New Year's Disciplines

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Are you like me and sometimes you look in the mirror and wonder what happened to you?  A few weeks ago I looked in the mirror and thought to myself, “WOW, have you gotten fat?!”  I was so disgusted with myself.  I made the decision it was time to do something about it.  The thought went through my mind for me to wait until after the new year to start a new diet or change my eating habits.  But upon further examination, I decided NOW was the time.  It has been difficult, but I have lost 20 pounds since Thanksgiving.  I have had to say “no” to steak at the Deacons’ Christmas party, to Mexican food at the staff party, and to the fudge and divinity . . . and on and on and on.  Yet, it has been worth it.  It definitely has not been easy, but with discipline and prayer I have made it!  I found myself at times thinking I could just have a little of this or a bite of that.  It would not hurt me.  I knew it would, so I made a commitment and have stuck to it!

I challenge you this coming year in a couple of areas.  I challenge you to spend time in God’s Word every day for a year.  I challenge you to pray every day.  I challenge you to make Sunday School, discipleship, worship and ministry a priority in the year to come!  I know there will be excuses and days that you want to “cheat” a little.  Let me encourage you to be disciplined and to make a decision that you want to be better for the Kingdom this year!  There will be times that something “looks” better, but stay on task, stay focused and be committed this coming year.

On a bit of a lighter note, I simply want to say thank you for being a loving and caring church family.  Over the past ten years you have accepted my family and me and loved us as a part of your family.  That is what we too consider all of you — our family.  Through the holiday season’s cards, gifts, and special worship times, you have shown us how much you care and we greatly appreciate and love you all! 

This has been a wonderful year for First Baptist and I fully believe it is only a foundation to what is to come.  Will you be disciplined and committed in 2009?  Take a look in your spiritual mirror and see what it is God wants to do in your life!  I pray you will. 

Happy New Year!

Word of the Week for December 21st

One of my favorite movies of all times is Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. Well, today you can call me Chevy . . . the whole family has loaded up and as you read this, we should be entering New Mexico and lots of snow! I am excited about snow skiing the next several days and spending the Christmas holiday with my family. I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and pray you are happy and healthy. We will see you on the 28th for a combined worship service!

Don’t forget about the Candlelight Lord’s Supper Worship on Christmas Eve. Daniel will be leading the service, so I know you won’t want to miss out.

Merry Christmas,

Word of the Week for December 14th

There is nothing better than a family gathering! That is one of my favorite parts about the holiday season. It is such a joy to watch all the children getting together and playing and enjoying one another and to join in with adults to play games and watch football on television. It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Tonight we will have a family get together for the holidays. As a staff we are so privileged to serve alongside this church family and we want to say thank you for that opportunity. We will be serving turkey, ham, dressing, green beans, cranberries, rolls and dessert in your honor. We all hope you will join us, as we have our church family get together and enjoy the holiday season.

Hope to see you tonight!

Word of the Week for December 7th

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? After yesterday’s Ladies Christmas Tea, I am officially ready for Christmas. What a beautiful the day it was. As you walked into the Fellowship Hall, it was filled with the beauty of fine china and spectacularly decorated tables. The fellowship was great and the food was wonderful.

As I thought about how the tea unfolded, I also realized how it was a beautiful picture of the church. It was people working together to pull off a large event. The men were serving with joyful hearts. In many cases people invited friends of theirs to come and be a part of something really special. A huge thank you to everyone who made the tea a success!

Let us use this great picture of the church experience to remember how we must always be working together, serving one another, and extending invitations for others to become a part of the Kingdom of God.

Don’t forget about the Hanging of the Greens Service tonight and the fellowship to follow. If you are not in the Christmas spirit yet, I believe this will help!

Merry Christmas!

Glad to Move On!!!!

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Many things have happened, since I wrote my last newsletter article. The most significant of those is the election of a new president for our country. I am glad we elect our government officials in November for the fact that it gives us the opportunity to move on to better things following the election cycle. After many hours of political ads on television, we are now hammered with holiday ads and things we MUST have for Christmas!!!!

After some discussion with my family, we came to the conclusion we all have way more than we need, so we decided family time together was more important than gifts this year. Therefore we voted to spend a week together in the snow in New Mexico, but there are still some things I want this year.

The first thing I would like is for our church to continue to grow spiritually. I want us all to continue to develop our relationship with Christ in such a way that the world around us will notice something different in us. This is a gift that comes at a great cost (a large price tag), because we may have to give up some things in our everyday life we enjoy. Do you want the same thing?

The second item on my want list is for our church to continue to look outside of our walls for ways we can better minister to our community and to the world! We have made some incredible strides in this area in the past few years, but we have so much more to do. I want us to become a missional church in a sense that we think of others before ourselves. Again, this carries a big price tag . . . it is much easier to shop for ourselves than for others!!!

The third thing I want is for our church to spend more time in the Word of God. If we are going to be a church capable of all the things God wants us to be, we need to be using our instruction manual much more often. We have a lot of features we are not using in our church body, because we are unaware they are available to us. We must be more committed to spending time in the Word. Remember we are going to be reading through the Bible as a church next year, so if you have not already called the church office to get your name on the list for a Bible, make sure you do so quickly. We will be ordering soon.

We have so much to be thankful for when it comes to our church family. As we transition from a time of thanksgiving into the spirit of Christmas, I hope we don’t miss out on any opportunities to share the love of Christ with those around us this season.

May you all have a blessed Christmas season!

Word of the Week for November 30th

Ever wonder what Heaven will be like? I know most of us have at some point in time or another. We all have our idea of what Heaven will be like, but I personally think it is going to be a great big "everyone is invited" Thanksgiving celebration!

You all know how much I enjoy Thanksgiving. As I prepared for the holiday this past week, I found myself getting giddy over the thought of rest, turkey, dressing, pies, fishing, go-cart riding, and family. I just could not wait!

That is the way I feel about heaven. I just can’t wait sometimes! But just like the preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, we need to be preparing for heaven as well. Rick Warren in Purpose Driven Life says that this life is a dress rehearsal for heaven. How is your preparation going in the dress rehearsal? I think heaven is going to be glorifying God 100% of the time and that should be our goal as we prepare during this lifetime! I pray that we as a church seek to bring glory to the Father daily!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for November 23rd

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I absolutely love Thanksgiving week! On Thursday I will sit down with my family and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. After lunch I will loosen my belt, recline on the couch and watch the Cowboys play football while waiting for the Longhorns and Aggies to play that evening. Can it get any better than that?

