North Central Association of Baptist Churches

December Church Strengthening Newsletter from IBSA

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:36:00 +0000

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/December-CST-Happenings.html?soid=1104192875223&aid=1w8AL03Q8f0

When God’s Will Isn’t Clear

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:35:00 +0000

IBSA-Prayer---Gram---Engage

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:47:00 +0000

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Resend-of-IBSA-Prayer---Gram---Engage----Revised-Info--Important-Details-.html?soid=1101634946551&aid=M8Tg7Y6tFvM

NAMB trustees re-focus vision

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:25:00 +0000

NAMB trustees re-focus vision

Ezell’s Interview with Al Mohler

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Ezell’s Interview with Al Mohler

Frequently Asked Questions on NAMB Transition

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Frequently Asked Questions on NAMB Transition

NAMB Podcast Episode 2: State Convention Partnerships

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:15:00 +0000

NAMB Podcast Episode 2: State Convention Partnerships

NAMB Podcast Episode 1: Ezell discusses progress of transition

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:13:00 +0000

NAMB Podcast Episode 1: Ezell discusses progress of transition

Ezell: ‘New day' for NAMB, states and ADOMs

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Ezell: ‘New day' for NAMB, states and ADOMs

Our God (Cover)

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:36:00 +0000

FCC Worship Set part 2.mov

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:36:00 +0000

FCC Worship Set Part 1.mov

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:35:00 +0000

NAMB, LifeWay to partner on World Changers, PowerPlant

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:52:00 +0000

NAMB, LifeWay to partner on World Changers, PowerPlant

Download Complimentary Prayer Studies & Prayer Sermon Series

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:50:00 +0000

Download Complimentary Prayer Studies & Prayer Sermon Series

NAMB trustees approve sweeping changes

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:05:00 +0000

NAMB trustees approve sweeping changes

The Master's Touch - Sermon on Mark 5

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:49:00 +0000

This is a sermon I preached in January,2011 on the amazing power of the Gospel.

Come as You Are!
Follow Where He Leads!
Tell What You Know!

The Ramblings: Watch the John 3:16 Ad that was Banned from the Su...

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:48:00 +0000

The Ramblings: Watch the John 3:16 Ad that was Banned from the Su...: "Alright, here's the 'controversial' commercial that Fox rejected from nationally airing during the Super Bowl. It was deemed to be off..."

$9 million more to missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:44:00 +0000

$9 million more to missionaries

Raney scholarships to be awarded by KALEO Network

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Raney scholarships to be awarded by KALEO Network

Merry Christmas to All!

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:29:00 +0000

My wife loves Christmas! She starts putting up the trees right after Thanksgiving. We have several Christmas trees throughout our home and just about every room has some form of a nativity scene. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas too, but my wife makes Christmas a celebration that lasts more than a day. It lasts for several weeks. Bonnie loves to listen to the Christmas carols and sing as she decorates and cooks. For her, Christmas is more than an event and a day of celebration, it is the feeling of all things good and holy and right. And that is how all of us should feel about Christmas. But it isn't.

For some people, Christmas is the loneliest and saddest time of the year, because they are alone. Their loved ones are gone and they face the holidays with no one to share it with. Christmas is about sharing and Christmas is meant to be shared. You see on that first Christmas day, God shared His Son, Jesus with all of us and He has commanded us to share Jesus with the entire world. But often we don't.

I don't know what you would like for Christmas, but I know what I have asked God to give to me. I have asked God to make me as generous as He is. I have asked God to give me a heart for the peoples of this world who live in darkness without the understanding of His light. I have asked God to make me less selfish and more sensitive to the hurting and the lonely. I have asked God to make me more like the wise men and less like the inn keeper. I know my heart is broken when I think about how much He has given to me and how little I really give to Him. Pray for me that God will grant my requests this Christmas and I will pray for you that He would grant yours as well.

