Spirit is orchestrating a renaissance, an energizing movement calling the people of God to get outside the walls of the church and serve others in Jesus’ name.

As Reggie articulated with wit and unmistakable clarity perspectives that I have been trying to shape into words for the past few years, I took numerous notes on Tuesday and Wednesday. As I continue to reflect and digest what I heard, I have extracted some one-liners that I want to remember, relevant and applicable observations that I will call Reggie-isms:

Ø      The church doesn’t have a mission; the mission has a church.

Ø      The Spirit is running wild in the streets again.

Ø      The fastest growing spiritual group in America is “unaffiliated.”

Ø      Anyone who wants to move into the future by going back to something in the past, I would consider suspect.

Ø      The Spirit doesn’t wait for everybody to get on board to move forward.

Ø      Only church people think a service is service.

Ø      The Spirit is running wild in the streets again and having a different conversation with many people than the conversation that pre-occupies you at church.

Ø      The church is not a what but a who.

Ø      Most of you grew up seeing the kingdom of God through church lenses.  The missional renaissance sees the church through kingdom lenses.

Ø      Redemption means that everything sin has broken, God is fixing.

Ø      Let the Spirit have the joy stick to your brain and show you God’s plan.

Ø      Learn to minister to those who aren’t church-broken.

Ø      The enemy of your soul whispers fear to you all the time and if you listen to that roar you cannot hear the Spirit speak.

Ø      Much like an airport, the church is not the destination but a connector to help people get to where they need to be.

Ø      We are not called to simply go to church.  We are called to be the church.

During the month of May we are in a series focused on Treasuring Life’s Important Relationships.  Last Sunday we concentrated on friendship.  This Sunday is Mother’s Day and we are zeroing in on family dynamics as we are asked, “How Are Things with Your Family?”

God wants us to be a growing and going family of faith.  I look forward to seeing you as we gather for worship and Bible study this Sunday.

I Have Called You Friends

John 15:9-17

(sermon outline for Sunday May 3)

 

Like Jesus, you can treasure your friends.

• Jesus frequently referred to those closest to him as his friends.

I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.                        John 15: 11-15  The Message

• Like Jesus, we can spend quality time with  friends.

• Like Jesus, we can have a diverse a circle of friends.

• Like Jesus, we can be friendly toward those who are strangers to us.

• Jesus went to prepare a gathering place for his friends.

As a follower of Jesus, one of the most spiritual things you can do is cultivate and treasure friendships.

If you are not a follower of Jesus, be assured that Jesus wants to be your friend.