FBC Carthage E-News for August 24, 2009

FBC Carthage E-News
August 24, 2009

Good Morning,

Praise the Lord for a beautiful morning! It feels little a cool Fall morning. I hope you can take a few minutes to go outside and enjoy the day the Lord has given.

I have heard great reports from the Community service and Bar-B-Q last night at the Ag Center. One of the people said that our Quintet sounded better than ever before. I appreciate the guys as they sing for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I hated to miss last night, the food, fellowship and great singing but it was “Move-In” day for Jill at Union University. The whole family traveled to Jackson, TN after the morning service to help her move in and get settled. She is a Junior this year and it id hard to believe she is half way through with her undergraduate degree. Be praying for Jill and all our college students as they get back in a new semester of school.

We now have two students attending Union University in Jackson; my daughter, Jill, and Michelle Piper. Union is a Tennessee Baptist University and offers a Christian college experience. Take a minute and check-out their web site: http://www.uu.edu/

The first Fifth Quarter was a great success with 158 students signed-in and more than twenty adults. Check out the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41750945@N02/sets/72157622130042888/show/
Rick Phipps, retired Navy, was our speaker. He shared “Qualities of a Good Soldier.” This fit our 2009 theme perfectly, “Soldiers for Christ.” We gave out almost 200 T-shirts to the students to wear with the theme for the year. These T-shirts are a great way of keeping the church, its ministry, and the Fifth Quarter before the students. Every day I see at least one student wearing a T-shirt from FBC Carthage. The next Fifth Quarter will be September 11.

In the sermon yesterday, we looked at Satan’s attack through distractions and shared the importance of keeping a clear focus on Jesus and the gospel. At the end of this E-News I have included so additional thoughts on living a “De-cluttered” life.

Share the “Good News” of the Gospel with someone this week.

Bro. Tim

Here’s the news of the week:
1. Congratulations to Jeremiah and Haley Wilkerson in the birth of their son, Reece Carver. Also, congratulations to Kenneth and Lisa Reece, proud grandparents; Faye Reece, proud great grandmother; Mack and Carol Gann, proud great-grandparents; Milicent Winfree, proud aunt. Check out the photo of the little family: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41750945@N02/3852796778/

2. Remember to pray for the Personnel Committee as they continue to prayerfully seek the Lord’s will on the Minister to Youth and Music position.

3. The Church Council will meet this Sunday at 3:30 PM to begin planning the 2009-10 Church Calendar. If your ministry area or group have specific dates it would be helpful to have those to the church office by Friday, August 28.

4. The Nominating Committee is continuing its work as the new church year prepares to begin in September. Pray for the teachers, workers, and committee members as they begin a new year of ministry and service.

5. Last week Jerry Wilmore and I shared three videos that I believe will bless you. Let me know which of the three you enjoy the most:

“Lazarus” by Carmen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EweWSpNuWZA

“My Name Is Lazarus” by Greater Vision
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpvT8CHsOw

“Ask the Blind Man, He Saw It All” by The Booth Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGHFC2t3deE&feature=related

6. For several months we have been watching with concern and anxiety as America, the greatest nation on this planet, has gone through economic crisis after crisis. The stock market, banks, car industry, and housing market have all been affected. Individuals living on fixed income, as well as the very rich, have followed the happenings with great concern.

The question comes to Christians, “How is a believer in Jesus Christ to respond in these crises of life?”

The Bible is filled with the admonition to trust in God. My favorite passage is Proverbs 3:5-6 where Solomon writes, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” This is a time to look to the Lord in trust and faith that He will be with us and give us great opportunities to point others to Him.

Trust in the Lord during good times as well as bad also leads into the forgotten area of contentment. We as a nation have lost the sense of being content and thankful for the blessings of the Lord. Instead, there is an unceasing restlessness for more and more; more things, a bigger home, a faster car, newer gadgets. We do not realize that this discontentment is, to a large part, what has gotten us into the crisis as a nation. There is no sense of “enough is enough.”

The Bible speaks to the blessing of contentment and the dangers of greed in 1Timothy 6:6-9, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

It is estimated that the advertisement industry in America takes in $250 billion per year to create a sense of discontentment. We are bombarded with the constant reminder that we deserve things that we don’t have. We are told, “A new product line has come out and everyone who is anyone is buying.” Constantly wanting what we do not have creates a society of greed and covetousness. This may be why the Lord made one of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not covet.” (Exodus 20:17)

It is time Christians began to break free of the bondage of materialism and learn again the blessing of godliness with contentment. Through contentment one will experience freedom, gratitude, peace and rest. Our relationship to God can once again be the first priority of our lives. Possessions become are things to be used, not loved, hoarded or worshipped. Life lived in godliness with contentment will become a life of peace and simplicity.

Recently, I read these suggestions to a simple life and found them helpful. They come from the book, Margin, written by Richard Swenson, a medical doctor. As you read over the list you may want to note two or three of the suggestions to incorporate in your life today:
Cultivate contentment, desire less.
Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
De-accumulate.
Share your possessions with others.
Develop the habit of giving away.
Don’t buy now, pay later. Only buy what you can pay for.
Slow down.
Say “NO”.
Control, restrict, eliminate television and surfing the Internet.
Be grateful for the blessings of God.
Spend time with God each day in reading the Bible and praying.
Don’t overwork. Go home.
Enjoy simple times at home with your family.

A great story is told of a simple fisherman in a costal town who made a modest living from the sea. A passerby stopped him one day and asked him what he did with his time. The fisherman replied, “I go out early and catch fish. I bring them in and sell them at the market. Then I go home, take a short nap and enjoy the time with my family.” The passerby commented that the fisherman could stay out longer and he would catch more fish which he could sell for more money with which he could buy more boats to catch even more fish and make even more money. The fisherman looked bewildered and asked why he would want to do this. The passerby smiled and explained to the simple fisherman that after twenty or thirty years he would be able to sell his fishing fleet and retire. Then he would be able to go fishing in the mornings, return home, take a nap and then have time to spend with his family.