Greeting Guests at Church

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:29:00 +0000

I was eating lunch at one of our local fast food restaurants. The line outside was fairly long and I went inside to place my order. The line inside was relatively short, but the young lady working the cash register must have been new. She was working slowly and the manager had to keep asking her what her name was? I placed my order and gave them my money. There was no polite conversation. No, “How are you today?” They just took my money. No “Thank you and have a nice day.” In fact, when I got my French fries, the manager threw them on to the tray and never said a word. The fries spilled out of the container and all over the tray and the manager just walked on to fill another order. I like the food at this particular restaurant and I like their prices, but their quality of service is severely lacking. There was no warmth. No friendliness. No sense that they cared if I ever came back or not. If I owned the restaurant, I would make some drastic changes. Customers need to feel valued or they will not continue to return and give that store or restaurant their business.
We need to understand that churches often treat new attendee’s the same way I was treated at the fast food restaurant. Guests come in the door and are not greeted. They sit through the service and no one talks to them before or after the service. The best music and the best preaching in the world will not bring that person back to that particular church. A church that does not make a person feel valued will cause them to go somewhere else to worship or maybe even worse, to cause them to give up on church all together. It is important that when people arrive on Sunday morning, people are at the doors and even in the parking lot helping people get into the building. New people should not get into the building or a classroom without having several people greet them and get to know them. When new guests attend Sunday school or worship they should be greeted warmly and be made to feel welcome. Churches need to let people know that they value them and care about their spiritual growth. Each church needs to maintain a spirit of love and acceptance and make people feel welcome.
May I encourage each of you to do something special to go even a step further? Most of the time, you sit on the same pew or chair each Sunday for worship. Why not take the responsibility to greet everyone on your pew or row of chairs and make sure they are welcomed. It would be O.K. to have two or three greeters on every pew or row. In fact, some may take the responsibility to greet everyone on their pew or row and also on the pew or row behind them and in front of them. Most church members always do a good job greeting the people they know, but make sure that no one comes to your church and leaves feeling that you do not care about them. We may only get one chance to reach a lost person for Christ. If all of us will take some responsibility to meet and greet and befriend others, we can make a difference.
May God bless you and your church in the days ahead. Be in church Sunday and make sure and greet the new folks! It may make a difference forever in their lives!

Sturgis Bike Give Away

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:33:00 +0000

There were six of us from North Central Baptist Association that went to Sturgis, South Dakota the first week in August to help Dakota Baptists give away a free Harley Davidson motorcycle. Five of us rode our motorcycles out to Sturgis and my wife followed along with the SUV and all the equipment. We took three days to make the journey out to Sturgis. We stopped at Gail and Debbie Williams who live in Presho, SD on the way out. Gail and Debbie always offer the best in hospitality, a great meal and a place to sleep. We slept in the Sunday School rooms of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Rapid City, SD during the rally and we worked in the Baptist booth for three days.

We were not there just to give away a Harley Davidson motorcycle, but that is the motivation to get the motorcycle enthusiasts who come to Sturgis from all over the world to listen to our three minute testimony. The results are amazing. About one in four people we share with make the decision to pray and invite Christ Jesus to be the Lord of their life. You can read the Baptist Press story for more details. This year over 800 people prayed to receive Christ. What an opportunity to share Christ!

This is my third year to go to Sturgis and work with Dakota Baptists. It is a great opportunity to share our faith, but we also need to work and share our faith close to home. We may not have a motorcycle to give away to get people to listen to us, but we can still share. Some people are hungry to listen to what we have to say. If we pray for God to give us opportunities, then He will.

I was getting my hair cut the other day by a new hair stylist that I had not used before. She asked me what I did for a living. I told her I was a minister and from there she asked me a lot of questions about what I do. I was able to share with her and others who worked in the shop about our new church being planted in the area and invite them to check it out. They were very open to the invitation and seemed thankful for the invitation. I am hoping the conversation will go a little deeper next time and that I will have an opportunity down the road to share my three minute testimony with them.

What about you? Most Christians never in their Christian lives ever lead anyone to Christ personally. That should not be. You have a story to share and it is worth sharing. Tell someone your story this week and let someone know what Christ means to you. You can do it! Christ Jesus said, " I will be with you always...." and Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." You have no excuse for not sharing. "Just do it!"

IBSA Disaster Relief

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:27:00 +0000

We were able to get over here to Parkersburg, IA Friday night, May 30th and help set up the equipment from IBSA Disaster Relief Trailer to cook for Saturday and Sunday along with the Iowa Disaster Relief team. Adia Hollingsworth, Virginia Johnson, and Shelby Kerly, members of Calvary, Rockford, came with me. We are staying at a local junior high school in nearby Aplington, IA. Many of the Iowa folks have been here all week and were getting weary. Along with the Iowa Disaster Relief teams we prepared 5000 meals today and will prepare another 5000 meals tomorrow. The people here are holding up well but the town of Parkersburg has been devastated. One third of the town has lost their homes. This is a tight knit community and there has been an out pouring of support from volunteers this week. Most homes that were hit by the tornado will be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. Most of the Disaster Relief team worked preparing lunch and supper today, but I was asked to serve as a chaplain. It was a great opportunity to minister but it was also overwhelming. So much has been lost, yet many were grateful to be alive. The whole storm lasted less than 90 seconds and in that 90 seconds a third of homes were destroyed, numerous businesses were lost, the high school totally collapsed as flat as a pancake and so far seven lives have been taken. At least one family told me their mother was in the hospital in critical condition. All who have died were elderly with speculation that many of them could not make it to the basement of their home in time. Pray for us as we minister tomorrow. Most of the Illinois team will return home late Sunday or sometime on Monday, but Parkersburg will need our prayers for many days and weeks to come. Many of the residents have said, "Thank you for coming to help. We thank you for all you are doing." I personally will walk away with a greater appreciation for life and I would ask that none of you take life for granted. The people of Parkersburg can tell you, in 90 seconds your life can be changed forever

Improve Your Swing

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:55:00 +0000

Those of you who know me, know that I love to play golf. I love the challenge of the game. No matter how many times you play a course, the game is always different. The hole locations are always changing. The tee boxes are moved around some and the conditions of the course can make a difference in your scores on any given day. It is a challenging game and I love a challenge.

