The Fountain

A Letter to My Son (by Stephen Simpson)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:52:00 +0000

(Josiah Benton Simpson - born December 16, 2011)

Dear Son,

It is hard to believe that you are finally here. When I look at you, I see myself. It is a strange feeling. It feels like I have the opportunity to start my life all over again.

Someday, you may be able to understand how amazing it is that you are here. Your mother was pregnant 4 times. Each time, she was fiercely sick. Our doctor has said that she almost died two different times. After her third pregnancy, our doctor strongly encouraged us to not have any more children. That was a difficult message to hear. As time passed, we healed and prayed. We sensed that God might want us to travel through one final pregnancy. God chose to bless us with you, Josiah. It is important for you to realize that God brought you into this world. Your birth truly was a miracle.

Son, it is my prayer that you will grow up to be a godly man. In order for this to happen, you must submit to authority. This is no easy task. Tragically, as you grow up, you will meet many men who have never been taught this lesson. All of us are under authority. A godly man submits to authority with a humble attitude. You will be under someone's authority all of your life. There will be the authority of your parents, teachers, boss, local church, government, and most all, God. Son, I promise that I will help you learn to submit to authority. I will endeavor to exemplify godly submission to authority in my own life.

Secondly, godly men work hard. God expects us to work hard and to provide for our families. As you will see, too many men are lazy. Many of them intentionally avoid working and allow others to provide for them and their families. Josiah - Don't be lazy. Work hard. Be a good steward of the body and mind that God has given you. Again, I promise to exemplify hard work before you. It will be easier for you to learn how to work hard if you see this quality in me.

Finally, a godly man handle money wisely. Son, money is powerful. It can do great things. It can also be very deadly and destructive. Any money we have is given to us from God. He expects us to steward it well. Josiah, I promise to teach you about money. I will teach you how to spend it, how to save it, and how to give it away. I will teach you this with my words as well as with my actions.

Being a godly man involves much more that these three principles. But, the godliest men I know do all three of these things extremely well.

Josiah - I love you. I promise to tell you this with my words and with my actions. I promise to love your mother and to stay faithful to her because I know the consequences of failing to do this. I look forward to talking to you and to listening to you. I look forward to the time that God gives us together on this earth.

Love,

Daddy

Some Books I’ve read in 2011, and Some Books I Intend to Read in 2012 (by Peter Brock)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:12:00 +0000

5 Books I Read in 2011

Unbroken (by Laura Hillenbrand) – A story that demonstrates the depths of man’s sin and the greatness of God’s grace. The book is a biography of the life of Louis Zamperini, Olympic distance runner and WW2 POW. A must read. (Read an extended review on our blog.)
The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions (by Arthur Bennett) This is a resource that I go to several times throughout the year. The audio version is nice as well. The prayers of the Puritans challenge me like nothing else when it comes to my spiritual life. Their desire for holiness and sensitivity to sin causes me to look inward in honest evaluation each time I read or listen. Highly recommended.
John MacArthur-Servant of the Word and Flock (by Iain H. Murray) - This is a good book for those who want to know of MacArthur’s background as well as ministry successes and challenges. Recommended for those seeking to serve in the pastorate.
The Practice of Godliness (by Jerry Bridges) – An older book that I actually reread. Great for refocusing priorities and self-examination.
At the Throne of Grace – A Book of Prayers (by John MacArthur) - Nice collection of prayers by MacArthur that are built around various themes.

6 Books I Intend to Read in 2012

Killing Lincoln (by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard) The heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China - Liao Yiwu (Author); Wenguang Huang (Translator)
The Works of Stephen Charnock (5 Vols.) - Charnock was a Puritan theologian and preacher who was also chaplain to Henry Cromwell.
Sweetness – The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton (by Jeff Pearlman) - As a young boy growing up in PA, Payton was easily my favorite player. The only posters in my room were of Walter Payton. I’m looking forward to this one.
What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert)
The Meaning of Marriage (by Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller) – The Complexities of Commitment and the Wisdom of God

Related Posts:

13 Books I Read in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)

FBC 2011 Annual Report

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

FBC held its annual business meeting on Sunday night, January 22nd, 2012. The 2012 proposed budget was approved and 5 new deacons were elected. Additionally, the 2011 Annual Report was distributed. We have prepared the 2011 Annual Report as a pdf file for electronic viewing.