We will have stuffed ourselves with turkey, dressing, football and family this week, but by Sunday many of us will say, “I have had enough!” I know I will be ready to get back to a normal routine.

That is the exact opposite of how I want to feel about my relationship with Christ. I want to stuff myself with His Word and get to know Him better. We should never have “enough” when it comes to our relationship and calling from our Lord. I hope you will join me in stuffing ourselves with Christ!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Word of the Week for November 16th

This has been an exciting week in the town of Grandview! The Lady Zebra volleyball team is playing in the regional tournament and the undefeated Zebra football team is playing in the first round of the playoffs! Congratulations to both of the teams for a job well done!

I visited with several people this week about how the morale of the school and town is lifted when our teams excel. It seems there is a renewed energy and enthusiasm in the halls of the schools and in the restaurants in town.

The same effect is seen in the church. When the ball gets rolling in the right direction for a church, the excitement is contagious! The challenge for the football and volleyball teams is to win state. But only one school in the state will have that privilege. The question is how do we respond, when things don’t go our way? There will be defeats along the way. We have to wake up each day and realize our calling in life is to bring honor to our Lord with every action we make. We will fail, but we must continue to strive for the successes ahead!

Ride the momentum of Christ in your life this week!

Word of the Week for November 9th

Another election cycle has come and gone this past week. In about 70 days our country will be under the leadership of our President-elect Barack Obama. This past week has been interesting to hear the different comments being made about whose campaign did a better job of getting out the vote, who picked the right running mate, etc, etc, etc.

Listening to all of the discussion made me so glad that when I decided to give my life to Christ, I put my trust in the ONE who holds my future in His hands. There is no debate about what Christ did for me when He died on the cross. There is no debate about what my future holds. There is no fear or uncertainty in my faith. So after I left the ballot box, I gave thanks for the freedom to choose my candidate of choice, but to also give thanks for the stability I have in Christ!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for November 2nd

I cannot explain how pleased I was when I laid my head on my pillow Wednesday night. Our church had done an incredible job of being a positive example to our community. We had a ton of people show up to enjoy some great family fun at our Fall Fun Fest!!!! But the thing that made me so proud was the number of our people who were there to help run games, greet people, bake cakes and cookies, donate candy, set up, and clean up! A huge thank you goes to Michelle Pannell, Amy Stanford and their helpers for organizing a fantastic event! Thank you, church family, for rising to the occasion and making this festival fun for all!

Speaking of Michelle, she is having surgery on Tuesday morning to repair a bulging disc. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as she goes through this procedure.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Thankful? For What?

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Have you ever run across one of those people? You know who I am talking about! One of those people who act like nothing is ever right and the world is always against them! The person you are afraid to ask how they are doing because you know the answer is going to be a 20 minute conversation about how miserable they are . . . someone stole their dog, a car ran over their big toe, their coffee was cold this morning, they didn’t sleep well last night, and on and on and on!!!! How much fun are they to be around? Not much.

Well this is the month of thanksgiving and I want to challenge us all to find a new attitude of giving thanks. We have so much to be thankful for . . . if nothing else the political ads will soon be over . . . ahhh thankfulness!!! In all seriousness what do you have to be thankful for? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have reason to give thanks for hope in a life yet to come as well as for the forgiveness in this life and the joy that comes from our Savior. If you are an American, you have reason to give thanks for the freedom you have to speak your mind, attend church, and vote for a candidate for president. I could go on forever, yet there are some people who just seem to never be happy or thankful. SHAME ON YOU! This is our wake up call, it is time to adjust our attitudes and give thanks for ALL with which we have been blessed.

As a church this will be a season of thanksgiving as well. I am thankful for the privilege of serving on staff at such a wonderful church. I am thankful for the love and support shown to my family and me. We are so fortunate to be able to call Grandview and First Baptist our home. I am thankful for the teachers in Sunday School and Busy Bees who teach Cameron and Easton about the love of God and are leading them down the road to the day they will give their lives to Christ. I am thankful for the friends Shelly and I have who encourage and challenge us to be the best we can be. All of these things are vital to us having the family God wants us to have.

What an incredible year of change it has been for First Baptist! For the most part it has all gone very well. We began a new service in January and God has blessed it in many ways. We have seen an increase in attendance and in giving and for that we should be thankful. But we have also seen an incredible amount of spiritual growth take place in our church family. Again for that we must be thankful.

Yet, as we give thanks, we must also remember to be thankful not only of the past but for the expectation of things to come. God says He will never leave us or forsake us. There is much to be done for the Kingdom of God in the days ahead. Let’s attack the challenges of the future with a thankful heart and see what God will do through us.

Happy future of thanksgiving! Life is pretty good, isn’t it?

Word of the Week for October 26th

How many of us spend 30 minutes a day reading the newspaper or surfing the internet? How many of us spend more than 2 hours a day watching television? How many of us spend 5 minutes reading God’s Word?

Perhaps you are a person who spends more time than that reading the Bible, but statistics tell us that less than 8% of Christians spend 5 minutes reading God’s Word each day! How do we get to know Him, if we don’t read about Him?

Beginning in January, I want to challenge you to join me in reading through the Bible. We are going to make this very easy for you. We will purchase the Bible for you and get it in your hands. The cost of the Bible is only $20 and we will get you whatever version you would like. Just call the church office, and let Sharon know what version you would like or put money in the offering plate for a Bible and we will order you one. I hope we all will commit to reading His Word in 2009!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for October 19th

I loved the cool breeze that blew in this past week. It was so nice to enjoy the rain and feel the touch of fall hit the air. It got me in the mood for our Fall Fun Fest coming up next week. This is one of the great ways we reach out into our community throughout the year. On Wednesday, October 29th, from 6-8pm, we will host for the community an evening of games, face painting, food and lots and lots of candy.

