If It Keeps Gettin' Better and Better, O Lord...

Years ago I remember a ladies trio visiting the church and singing that song - "If it keeps gettin' better and better Oh Lord, I don't know what I'm gonna do."  

Well... things just keep gettin' better and better and better at FBC.

TODAY - Farmer's Market is already wrapped up for today, but once again we were able to be a presence for Jesus in our town.  Thanks to Debbie for faithfully serving in that ministry today.

TONIGHT - 6:00 PM - Campfire Fellowship at the church.  BYOWS (Bring Your Own Weeny Stick), a dish to pass, and a lawn chair.  Plan on food, fun, fellowship, and more food!

TOMORROW - 10:30 AM - Yet another opportunity to worship the Lord in the Lord's house on the Lord's Day!  The best day of the week!

TOMORROW -  2:00 PM - The moment we've all been waiting for - the official start of the 2010 Pastor's Masters golf tournament.  First round action tees off at 2:00 PM at Green Hills Golf Course on Tallmadge Rd. in Kent.

NEXT WEEK - 6-8:30 PM nightly - It's a Baobab Blast - Vacation Bible School.  Not registered yet?  No problem - we'll register you at the door - join us - invite your friends.

IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE - Old Fashioned Sunday is just around the corner, the Rubber City Model A Club will join us again, and I just got off the phone confirming that the Gospel Journeyers will once again be with us to make it a musical feast.

"If it keeps gettin' better and better Oh Lord, I don't know what I'm gonna do."  

VBS - HERE WE GO!

Final planning meeting is this evening at 6:00 at the church.  ALL who are helping with VBS, please attend this short meeting.

Setup and decorations begin thereafter.

What a great opportunity to reach kids with the good news that Jesus loves them.  

See you at 6.

Hello Men's Prayer Breakfast!

When - 8:00 AM this Saturday morning

Where - Fellowship Hall
Who - Men, one and all
Why - Prayer, Fellowship, Food, Bible, Friends, and did we say PRAYER.



Men - if you've never experienced a breakfast cooked and served by our wonderful FBC ladies, you are missing out on a once in a lifetime, mind altering, and soul inspiring experience!  This week, Brother Nick will provide the devotional.  Don't miss out!

Goodbye Softball

One last look at our wonderful softball team for 2010.  Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this a fun time for all.  Final record - 2 wins, 7 losses, infinite smiles.

Herd Think

If you're looking for it, you can find corroboration for Biblical truth just about anywhere in God's creation.  Last night, I found it in a TV program, of all places.  Since one of my hobbies is hunting, I was watching Jim Shockey's Hunting Adventures.  Jim was hunting in Africa, and trying to sneak up on a gazelle in the middle of the African plain.  There was no cover for a hunter to hide behind anywhere in sight, and he was struggling to get close to his prey.  He said to his guide, "How are we supposed to get anywhere near these things when we're out in the open like this?"  The guide replied, "It's difficult, and it's even more difficult when you're trying to get close to a large herd.  The larger the herd, the harder it is to sneak up on them."  Of course, the reason for that is that the larger the herd, the more eyes there are looking for danger, and alerting the herd to it.

Hmmmm.... Interesting that the Bible teaches us that healthy Christians have a herd mentality.  We cannot last long exposed on the savannah by ourselves.  But the herd keeps us safe... protects us from our adversary who wants to sneak up and destroy us when we're separated from the herd.  

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)

Gather with the herd this Sunday!  

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 KJV)

Make A Difference

Want to be a difference maker in your local church?  Here's a thought provoking checklist to help get you started:

• Find a good local church.
• Get involved.
• Become a member.
• Stay there as long as you can.
• Put away thoughts of a revolution for a while.
• Join the plodding visionaries.
• Go to church this Sunday and worship in Spirit and truth.
• Be patient with your leaders.
• Rejoice when the gospel is faithfully proclaimed.
• Bear with those who hurt you.
• Give people the benefit of the doubt.
• Say “hi” to the teenager that no one notices.
• Welcome the old ladies with the blue hair and the young men with tattoos.
• Volunteer for the nursery.
• Attend the congregational meeting.
• Bring your fried chicken to the potluck like everybody else.
• Invite a friend.
• Take a new couple out for coffee.
• Give to the Christmas offering.
• Sing like you mean it.
• Be thankful someone vacuumed the carpet for you.
• Enjoy the Sundays that “click.”
• Pray extra hard on the Sundays that don’t.
• And in all of this, do not despise the days and weeks and years of small things (Zechariah 4:8–10).