Click Here to view the 2011 Annual Report

Listen to Pastor Osborne's Vision for FBC

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:44:00 +0000

On Sunday night, January 8th, Pastor Osborne presented a vision for the future of Faith Baptist Church. He began by challenging us to focus on three incredibly important thoughts.

Do we really believe God is in control of the universe?
Do we really believe God truly loves us?
Do we really believe God will take care of us?

Listen to Pastor Osborne’s Vision for the Future of FBC.

Read more posts by Pastor Osborne:

13 Books I Read in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:29:00 +0000

One of my goals for 2011 was to finish at least one book per month. As I reviewed my goals list for 2011, I got really excited when I realized that I read a total of 13 books. Some were better than others. But I thought you might be interested in what I read in 2011. I’ve included some of my thoughts along with each book.

Decision Points (by George W. Bush) President Bush reviews the major decisions/events of his presidency.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters (by Meg Meeker) A very good book. It helped me better understand the importance of my role as a father to two daughters. Should be required reading for every man who has a daughter. Read more about this book.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart (by Tedd Tripp) The classic book on parenting. Should be required reading for every parent.
Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ (by John MacArthur) Good book. A little repetitive at times. Read a review of this book.
Open: An Autobiography (by Andre Agassi) Growing up, I was a big Andre Agassi fan. He and Pete Sampras had one of the best tennis rivalries ever. In this book, he tells his story. It was very interesting to read. But, it felt very one-sided. I would imagine this one-sided perspective is common to autobiographies. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book.
Dr. Gray at Moody Bible Institute (compiled/edited by William M. Runyan) A biographical look at Dr. James Gray and his time at Moody Bible Institute. Short but interesting.
Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery (by Eric Metaxas) Excellent book. Highly recommended. I’m also looking forward to reading Metaxas’s biography of Bonheoffer. Read a post on our blog inspired by this book.
Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits (by Jay Conrad Levinson, et al.) Highly practical book. I will revisit this book often.
An Unexpected Journey (by W. Robert Godfrey) I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I was hoping it would be more biographical than it ended up being.
Servanthood as Worship: ThePrivilege of Life in a Local Church (by Nate Palmer) Short book. Pretty good. Read more about this book.
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan (by Del Quentin Wilber) A minute by minute account of the events surrounding the attempted assassination of President Reagan. This book was hard to put down. Highly recommended.
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (by Seth Godin) A good book on being an indispensable worker. In my opinion, the format of Godin’s books makes them difficult to read.
Steve Jobs (by Walter Isaacson) A fascinating book. I enjoyed it immensely. It is so sad that in spite of all of the unbelievable talents that Jobs possessed, he was an awful and ungodly person. His life, in spite of all of his accomplishments, was truly tragic.

What books did you read in 2011?

How our family gained Financial Peace (by JR Foster)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Almost a year ago, JR Foster shared this testimony on our blog of how FPU helped him and his family. In light of our upcoming FPU class, I thought I would re-post JR's testimony. Our next class begins Thursday, Feb. 2nd. Visit our Website for more info.

Before taking the Financial Peace University course, we were servants to many lenders. We were living paycheck to paycheck and going further in debt. We had heard of Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace but thought there was nothing we could take away from the course. After much prayer and consideration, I decided to enroll and my wife agreed to follow whatever guidelines I was taught. At the time we had no idea how God would change our lives. In August 2009, I enrolled into Financial Peace University.

God was definitely in control of this decision because by October, I was unemployed. Despite the loss of my job for 7 months, I had the tools necessary to see my family through and actually pay off debt during this time. Financial Peace has certainly changed my views regarding money and debt. I am thankful that God let me to take this course.