I hope you will plan on being here to help greet people and make them feel welcome as they come to visit our church. I also happen to know there is still a need for people to help work the booths and serve food in the kitchen. If you want to have a wonderful time and enjoy some great conversation alongside fellow church members, then this is for you.

Sign up today on the bulletin board by the choir room and get ready for a Fun Fest good time! Our children’s ministry always does a great job with this occasion, so go ahead . . . invite someone you know to come and enjoy the event.

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for October 12th

What a great weekend this has been! Friday night was homecoming for Grandview, and I know many of you got to see and spend time with friends you have not seen in a while. Saturday was the hype of Texas and Oklahoma's Red River Rivalry, but today is the highlight of the weekend!

You might think I say that because of the brunch we are having for Staff Appreciation. Although that is nice, it is not the highlight. THE HIGHLIGHT is the opportunity to gather together corporately to worship our Lord together. I hope you get as excited about worship as I do, and you have an incredible worship experience today!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for October 5th

As our church grows, we will run into growing pains along the way. There are two types of problems to have as a church . . . good problems and bad problems. I want to draw your attention to a good problem.

While watching our attendance grow in the 11:00 worship service, we have also seen our attendance grow in our Wiggle Worms, extended session and nursery ministry. What a blessing these children are to our church. The problem is that we need more help to minister to them. We have been asking for a while now for help in these areas, and now we are begging!!!

If you have a desire to help minister (and I stress minister for that is what it is) in these areas, would you please contact Michelle and let her know you are willing to help. What a privilege to help mold the next generation into Godly young men and women. Thanks in advance for your help in this matter.

Have a great week!

“My Favorite Things”

Do you remember the Sound of Music song, “My Favorite Things?” Sing along:



Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
Brown paper packages tied up with string,
These are a few of my favorite things.



Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,
Silver white winters that melt into spring,
These are a few of my favorite things.



I know you are very glad I am not with you singing right now . . . it would be scary!!!! But as I write this, I am humming “My Favorite Things” and I want to share with you some of my favorite things (or people).

Daniel— He is far from “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,” but does he ever have a soft side. He has a passion for Christ that is endless. He is self motivated and does an awesome job at everything he does (perhaps with the exception of mowing the yard!!).

Bill— He has a softness about him that does remind me of “whiskers on kittens.” Bill has been in the ministry for a long time, but still has a desire to lead people in genuine worship and brings incredible organization and structure to our staff.

Ryan, Raney, Nick, Shawna, and Brodie— The Praise Band — A group who loves each other and works so well together leading us in our contemporary worship service on a weekly basis. These guys have a desire to not only lead in worship but to be worshippers. I am reminded of “silver white winters that melt into spring,” when these guys are fluidly transitioning our worship times together.

Lynn and Denise— When I think of the song “My Favorite Things,” I wonder if these two could play it? Then I realize just how talented these two are on the piano and organ and know that is a silly question. It is so fun to watch these ladies use the gifts God has given.

Michelle— How can you not think of “girls in white dresses” when you think of Michelle? She does such a wonderful job of leading our children programs and ministering to all our children and their families. She has such a sweet spirit about her as she goes about her daily routine and is so patient not only with the children but sometimes with the pastor, too!!!

Sharon— When I think of Sharon, I think of “bright copper kettles” because I believe sometimes she wants to whack the rest of us in the office on the head with one. She does such a great job of running the office and making sure everything runs as smoothly as possibly (and sometimes whacks us around when we need it!).

Cindy— Cindy makes sure our financial information is clean and tidy like “brown paper packages tied up with string.” She does a fantastic job in the area of finance and has a great attitude while doing it.

Wally and Mike— These two guys make me think of “woolen mittens” because they roll their sleeves up and take the gloves off to make sure our building is always ready for whatever is about to take place. They do a great job of keeping things cleaned up and fresh.

Julie and Kaitlyn— These two ladies get to chase “snowflakes on eye lashes” with our children in the nursery. They do a wonderful job of loving on our children on a regular basis.

Do you think I have lost my mind? Why am I telling you all of this? This month is Staff Appreciation Month and I am so glad to be privileged to work with each of these people. As a church I believe we are blessed to have each one on staff. On October 12th we will be having a churchwide brunch in their honor during the Sunday School hour. I hope you will either stay following the early service or come a little early for the late service and say a word of appreciation to each of these or drop them a quick note to express your appreciation to them.

I am glad to be a part of a wonderful staff in a wonderful church!

Word of the Week for September 28th

One of the most dreaded times of the year for me is fast approaching. It is budget time for the church. It is a time when all our committees sit down to calculate what financial needs each will have in 2009 for the ministries they are involved with. It can be a stressful time. Not this year however.

I am pleased to let you know we are close to $45,000 in the black for the year so far on our 2008 budget! That is a great praise. Not only has God blessed our church family numerically this year but also financially. Now the challenge lies ahead for us as to how we use the finances we have been blessed with to better minister to those around us in this community.

I ask for you to be praying for our committees as they work on next year’s budget. Specifically, we must genuinely seek God’s direction in ministry! There is also a challenge here for us to continue to be faithful in our giving to the Lord!

I hope you have a great week!

Word of the Week for September 21st

As the week has passed, we continue to hear stories coming from the Gulf Coast and Houston about people not having electricity and water. After making a trip last Monday and Tuesday to the area, I found myself being thankful for the small things in life. When I reached for a light switch, I was glad a light came on. When I was thirsty, I was glad there was a cool bottle of water in the refrigerator. When I needed fuel, I was glad I did not have to wait for hours to fill up. On a daily basis we take the small things for granted.

Then I found myself being thankful for all that God has given me and blessed me with. I began to wonder . . . do I use the resources and gifts He has given me to the maximum potential?

What an interesting week it has been for me, as I found myself with a new appreciation for all I have and a challenge to do more with the many blessings I have received! How about you? When was the last time you stopped and gave thanks for all HE has done for you?

Hope you have a great week.

Word of the Week for September 14th

Over the past several weeks we have been focusing on the call to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. We began by asking what type of branch we are as we plug into the vine of Jesus Christ. Last week we took some time to show the opportunities available for service and ways to become a fruit bearer.

This morning we will be focusing on our own personal lives. The story we have to share and the redemption we have received should be a motivation for us to go forth and be fruit bearers. The prayer of the staff is that today will be a time of motivation for each of us as we are reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for us.

