FBC Carthage E-News for November 19, 2012

FBC Carthage E-News
November 19, 2012

Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving,

Family gatherings. Great feasts. Football. Shopping. This is an exciting week for each one as we celebrate the traditions of Thanksgiving. In addition to all the festivities, Thanksgiving is the week each year when we pause and consider all that we have for which to be thankful. The Lord has blessed us in many ways and this would be a great time to thank Him.

Psalm 103:1-5 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.   Last night during the Thanksgiving meal (Great job ladies in the preparation, decorations, and meal.) I shared a simple outline to help us consider the blessings of the Lord. This list can also serve as a guide for us to BLESS the Lord:   Body Thank the Lord for your physical blessings of your body. Several have had great sickness and injury which the Lord has brought you through.   Labor Thank the Lord for your job, your labor, and those blessings associated with your employment. For students, this would be your school, teachers, ability to learn, etc.   Emotion Thank the Lord for the blessings you have emotionally. Love, peace, and His presence in distress. Several have lost loved ones this year and the Lord has been there with you, giving strength, emotionally and physically.   Social Thank the Lord for the people and relationships you hold dear. Family, friends, and good neighbors are what are normally first on any Thanksgiving list.   Spiritual Thank the Lord for His forgiveness, grace, mercy, love, new life, and His continual presence. These are spiritual blessings which come from the Lord through our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.   In addition to our Thanksgiving list, I remind you of the Thanksgiving Challenge:· Receive God’s gift of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing is more ungrateful to God than to reject His Gift.   · Have the attitude of gratitude for all He has done for you. In Jesus, we have all we need and more than we deserve.   · Express your thanks through generous giving to meet the needs of others.   Have a blessed Thanksgiving, Bro. Tim   1. There will be NO Wednesday night services this week, November 21.   2. The big event coming up next week is the fall Revival beginning Sunday, November 25 through Wednesday, November 28 at 7:00 PM each evening at the Smith County Ag Center. We will have as our Evangelist, Bob Pitman who served for many years as the pastor of Kirby Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.   3. This is the season for gift-giving. This year we are collecting gifts for three Christmas events. Please purchase your gifts this week and bring them with you on Sunday. Tags are available in the foyer and Connection Point if you want the gifts to be given through a specific Christmas event. Those three special events are:   · The AWANA Family Christmas Celebration will be held on Sunday, December 2 at 5:00 PM in the Christian Life Center. Everyone will join together for this event as we celebrate the Christmas season with our children.   · The Lighthouse Christian Camp Christmas Parties will be Saturday, December 1 for girls and Saturday, December 8 for boys. There are gift tags at the displays in the foyer and Connection Point that will give you a description of the person for whom you are buying the gift. The Lighthouse Christmas Parties are also a great seasonal mission activity for individuals and classes. Many volunteers are needed to help with the day’s activities for the 800+ children who will come.   · The Smith County Help Center’s Toyland provides gifts for needy families in Smith County. We are partners with the Help Center and see them as a great resource in ministry to families in our area. Remember, all gifts are needed by this Sunday, November 25 so we can get them to our ministry partners. Please do not wrap the gifts.   4. An additional opportunity to give this Christmas has been brought to our attention. A Group Home for teenage foster children has eight youth that have not been selected for Christmas gifts. If you would like to sponsor one of these students contact Patsy Sanders at 615 489-5417.   5. Last week I attended the Tennessee Baptist Convention and it was an eventful series of meetings. The convention adopted a 2021 Strategic Plan which presented the following:   Our (TBC) Vision is to penetrate lostness and advance the gospel across Tennessee and to the ends of the earth by asking God to bring a sweeping spiritual awakening in our churches transforming our hearts toward radical obedience.   Core Values for the TBCHumility - Honesty - Urgency - Unity - Holiness - Generosity - Accountability   The Tennessee Baptist Convention is a cooperating network of churches, and related ministry partners, committed to reaching Tennessee and the world for God’s glory by sharing the gospel and multiplying disciples.   Priority Ministries of the TBC Sending Churches - Mobilization for Evangelism, Missions, and Ministry Strengthening Churches – Renewal, Leader / Disciple Development Starting Churches – Church Planting Supporting Churches - Resourcing churches and associations     6. If you do not receive the FBC Carthage E-News one week, for whatever reason, please let us know. You can also read the E-News and listen to the sermons at www.ontheword.blogspot.com.   7. The Women on Missions December 3 meeting will be at Marreet Hutchin’s home.