The principles from Financial Peace have helped to set my family on a course of financial peace for now and for the future. I certainly recommend this course; it will change the way you control your money and debt.

What Are Your Goals for 2012? (by Stephen Simpson)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Welcome to January - a time for resolutions and new beginnings. It is a time to reflect on the past year. It is a time for evaluation.

I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. In my opinion, they are usually too open ended and too un-specific. For example, “I’m going to lose weight in 2012.” How much weight? When are you going to lose it? To accomplish this resolution, you simply have to lose half-an-ounce at some point. You do not have to keep the weight off, you just simply have to lose it.

Instead of resolutions, I am a huge fan of setting specific goals. A few years ago, I started writing down a list of goals each January. Then, I supdate my goals list at least once per month. If I have completed one of my goals, then I cross if off the list. Doing this has tremendously helped me track my progress.

I just finished working through my goals list for 2011. There were many things on that list that I accomplished. There were also many things that were left undone. It was encouraging to track the progress that was made. Here are some examples:

"Fix the tail light on the minivan." Done!
"Fix the kitchen light." Not done L yet…
"Grow church facebook page to over 300 likes." Done! Currently at 356!
"Grow Window mailing list to 300." Not done L currently at 289 (but we did make progress by adding 35)

My point is this – writing down your goals will help you accomplish them. Reviewing them each month will go another step in encouraging you to meet your goals. As you write your goals, be as specific as possible. Consider these examples:

"Save more money" (very unspecific)
"Save $5,000 by the end of the year" (very specific; If you update your goals list each month with the current balance in your savings account, you will be able to easily track your progress.)
"Read more" (bad goal – too undefined)
"Read 1 non-fiction book per month" (As you finish a book, add its title to your goals list. At the end of the year, you will be able to easily count how many non-fiction books you have read.)

So, before the month of January ends, I encourage you to set aside some to think through all that you would like to accomplish during 2012. Imagine yourself sitting down on January 1, 2013. What would you like to be completed before then? Write it down and then get to work.

What are your goals for 2012?

The Big Mistake (by Norm Hammond)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Norm Hammond is a member of Faith Baptist Church. Today he writes about a big mistake he made years ago.

In your marriage did you ever make a big mistake, a blunder, and error, or a faux pas? I did. In October of 1950, I was recalled to active duty in the Naval Reserve because of the war in Korea. Doris and I had been married 13 months when I received my orders to report to the staff of Comtrans Div 21 in Little Creek, Virginia. During my tour of active duty with Comtrans Div 21, my command was ordered to the Mediterranean for a tour of duty lasting four months.

Our first port of call was Gibraltar for change of command. During our first few days in Gibraltar, British and Spanish vendors came aboard ship to see their merchandise. One of the vendors was selling hand painted portraits made from snapshots. I had a very nice snapshot size picture of Doris in my billfold. From the photo to portrait examples he showed, I could see that a portrait of her would be a very nice souvenir. I gave the photo to the vendor and contracted to have the portrait painted for twenty dollars, a tidy sum in 1951. Since the snapshot was in black and white he needed to write down the colors to use; brown hair, brown blouse, white collar with white checks, brown eyes and eye brows. No payment was necessary now, satisfaction guaranteed upon completion of the 13x17 inch oil on canvas painting. In four months when we were back at Gibraltar, the vendor would return with the finished picture and collect the twenty dollar quoted price.

Four months later, we were in Gibraltar for change of command to another group of ships. The vendor came abroad and tracked me down to deliver the oil portrait. He un-wrapped the portrait so gingerly; you would have thought it might have been the Mona Lisa. When I saw the finished work, I could see that it was well done; however, there was something I could not explain about the portrait. It did not look right. His persuasive manner prevailed and I have him the money for the portrait. I tucked the portrait in a tube and put it in my luggage and began my journey back home.