Looking forward to a wonderful time of worship today!

Word of the Week for September 7th

This morning we are focusing on missions as a church family. I believe today will be a blessing for the entire church body as we are challenged to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. You will be exposed to many areas of ministry you may not even realize take place at or through First Baptist. I hope you will listen carefully not only to the people sharing but also to the Holy Spirit in reference to the area of ministry you may be led toward.

The awesome part of today’s service is the result of the ministry in which God has called us. At the beginning of worship we will be baptizing new believers with the prayer God will continue to bless our church with more new believers.

I pray you have a fruitful week!

Word of the Week for August 31st

The Word of the Week is actually a word. The word is CHANGE! It seems that according to our presidential candidates, we need to CHANGE everything in this country. If you listen to them closely, you would think we are living in a third world country. Everything is wrong and needs to be CHANGED!!!! I will not weigh in politically on how I feel about those opinions, but it did get me to thinking about CHANGE in my own life.

I know there are things in my life that need to be CHANGED. I must make the decision to make those CHANGES. It is up to each of us to evaluate where we are in our spiritual walk to see what we need to CHANGE to be better for our Lord.

This week as the word is CHANGE, I challenge you to take inventory of your life and see what you need to CHANGE to be the best you can be for Christ!

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Hello, My Name Is…….

One of the top twenty things in life I just can’t stand is the “Hello, My Name Is” name tag you wear when you go to a conference or a luncheon where there will be people you do not know. I don’t like it because of the way I write. I am a messy lefty. From the time I was in first grade, my teachers would always say to my mom, “It’s OK. He’s left handed. We’ll just keep working with him.” I also don’t like the tags, since you forget you have them on. Then someone comes to talk to you and calls you by name. Forgetting my name is plastered on my chest, I think to myself, “How do they know me, when I’ve no idea who they are???!!!!” The name tags drive me crazy!!!

Frequently on Sundays I find myself going up to people I don’t know and saying, “Hello, my name is Russell.” I am doing this because we are seeing so many new faces at worship on a weekly basis. Although God is regularly blessing us with visitors, this poses a problem. I can’t remember all of their names! When they come a second time, I introduce myself again. Sometimes they will respond, “We know. We met you before.” How embarrassing, but what a great problem for us to have! I hope you are making an extra effort to make our guests feel welcome, when they come.

As a result of so many new visiting families, it has been decided to incorporate the GROW Ministry into our church. Beginning in October we will be introducing GROW to the congregation during Sunday evening worship time. It is an incredible strategy which can involve the whole church. The commitment is very simple. One night a month. That is all we are asking of your time. Team meetings will be held each week, but you only have to be a member of one team. A short evening training session will be offered, therefore giving you all the details you will need to be effective in both the in-reach and outreach for our church. I hope you give prayerful consideration as to your involvement in this program, while we seek to better minister to our church family and the community we are privileged to serve.

Speaking of serving, I want to say a huge “thank you” to everyone involved in the Back to School Fair. What a great event as the churches (Grace Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of Christ, First United Methodist, Chambers Creek Baptist, the Mennonites, and First Baptist) of Grandview came together to minister to the community. It was a blessing for everyone involved! We must continue to seek to meet the physical needs of our community with the mindset of meeting their spiritual needs as the ultimate goal.

I also want to remind you about the challenge for us as a church to read through the Bible together in 2009. Some of you have already called the office to get your Bible ordered, but perhaps some of you are procrastinating. Don’t wait. Call the office today!

I hope to see you Sunday as we gather to worship together. Invite a friend to come with you as well!

Word of the Week for August 24th

What if I were to ask you about the most important event that occurred during your school years? Many of us would come up with sporting events, proms, passing a big test, or graduation. All of those events are significant. It might be difficult for you to come up with just one.

What if I were to ask you about someone who was important to you during your school years? For most of us a teacher, coach, or administrator would come to mind. These are the people who were your heroes.

Today we are privileged to have many heroes in our midst as we worship. School employees, we welcome you to worship today and want to say thank you for being heroes to our children. The children who sit in your classrooms look to you, and although you may not realize it at times, they respect you and admire you. We appreciate all you do to make our children the best they can be!

I hope this is the greatest school year ever!

Word of the Week for August 17th

Did you know that you are important? One of the things I love about being a Baptist is that we are all equal when it comes to church business. One of the things people often ask me is what are the reasons they should join our church. The answer is simply…with membership comes benefits. One of those benefits is that you have a vote in everything that comes before the church in a church conference. Each member’s vote is equal. In other words the last person to join the church counts just as much as the longest living member.

I am telling you this because I think it is important for you to know what is going on in the life of your church. One of the ways to educate yourself on that is by attending our church’s quarterly conference. So if you have ever wondered what the church budget looks like or how our church is doing financially or how we make decisions that impact the church come tonight and begin the education process of getting to know the answers. I hope to see you in the Fellowship Hall tonight!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for August 10th

This is an exciting week in the life of our church. Tonight in our evening service we will be hearing the report from the mission team that returned last week from Pass Christian, Mississippi. God did some incredible things in the lives of the participants during the week and I hope you will make plans to be here tonight to hear all about it. We will meet in the sanctuary so we can show a slide show as well.

This week Daniel Hancock and Kent Russell will be heading to Matamoras, Mexico to do mission work among the young children in the area. They will be handing out shoes, feeding them and Daniel will be preaching the Gospel to anyone who will listen. Please be in prayer for this group as well.

Missions at home is on the agenda as well for this week. On Saturday we will be having the 2nd Annual Back to School Fair at the city park (next to the elementary school) from 9 am to noon. I hope you will plan on coming out and ministering to our community as we seek to meet physical needs with the goal of meeting spiritual needs in mind!

I hope you have a wonderful week serving our Lord!

Hello >From Mississippi!!!

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As we begin the month of August, several folks from FBC are in Pass Christian, Mississippi helping rebuild a church devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The thing I am reminded of is that no matter what natural disaster may strike, the church still stands. A group of believers may have been misplaced because of a strike from nature, but nothing can hold God’s church down. It is exciting to me to know we have people who have the ability to do the physical work to help a struggling church, but also the people who have the desire to come and lead backyard Bible clubs in the area as well. That does not even mention those of you who give regularly to support these type of ventures to enhance the Kingdom.