Great ideas, all.  Implement even a few of them and you'll truly make a difference in your church.


(These ideas came from a message delivered by Kevin DeYoung at Next 2010 conference)

Prayer Requests Online

Got something you'd like us to pray about in our Wednesday evening prayer meetings, or maybe during the Sunday Morning worship services?  You can now enter prayer requests via our web site.  Just go to www.friendshipbiblechurch.org, and select the Prayer Requests link on the left hand side of the screen. Your requests will be saved and used during the next prayer meeting.

Let us never cease to pray for one another!

Hiding

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

Sin had consequences for Adam and Eve. Their relationship with each other was damaged. Blame was the name of the game as Adam blamed Eve who blamed the serpent. All relationships feel the tug of that tendency even today. All of us were affected by that first sin.

But the worst consequence was that which changed their closeness to God. No longer walking with Him in the garden; now they hid from Him, not wanting to face Him.

When we feel a distance growing in our attitude toward God… when we don't feel like praying… when we would rather not read our Bible as we know we should… it's a good time for some self-examination. Am I harboring some sin that makes me want to hide from my God?

He was still there in the garden, wanting a relationship with Adam and Eve. He forgave their sin, just as He wants to forgive yours and mine.

Do you remember what it was like when you walked with Him? Before you started hiding from Him? Well, you can get that back. It's as simple as stepping out from our hiding place (John 6:37) and having a talk with Him about the sin that caused the problem in the first place (1 John 1:9).

If you are hiding, may I challenge you to do that, today?

A Note From Jyll

This past Lord's Day, we were privileged to hear from Jyll Schenault, a missionary to the Dominican Republic.  She sent the following report to her email list shortly thereafter.  It's a nice reminder of how appreciative missionaries are of even the slightest things we do for them.  And it's a reminder that we need to do more!

Jyll's letter:

Hello,

Life back home is finally starting to settle down a bit.  The week started out with the funeral services for my uncle, Roland, who passed away after a very quick battle with cancer (only having found out about it just a month ago).  I am now back to work, working at a computer/ technology company in Hudson, Ohio.  I have also been working on my school work (I began grad school classes in late May). 

This week, I had the privilege of speaking at Friendship Bible Church in Randolph, Ohio.  It is always exciting to be able to be a witness of the power of Jesus Christ around the world, even if the part of the world isn’t very far from where I grew up. 

After the church service, the church held a fellowship luncheon where the members and attendees had an opportunity to “meet the missionary”.  It was a wonderful time to get to meet these brothers and sisters in Christ and hear a little about their lives while I share with them of the adventures that God has taken me on.  The picture this week is of this fellowship luncheon.

I only have a few weeks left before I am heading back to the Dominican Republic.  If you are in Northeast Ohio and would like to get together, please let me know.

Have a wonderful week.  God bless you.

Jyll

Weekend Reminders

Another busy one!

Stop by the Farmers Market and visit the FBC booth - 10:00 til 1:00

RRODAAT is tomorrow morning, too.

Saturday evening, starting at 5:00, the great chandelier polishing party begins at the Boyer house. Plenty of food and refreshments will be provided so just come ready to polish. Here is a word of warning from Mary about this project:

Please advise everyone that is coming that this is going to be a dirty, messy job and that they should wear old clothes because as I am brushing the cleaner gets all over me from splatter.  It reminds me of cleaning the oven.

Sunday, we will hear from missionary Jyll Schenault during our worship service, then we will have a "Meet the Missionary" luncheon, before heading to the softball field for our last regular season game.

Whew! Join us for some or all of these opportunities to serve the King.

The Most Important Evangelistic Tool We Have

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. (Colossians 4:2-4 NKJV)

I've been reading a book by John Dixon entitled, "The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission."  The following quote seemed particularly relevant to tonight's prayer meeting, so I shared it there, and share it here with you.

"Of all the things Paul urges his church to pray for, prayer for the work of the gospel is the most common. More than that: of all the things that the New Testament mentions as gospel promoting activities (giving money, speaking of Jesus, and so on) prayer is the one most frequently urged. I do not for a moment want to encourage readers to be silent about their faith: that would be a tragedy and a sure sign of ill health as Christians. But even more tragic, I believe, would be our silence in prayer, the primary evangelistic task of every believer."

Let us continue in prayer... for each other, for our church, for our country, but most of all - for the lost souls that are all around us.