February 9, 2009 E-News for FBC Carthage

First Baptist Church E-News
February 9, 2009

Happy Valentine’s Week,

If you haven’t realized it before now, Valentine’s Day is this Saturday. For some it is just another day, but for many, and I hope for everyone of you, there is someone you can call, send a card, or visit and tell them how much they mean to you. Valentine’s Day is a commercialized event, but it is also a reminder to express our love in words, in actions, in activities and in gifts.

For our couples we will have a special dinner on Saturday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day) at 5:30 PM in the Family Life Center. The cost is $20 per couple. Robbie’s will cater the meal and we will watch the movie Fireproof for our program. Child care is provided and reservations are still available by calling the church office through Wednesday.

The fellowship after church Sunday night was a good time to talk and enjoy a bite of refreshments. Thank you to the Awana program for the refreshments. We will have brownies and ice cream for the fellowship time this Sunday night after the evening service. This time allows us to get to know one another in a very relaxed setting. Plan to come to the service at 5:30 PM and stay for the time of fellowship. The Sunday evening message will focus on the book of Deuteronomy and is entitled, “The Choice Is Yours.”

Remember the February emphasis, “We Have a Heart for You.” This would be the perfect week to do an act of kindness for someone. It may be a friend, family member, neighbor or a complete stranger. If asked why you would do such a nice thing, be sure and say because God has done so much for you through Jesus Christ. As believers in Jesus Christ we do not do things for no purpose. We always live for the glory and honor of God. We live to exalt Jesus Christ. We say with Paul in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Have a blessed week and please know that your Pastor loves you.
Bro. Tim

Here’s the news for the week:
1. Welcome our newest members:
· Zachary and Marissa Anderson were baptized Sunday, February 8.
· Allan and Ressa Walsh joined by transfer of letter.

2. If you are considering becoming a member of First Baptist, we receive members as follows:
· Through baptism which follows their trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord.
· Through transfer of letter for another Southern Baptist Church.
· Through a statement of faith which says you have trusted Jesus Christ through faith as your personal Savior and Lord and you have been baptized by immersion in a church of like faith.
For more information you can contact Tim Frank at tfrank@fbccarthage.com or call 735-1929. You can also hear four special messages entitled Four Things Every Member Needs to Know by clicking this link: http://www.fbccarthage.com/media/media.htm

3. The youth have a couple of events planned in February.
February 21 Youth Connect @ 6:00 PM
Movie Night in the Family Life Center - “Facing the Giants”
Pizza and Popcorn included.
Invite your friends to join you for the fun.

February 28- Mar 1 Youth Ski Trip to Perfect North
For more information and to sign-up see Trey Sanders on Wednesday during Youth at 6:30 PM or during Youth Sunday School on Sundays at 9:30 AM. You can also contact the church office at 735-1929.

4. Last Wednesday afternoon, the Senior Adults ignored the Arctic weather and had 14 in attendance at their monthly meeting Wednesday. Everyone enjoyed Michael Collins’ presentation on what we need to have done legally for ourselves and our families. (The desserts weren’t bad either.) The next Senior Adult event will be a trip on Wednesday, March 4 to Five Chefs in Portland. Cost is $20/person for meal, tax, gratuity, and transportation. They will meet in the church parking lot at 10:30 a.m.

5. Here’s a web site of biblical cartoons you might enjoy:
http://www.reverendfun.com/

6. Speaking of web sites, have you discovered the great, free, online Bible we have on the links page of the church web site? It is called Bible Gateway. There are 19 English translations including New King James Version. If you have not seen this site it would be worth your time. I use it every week in preparing for the sermons and to search for passages. Go to www.fbccarthage.com and click on the Links button. Look for Bible Gateway and click for a great Bible study tool.

7. Controlling Your Anger – Here’s an article I wrote from yesterday’s message. I hope it helps as we all deal with anger.

Controlling Your Anger

The Bible is God’s Word for everyday living. It communicates His love and care for each person and the provision He has made for spiritual life and forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible also teaches us how to live day to day as we deal with people in the many experiences of life.

One of those daily experiences which everyone deals with is anger, specifically how to control anger. It seems anger is all around us. At work, at school, at ball games, in homes, and even in churches, people deal with expressing the emotion of anger.

Not all anger is bad or sinful. In fact, anger can motivate us to take needful action and respond in a positive way to the injustices of life. Jesus responded with righteous indignation to the inappropriate religious practices in His day. Great religious and social reforms have come about through the stirring of anger to overcome wrongs. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and do not sin.”

Too often, however, anger becomes self-centered and hurtful. That sinful anger is what Jesus warned about in the Sermon on the Mount where He said in Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ (an Aramaic word of slander and contempt) shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

The writer of Proverbs speaks of the importance of controlling one’s anger as he writes, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (15:1). “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (16:32). “A fool vents his feelings, but a wise man holds them back” (29:11).

The question becomes, “How can I control this anger that I feel?” You may feel like the “Incredible Hulk” who would become angry and lose all control of himself. What can be done to tame the beast of rage that sometimes shows itself in your relationships?

Dr. Gary Chapman, in his book The Other Side of Love, gives the following steps that may be helpful in controlling your anger:
· “Admit the truth.” Too often we look at those around us as the ones with the problem of anger when in fact it may be that we are the one. When it comes to our sins, we become very good at minimizing, excusing and justifying our behaviors.
· “Develop a strategy to cool off.” You may have heard of counting to ten when angry. For some people, the count may need to go to 100, 500 or 1000. The idea is to delay your initial reaction to the heat and emotion of anger. Go for a walk. Ride your bike. Call a “Time Out” and cool off. Then you will be ready to talk the situation through.
· “Analyze you anger.” While you are cooling off, consider why you are so angry. Is it a case of righteous indignation? Are there basic human rights and needs being abused? Or, are you just not getting your way? Anger often comes as we feel someone has done us wrong or we have been slighted in some way. It may be you are tired, hungry or stressed, and you are about to take it out on someone else, too often your spouse or children. Anger also comes when things just don’t work out the way you had planned. A tire goes flat. The mower won’t start. The stock market goes down.
· If your anger has flared and another person has been involved, “engage the person in conversation.” The scriptures call on us to go to the person and seek reconciliation to work through the difficulty. Dr. Chapman suggests having two statements written on a card to help you begin this conversation. The first would say, “I’m feeling angry right now but don’t worry, I’m not going to attack you. But I do need your help. Is this a good time to talk?” If it is not a good time then set a later time to talk.

The second statement suggested by Dr. Chapman would start the conversation by saying, “I know I could be misunderstanding this and that is why I wanted to talk with you. Let me tell you how I am feeling and why. Then if you can clarify the situation, please do so. I need your help in resolving this issue.”

The purpose is to understand the situation and the other person more than to get your point across or justify your actions. In the conversation that follows it would be helpful to try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. If it turns out that you are in the wrong, you need to confess to the other person, apologize and make restitution if necessary. No one is above saying, “I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Everyday as we live among people, we deal with emotions, situations and difficulties. It is part of the human experience of relationships. Learning to control one’s anger is a never ending challenge. May these words from the Bible be an ever present reminder of this challenge, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man (and woman, boy and girl) be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).