A few weeks ago we wrapped up Vacation Bible School at FBC. What a great week it was as we shared the love of Jesus with many children in our community and sowed a large amount of seed in their hearts. I loved watching so many people working together to make an event like VBS come together. From people who decorated, to teaching the children, to running the bounce houses, to cooking food for the teachers and children, to greeting people in the halls . . . it was just amazing to watch the church work. It looked at times like an ant hill with everyone flying around to help any way they could. I look forward to the fruits of the labor done during the week!

The month of August brings with it a new school year. It is hard to believe another school year is upon us, but it is! On August 24th we again will be honoring our school district employees with a luncheon. During our services that day, we will recognize our teachers and administrators, as well as having a time of prayer for them during our worship time. This is a special day in the life of our church and I hope you will plan to be here to welcome our guests.

The school year also brings with it our 2nd Annual Back to School Fair. On August 16th we will again be joining the other churches in our community to assist families with school supplies, free haircuts, vaccines, DNA kits from the Grandview Police Department, and other goodies to help get families ready to go back to school. There will be hot dogs, nachos, drinks, music, bounce houses, and much more for families to come out and enjoy from 9 to noon that day at the Grandview City Park. Details will be coming soon on how you can serve at this event. Carter BloodCare will also be available for those who would like to give blood.

A lot is going on this time of year and many ways for you to become more involved in the ministries of FBC. So hop on board and get involved in worship, Sunday School, and other activities going on around you.

Word of the Week for July 27th

It is hard to believe, but it is time to start talking about Christmas!!! Have you heard of Christmas in July? Well that is what we are kicking off today. Our Missions Committee has placed collection boxes in the hallways to begin collecting items for Operation Christmas Child. This is a mission we participate in each year where we send shoe boxes filled with toys and a Bible inside each box for children around the world to enjoy.

Now is a good time to get started, because places like Wal-Mart, Target and Staples have their crayons and markers (and other items for children) on sale at great back to school prices. In the weeks to come we will have more information concerning the Operation Christian Child program in the bulletin and around the church building.

Last year we sent 317 boxes around the world. The Missions Committee has set a goal of 350 boxes this year. That sounds like a lot but what a difference it could make from a Kingdom perspective.

Also, please remember the 33 of us who are in Mississippi this week ministering to the community of Pass Christian. If you want to see what is happening go to www.grandviewfbc.com and Kenneth Pipes will be posting pictures.

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for July 20th

What a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School we just had! Last Sunday we said, "Aloha!" to VBS and on Thursday evening we said, "Goodbye!" There is always an excitement leading up to Bible School and by Thursday evening we all feel like we have been run over by a Mack Truck!!!

Even though Bible School is over, I know there is still much to be done. There are families we need to follow up with and decisions that will continue to be made as a result of the seeds which were planted. So continue to pray for the children involved this past week!

Thank you, Shelly, and all of your helpers for making this a great week of Bible teaching and fun for the children of our community. You all did a wonderful job!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for July 13th

We have just begun one of the most exhausting, exciting and fun weeks of the church year . . . Vacation Bible School. Welcome to the Outrigger Island. I am sure that as you entered the sanctuary you noticed things have changed in a big way. Perhaps you wanted to grab your suntan lotion and lay out on the beach.

Actually I hope it will motivate you to think about any children you know and bring them each night to Bible School to enjoy the beach scene, but more importantly, give them the opportunity to see the most beautiful scene of all, and that is the picture of Jesus Christ giving His life for them. So make a point to think about any child you know and invite them this week to come learn truths from God’s Word as we embark on an island adventure.

If you don’t have anything to do this week during the evening, come by the church. I am sure there is a place for you to join in on the fun.

Surf’s Up!

Word of the Week for July 6th

How about a little challenge to start the month of July? There are all types of challenges…there are easy challenges and there are difficult challenges. This is really a pretty easy one.

I want to challenge you to pick out two individuals or families in our church family to check on each week. Give them a call or a quick visit and see how they are doing. Let them know it was good to see them at church or tell them you missed seeing them if they were not here. Connection is a big part of the life of the church.

I don’t know about you, but I like it when people are concerned about me. I like to know when I am not in attendance somewhere I am missed. A simple phone call or card in the mail is all it will take. Will you give 5 minutes to show you care?

Will you join me in taking the two person challenge this summer? Let’s do it and see the difference it can make.

There it went!

Did you miss it? It just went by….that is the way I feel about life right now! Do you ever get the feeling you simply are jumping from the frying pan into the fire? I know that is a sign of getting older, but I don’t like it. It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in a new year and now we are half way through it! It won’t be long and we will be hanging the stockings by the chimney with care again. I just want to slow down for a little bit.

We are off to a great summer! Children’s Day Out Fun Session is in full swing and has a great attendance. Several of our leadership students have been to Super Summer at East Texas Baptist in Marshall. Many of you have even taken your summer vacation! But there is more to come! Don’t miss it!

In a couple of weeks our teenagers will load up and head to camp at the Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose. On July 13th we will begin Vacation Bible School at our church. Then July 26th we will be loading up to head to Pass Christian, Mississippi to help rebuild a church destroyed by Hurricane Katrina for our church mission project this year. You are invited to participate in all of these are events.

I have heard several people recently say they are looking for ways to become more involved in the church and/or they want to get to know more people. There is no better way to get involved than to help out with Vacation Bible School (see Shelly Allen) or to spend a week serving on the mission trip. If you want to participate in either of these, call the church office and we will get you more details! Don’t wait….time is flying!

One of the things that has been on my heart lately is our church family spending more time in God’s Word on a daily basis. I had an idea along those lines and we need to start planning now. I want to challenge every church member to read through the Bible in 2009. I would like for us all to be on the same reading plan, so if you are interested in doing this we will begin a sign up sheet in the office. In November we will purchase the Bibles we will be using and distribute them to you when they come in. The Bibles will cost $20 a piece and one per family will work. I hope you will be thinking and praying about being a part of this plan in the coming year. I know it seems like a long way off, but remember time is flying, so call the church and get signed up today!