It was with great interest that I read about Tiger Woods reinventing his swing in 1997. This is a guy who had been playing golf since he was four years old and had been one of the most consistent golfers at the college and amateur level for many years. He had won six PGA tour events with that swing including the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes. The reason he decided to overhaul his swing in 1997 was so he could be more consistent and more creative with his swings. Bottom line? He wanted to improve his golf game.

Most of us would have been perfectly happy with Tiger’s golf game, but Tiger knew he could do better and get better, if he made some changes in his golf swing. So he made the changes necessary and he is on track to be have the most wins of all golfers of all time.

Most of us could learn a lesson from Tiger in our spiritual lives. We need to be more consistent in some of the basics of the Christian life. May I suggest some “swing” changes in our spiritual lives that will make us more consistent in our fruitfulness for the Lord.

q Daily Bible reading. The Bible is the world’s best selling book, but probably the least read. I challenge you to read through your Bible every year or at least every two years until Jesus comes back. The discipline will elevate your spiritual life and give you “distance” in your walk with Him. Read your Bible every day.

q Prayer. We need to be on our knees every day and talking to Lord and the instructions He wants us to follow. It is only through a consistent quiet time that we can manage the “course” of our life effectively. We need to touch heaven and earth with our prayers. The demons should shudder to know that we are on our knees before God every day.

q Church attendance. Many Christians just attend church when its convenient or when nothing else is going on. Jesus instituted the church as a tool to advance His kingdom on earth. We will not “advance” the kingdom very much if we do not attend the “coaching” sessions at church. We need workers and students and families who are consistent in their church attendance. We need less of a consumer attitude, “What can the church do for me” and more of a servant’s attitude, “What can I do to help my church advance the work of God’s kingdom.” Our family has made it a point never to miss a Sunday worship service. Even when we are on vacation or out of town in a conference, our family finds a place to attend church. Be consistent in your church attendance.

q Tithing. You can never make a better investment than when you invest in the Lord’s work. I do not know another investment in eternity, except an investment in a New Testament church. The only way a church can operate effectively is through the generous gifts of our membership. Tithing is simply a way of giving 10% of our income into the Lord’s work and acknowledging the fact that everything that we have comes from Him. The truth is 100% of what you earn should belong to the Lord. When you give the 10% He asks for, it is a way of acknowledging the fact that He has given you everything you have. Over all my years of ministry, I do not ever remember anyone saying, “Tithing is the worst decision I have ever made.” I have never heard anyone say, “I gave my tithe to the Lord, and now I can’t pay my bills.” “Honor God with your substance” and He will take care of you.

q Inviting. We need to be more consistent in inviting people to church, to Bible Study, and to Jesus. Most of you go to church because you enjoy it. We have a “product” that is worth sharing. There is no perfect church. There are none anywhere. But a church that preaches and teaches the Word of God and believes that Jesus can make a difference in every life is a church worth attending. Churches are made up of imperfect people encouraging each other to be more like Jesus and loving each other along the way. Invite others to enjoy your fellowship.

Tiger’s decision to reinvent his swing has paid off. Woods has won 13 professional major golf championships, the second-most of any male player, and 63 PGA Tour events, the fourth-most of all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on Tour. Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus's record of leading the money list in eight different seasons.. He is the # 1 golfer in the world and probably will be for many years to come.

We cannot be a “Tiger” on the golf course, but we can be a “Tiger” in our spiritual lives. Let’s work on consistency and keep the mighty work of God advancing in our own lives and in the life of our church. We may not be able to crush a ball like “Tiger”, but we can crush the enemy with our consistency in our Christian walk.

I hope you will be in church on Sunday!

Free English as a Second Language Classes

noreply@blogger.com (J.E. Hail) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:33:00 +0000

Free English as a Second Language Classes

Registration will begin on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 10 AM - 12 noon.

Classes will begin on Monday, February 18th at 10 AM - 12 noon.

Location: First Baptist Church Machesney Park

718 Harlem Road

Machesney Park, IL 61115

For more information, call (815) 633-2740. Help us get the word out.