Get your wings flapping and let’s keep moving forward for our Lord this summer!

Word of the Week for June 29th

As we gather together for worship today, we will be celebrating the freedom we have because of the sacrifices many men and women have made to make the United States the great nation it is today. I want to ask you to pause for a bit today and give thanks to our Lord for the mercy and grace He has shown America throughout its history.

I would also like to encourage you to find a person who has served our military and give them a hug or a word of appreciation for the freedom they have stood for around the world.

More importantly, I want you to take some time and give thanks to the Father for the sacrifice He made over 2000 ago, when He sent Christ to allow us the freedom from sin we are able to receive when we give our lives to Christ. How blessed we are as a nation. How blessed we are as believers in Christ!

Happy 4th of July!

. . . . . . There It Went!

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Did you miss it? It just went by….that is the way I feel about life right now! Do you ever get the feeling you simply are jumping from the frying pan into the fire? I know that is a sign of getting older, but I don’t like it. It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in a new year and now we are half way through it! It won’t be long and we will be hanging the stockings by the chimney with care again. I just want to slow down for a little bit.

We are off to a great summer! Children’s Day Out Fun Session is in full swing and has a great attendance. Several of our leadership students have been to Super Summer at East Texas Baptist in Marshall. Many of you have even taken your summer vacation! But there is more to come! Don’t miss it!

In a couple of weeks our teenagers will load up and head to camp at the Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose. On July 13th we will begin Vacation Bible School at our church. Then July 26th we will be loading up to head to Pass Christian, Mississippi to help rebuild a church destroyed by Hurricane Katrina for our church mission project this year. You are invited to participate in all of these are events.

I have heard several people recently say they are looking for ways to become more involved in the church and/or they want to get to know more people. There is no better way to get involved than to help out with Vacation Bible School (see Shelly Allen) or to spend a week serving on the mission trip. If you want to participate in either of these, call the church office and we will get you more details! Don’t wait….time is flying!

One of the things that has been on my heart lately is our church family spending more time in God’s Word on a daily basis. I had an idea along those lines and we need to start planning now. I want to challenge every church member to read through the Bible in 2009. I would like for us all to be on the same reading plan, so if you are interested in doing this we will begin a sign up sheet in the office. In November we will purchase the Bibles we will be using and distribute them to you when they come in. The Bibles will cost $20 a piece and one per family will work. I hope you will be thinking and praying about being a part of this plan in the coming year. I know it seems like a long way off, but remember time is flying, so call the church and get signed up today!

Get your wings flapping and let’s keep moving forward for our Lord this summer!

Word of the Week for June 22nd

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it seemed like everything went wrong? That is the kind of week it has been around the church for me this week. We started the Children’s Day Out Summer Fun Session, and on the first day we had a broken air conditioner in the nursery wing and no water in the building. Fun times! On top of that my computer crashed over the weekend. Then the water heater in the parsonage went out on Friday! Could it get any worse? I better not ask that!

This morning just about all of it has been fixed! It reminded me that no matter how bad things get most of the time, it will all get taken care of. I was also reminded that no matter how bad things get in our lives, God is going to walk with us and will not leave us. Things may not work out the way we want, but God is along for the ride! Keep that in mind when you have a difficult day, week or even month!

Hope you have a better week than mine was!

Word of the Week for June 15th

This past week I got the privilege of stepping back into my history a bit by attending Super Summer with our students. What an incredible week it was!! It amazes me the passion the students have today. The theme of the week was "Testify—What is Your Story?"

The challenge was laid out to the students to be willing to share their "story" or testimony with others. As I went through the week, I could not help but think of FBC Grandview. God is doing some pretty amazing things in our midst. Yet how many of us are telling our story? What could God do in this place if we stepped out a little bit and began sharing our story with those who are around us? We sing a hymn called "I Love to Tell the Story" but for many of us we simply sing it and leave it. I challenge you this week to tell your story to someone who does not know how good our God is!

Have a great week!

Word of the Week for June 8th

As we gather together today for corporate worship, we will be partaking in the Lord’s Supper. The supper is a time of remembrance and a time for thanksgiving. As I prepared my own heart this week to come to the table, I took some time to stop and think about all of the things I have to be thankful for.

In what was a very hectic week I found myself being thankful for: a bed in which I can get good rest, a cool house to sit down at a dinner table each night with my family to enjoy a good meal, a wonderful church staff who helps make my job as pastor so much easier, and most of all I am thankful for a God who loved me enough to send His Son to set me free from sin and give me a hope for the future.

The list could go on and on, but I won’t bore you with my list. Yet I did share my list in hopes you will spend a few moments this morning before we begin our service to thank God for all He has done. No matter what your circumstance is right now, you are blessed!

Let’s worship today with a thankful heart!

Word of the Week for June 1st

There has been an incredible event taking place in Burleson this weekend. Will Graham, Billy Graham’s grandson, has been leading a celebration to reach out to the lost in Johnson County. This is an incredible opportunity for our area and I know there will be a great harvest of new believers for the Kingdom of God.

Tonight we will not be having services at our church in hopes that many of you will think of a lost friend or family member to invite to attend the celebration at Burleson High School. The event starts at 7:30 pm at Elk Stadium in Burleson. If you would like to ride the church bus, it will be leaving the church parking lot at 6:15 this evening. I hope you will plan on attending this once in a lifetime event!

As a result of the Celebration we will move our committee meetings to the following Sunday evening.

Promotion Day

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This coming Sunday is a big day at First Baptist!! It is Promotion Sunday for our Sunday School classes. I know many of you won’t be promoting to a new class but for many of our children there will be a sense of excitement as they get to move to a new class and have a new teacher. Along with the children getting the opportunity to move to a new class there are several other changes taking place of great significance.

Since 1956 (with the exception of a couple of years) Bobbie Mosley has been teaching children in our church during the Sunday School hour. That is over a half century of teaching!!! This will be the first year in a long time she will not be teaching in our 2 and 3 year old department. Thank you, Miss Bobbie, for all of the years of service you have given to our church and our Lord! You have made an eternal difference in many lives.

Stacy Johnson has been teaching the TEAM class for several years. He has decided it is time to take a break. Keith Scharnhorst will be stepping up to take over the teaching in this class. Thank you, Stacy, for the time you have put in to make the TEAM class what it is today!

Shelly Allen will begin a new class for young ladies. This class will focus on the daily needs of ladies. I am excited about the opportunity this class brings to reaching a new group of ladies who are not currently active in Sunday School.

No matter what class you are in, I hope you will make Sunday School a priority. One of the ways we can stay connected with the two service format we now have is being in Sunday School. As we begin a new Sunday School year, if you are not a part of a class, I hope you will take this Sunday as an opportunity to get involved!

On a totally different note, I want to encourage you to be praying for our Building Task Force Committee which had its first meeting last week. This group of people have been charged with the task of examining our current building space and looking towards the future in what our needs will be. There are great things in store for us as a church, but we must be in tune with God’s plan for it all to work out properly and in His time. Please pray for John Akers, Georgeann Allen, Bill Lyle, Kenneth Montgomery, Bill Pannell, Vicki Ricker, and Keith Scharnhorst in the coming days as they go about their work.

I know summer time is upon us, but I hope you will continue to be faithful to our activities and opportunities of worship. God is up to something great in this place and I hope you will be faithful in being a part of everything He is doing.

Word of the Week for May 25th

It is hard to believe summer is already here! It seems like a few months ago we were having our welcome to the teachers luncheon. With summer comes many incredible opportunities in the life of First Baptist. Next Sunday is Promotion Sunday for our Sunday School. I hope you will make an effort to come and be a part of Sunday School Kickoff 2008!

With summer comes camps, Super Summer, Vacation Bible School, mission trips and many other incredible opportunities to grow and serve out your faith! I pray this is a summer of great growth for our church family!

Have a great last week of the school year!

Word of the Week for May 18th

Life gives us various measuring points along the way. For several people the next few weeks hold some major points of accomplishment. Today in our services we will be recognizing children who are completing the first, second and third grades with Bibles. The hope is as the children learn to read they will make God’s Word part of their daily reading. We will also be recognizing our graduating high school seniors. What a special time in the lives of these students and their families. Once they receive their diplomas, they will be looked upon differently. They will have accomplished a major goal in life. We also have some college graduates. Way to go! You have gone a step further in your education.

As I think about these groups of people, I see a pattern that as believers we should seek to follow. The children have learned to read. The high school graduates have gone a step further, the college students even farther, and for one a Master’s degree! We should all be seeking to reach for THE MASTER in our daily walk with Him.

Congratulations, graduates! We are proud of you!

Word of the Week for May 11th

I am not a big technology guy! I will be the first to admit it. There are people who are dragging me along into the technology age. One of the newer concepts out on the World Wide Web is blogging. Ryan Hurt and Kenneth Pipes have set up a worship blog for First Baptist Church. It is a place where you can go and share thoughts on our worship times together, something God has laid on your heart, or if you need prayer. After I figured out how it works, I think it is pretty neat!!!

I hope you will take time to visit the site and even add a word of encouragement if you like. Just open up the church website at www.grandviewfbc.com to find the worship blog link. Click it and away you will go!

Happy surfing and I hope you have a great week!

A Word of the Week for May 4

This past week was filled with all kinds of spiritual lessons. While we waited for the results of Shelly’s biopsy, I was reminded that God does not always answer our prayers the way we want, but he always answers our prayers. It is so comforting to know God travels with us every step of the way on our life journey.

I was also reminded of God’s timing. We waited all day Monday to hear from the doctor. It was a long day to say the least. I got frustrated waiting on a phone call I thought should have been made early in the day. It is good to know God has a timing for everything, and we can be rest assured that He is never early or late but always on time!

I hope this week we learn to trust and wait on our Lord!

Did You Say You Were Bored?

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My nephew is 11 years old. When I call their house and he answers the phone, I always ask him what he is doing. He always replies, “Nothing.” I then ask, “Why aren’t you doing something?” He replies, “I am bored.” I wonder what it is like to be bored. Do you have that problem? If so, then let me tell you of some ministry opportunities going on both at church and in the community.

A couple of Monday evenings ago we had a good group of people gather to find out more information about the Snack Pack Ministry we are trying to start at the elementary school in the fall. It has been brought to our attention that there is a large number of children who are going through the weekend at home without proper nourishment. We have an opportunity to help with this need. Starting in the fall we will be getting food from the Food Bank in Fort Worth and packing it in backpacks for the children who are underprivileged to take home with them for the weekend. The packs will have food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and Sunday for the children. This ministry will take a lot of people to run it, so if you are bored or at least looking for a place to serve, see Michelle Pannell about more details.

In the next few weeks you will be hearing information concerning G.R.O.W. Ministry Teams. This is an outreach/inreach program we will be starting as a church. We continue to see large numbers of guests in our Sunday worship services and it is vital we make them feel welcome when they visit, but we also must be diligent in following up with them after they come worship with us. There is also a great need for us to make sure we are letting our members know we miss them when they are not here. This program has a very simple way of doing both of these and will only require one night a month out of your busy schedule. There will be more information coming in the days ahead, but I wanted to let you start thinking about this ministry opportunity since perhaps some of you are bored!

Once again this fall we will be having our Grandview Back to School Fair. The date of the event is August 16th and it will be at the new city park. Last year we had a great turnout of both volunteers and people from the community. This year we have more time to plan and I believe the event will be even bigger and better! Mark your calendars now and be looking for more information in the days to come concerning planning meetings.

I know many of you are laughing as you are reading this thinking to yourself how you do not have one more minute in your busy schedules to do anything, but I hope you will find the time to continue to help grow the Kingdom of God through the ministries of First Baptist Grandview.

Thanks for being a church that is not BORED!

A Word for March 27

Tomorrow is my birthday! I remember when I was a child the anticipation of another birthday. I could not wait to have another birthday. Now as I get closer to 40 than 30, birthdays do not seem to have quite the same excitement. The hair is falling out. The waistline is growing. The pains seem to be more apparent. Who says getting older is a good thing?

As I get older, I find myself asking myself what type of difference I am making. I wonder if I have accomplished all that I am capable of? It is a daily reminder to me how I need to have the faith to run the race so as to attain the crown of righteousness laid up for me.

Let my reflection on getting older be a challenge to you this week to run the race for our Lord in such a way which is pleasing to Him!

A Word for the Week of April 20

This next Sunday is going to be Teacher Appreciation Sunday at First Baptist Grandview. I am so proud of the teachers we have in our church. Some have been teaching for years and others have been teaching for a short time. Many hours go into preparing a lesson each week to challenge us to grow in our faith.

I want to personally say thank you to our teachers for their time and commitment to our church family, and I hope you will take an opportunity this week to take a moment to drop your teacher a card, make a phone call, or share a simple hug to say a great big THANK YOU for what they do!

We will be having a luncheon for the teachers and their families next Sunday at noon to show them our appreciation.

A Word for the Week of April 13

I am sure many of you receive the Grandview Tribune newspaper each week. On the right corner above the fold each week is a contest called "Can You Guess Who?" It is an older picture of someone in our community and the fun is guessing who the person is.

As I thought about the picture this week and tried to figure out who it was, I began to wonder how much I have grown up in my Christian faith. Would the person who helped lead me to Christ be able to recognize me today? Am I still at the same maturity level in my Christian faith I was 29 years ago? It is a good question for all of us to ask. Hopefully there is a great difference in your spiritual life today than the day you were saved!

A Word for April 6

Last Sunday evening as a church we voted on a new Building Task Force Committee. This committee has a huge task to undertake in researching what space needs we currently have and what we anticipate in the future. These are exciting times at First Baptist with some exciting problems. (There are good problems and bad problems!) I hope you will be in prayer for this committee as they begin their work.

Along those lines several of you have been asking what to do with any money you would like to give above your tithe. I would encourage you to give to the Building Fund as we continue to make some improvements to our current building.

A Word for March 30

Perhaps with Spring Break and the many activities of Easter you have forgotten about the Max Lucado 3:16 study Dave Thomas is teaching on Sunday evenings.  I want to remind you of this study and hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to go deeper in God’s Word.  Worship begins at 6:00 in the Fellowship Hall with some singing and then Dave will begin teaching shortly thereafter.  Several of you have purchased the book but I want to remind you it is not required reading.  I hope you will come and be a part of this worship time and teaching opportunity.

What I've Learned!

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1 + 1 = 2

See Dick run.

See Spot play.

Moses carried the Ten Commandments.

In baseball you have to keep your eye on the ball.

Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, so I could be forgiven of my sins.

As you read the things I have learned in my lifetime, some of you may think I am really smart. Some of you may be thinking that is probably all that I know. No matter what you think, they are things that are very important to me in life. In kindergarten Mrs. Hewitt taught me that 1 + 1 = 2. Mrs. Melton helped teach me how to read about Dick, Jane and Spot. My father taught me how to hit a baseball by keeping my eye on the ball. Mrs. Wheeless taught me about Moses and the Ten Commandments, and Harold Cook shared with me that Jesus died and was raised from the dead so I could be forgiven of my sins.

When was the last time you stopped and thought about all the people who have taught you the many things you know today? Teachers are very important people in life. They help mold us into who we are and they help us gain knowledge to get through life. Some teachers teach us to read. Some teach us how to write. Some teach us to add and subtract. Some teach us God's word and help us develop our relationship with Christ.

Each year as we begin a new school year, we take time to recognize the employees of our school district and to let them know we will be praying for them. Now it is time to recognize our Sunday School and Wednesday night teachers for all they do for us as a church family. We are setting aside Sunday morning, April 27^th, as FBC Teacher Appreciation Day at First Baptist. During both services we will recognize our teachers and following the 11:00 service we will have a lunch for the teachers and their families. Let me encourage you to take a moment and pray for your teacher, speak a word of encouragement to them, or write them a note of appreciation. I know they will be grateful for these acts of kindness. Thank you, teachers, for all you do!

On another note this coming Sunday evening we will be having a short called church conference following our Sunday evening service for the purpose of voting on the committee that will be looking to the future for building expansion at First Baptist. The Committee on Committees will nominate Georgeann Allen, Keith Scharnhorst, Bill Lyle, John Akers, Kenneth Montgomery, Bill Pannell and Vicki Ricker for this task. This is a very exciting time in the life of our church as we continue to see spiritual and numerical growth. Continue to pray for God's guidance for us as a church as we reach out to our community for Christ.

A Word for March 16

As you are reading this, I am on the far West coast of our great country. Vacation is something we all love. It is good to go somewhere, but if you are like me, it is always good to come home! It is good to know our pets will be waiting for us and, oh, how nice our own bed feels after sleeping on a foreign mattress. It is good to know there are things we love waiting for us when we get home!

There are times in our spiritual lives we feel like we are on vacation, but isn’t it good to know when we are ready to come home our Father is always there! It does not matter how far we travel or for how long we are gone from our relationship with Christ, He is always waiting to spend time with us and welcome us home!

While we are gone, I know Daniel will do a great job and I hope you all have a wonderful worship experience today!

See you Wednesday for our Service of Shadows as we prepare for Easter Sunday morning!

A Word for March 9

Hopefully you remembered to move your clock ahead an hour last night! If not, you need to do so now, because you are officially behind! Have you ever stopped to think about the fact you just lost an hour of your life? We all know that in the fall you will get it back, but it still is a little crazy to me to simply lose an hour!

With that notion in mind, it caused me to stop and think for a moment how I use the time God gives me. I thought about family time, church time, times when I want to help people, and many others. I wonder if there is not more we can do for the Kingdom with the time God has blessed us with? That is just a quick consideration for you to ponder today as we begin another week!

Hope you have a fantastic week!

Word for Week of March 2

In a couple of weeks Dave Thomas will begin teaching from the new Max Lucado book 3:16 on Sunday evenings during our worship time together. Even though I realize many of you are not "normal" Sunday evening attendees, I want to extend a special invitation to come and be a part of Dave's teaching. We will be ordering some books for those who would like to read along at home, but the book is not required reading for the teaching time.

If 9/11 are the numbers of terror and despair, then 3:16 are the numbers of hope. Max Lucado's study takes participants through a word-by-word study of John 3:16, the passage he calls the "Hope Diamond" of Scripture. I hope many of you will make this a priority as well as take the time to invite a friend to experience the numbers of hope!

Have a great week!