We arrived in Little Creek, Virginia in mid October after 15 days at sea. Our second child was due in late November, so I have requested leave after he was born. Our first son was born on November 28th and I returned home to see the new addition. When I unpacked my things I found the tube with the new portrait inside. I proudly gave it to Doris as a memento of my return from sea duty. She opened the tube and unrolled the portrait and examined it with great expectation. There was a long silence, I thought, "Oh no, she sees the same thing I did when I decided to take the portrait, she's not pleased with it". Finally Doris said, "My eyes are blue, not brown!" I was speechless. I felt like an animal that had walked into a trap and the door slammed shut. How do I get out of this? Well, sometimes you don't. I had made a big mistake, a blunder, and error, a faux pas.

I'm glad Doris does not hold a grudge. She could have said, "That's all right honey, I forgive you," but she didn't. In fact she didn't say anything at all except, "my eyes are blue." I volunteered to have the brown eyes painted blue by an artist and she said, "Ok" without much enthusiasm. The eyes were painted blue by Doris and the portrait went back into the tube for safekeeping.

The portrait stayed in the tube amongst our stuff through two more children and five moves, the last one being our move to Florida after I retired. That adds up to 43 years the portrait stayed in drawers, closets, and chests. After our move to Florida in our present home, Doris decided to take the portrait and have it framed. After all those years, the portrait with blue eyes was framed and ready to hang. After considering several places to hang the portrait, she decided to hang it on our bedroom wall. The particular place where this hangs is directly in my sight as soon as I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to sleep. I think it was to remind me twice a day of that big mistake I made 43 years ago. I'd rather believe that after 43 years Doris is saying "I forgive you for your big mistake."

Other Posts by Norm Hammond:

A Rolex or a Diamond Ring?

November Recap

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Steve Jobs and FBC (by Stephen Simpson) ~ Stephen shared some important lessons that we, Faith Baptist Church, can learn from the life and death of Steve Jobs.

Thanksgiving, "I'm thankful for..." In this series our blog authors wrote about one thing they are thankful for.

The Beatitudes - Are You Satisfied? (by Stephen Simpson) ~ The question for you is simple: Are you satisfied? Where do you seek satisfaction?

A Vision for the Future of FBC (by Pastor Osborne) ~ In this series learn about the Vision for Faith and what we seek God's direction for in the years to come.

Sharing God's Love on Free Shopping Day (by Jonita Barram) ~ Learn more about each aspect of Free Shopping Day, which will take place this year on Saturday, December 10.

Previous Monthly Recaps:

Proud People Don't Say Thanks

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Thanksgiving: When we hear the word our minds go immediately to a usually lengthy list of those things and people that fill our hearts with gratitude and thanks. Family, home, church, and specific people in our lives all fight to be placed at the top of the list. God demonstrates His goodness to us on this earth by the tangible people and things we can observe and touch. And for those we are deeply thankful.

Yet, thankfulness goes much deeper. It begins in our hearts at the very character of God and demonstration of that character in the gift of His Son. John Piper in his sermon, "Proud People Don't say Thanks.", hits it right on the mark.

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Proud people can't be grateful. So here are three very humbling truths for the sake of your thankfulness.

Nature teaches us that an infinitely marvelous, eternally powerful being created us and all we have. Therefore we are his creatures. He owns us. Our life, our breath, and everything we have is a gift. Our duty is simply to be thankful to him from our heart and to cherish his glory.

All of us have fallen short of this duty. We have not consistently prized the diamond of God's glory with an affection anywhere near its value. Instead, we've exchanged it again and again for the cracked marbles that in our great "wisdom" we have determined are more valuable.

God, in his great mercy, sent his Son to suffer the judgment of people who are broken and contrite in spirit and who trust in him.

Proud people don't say thanks, but people who believe these three truths do. We are utterly dependent; we are depraved sinners; and we are redeemed and forgiven through contrite faith.

If this penetrates our hearts today, we will be emptied of pride and filled with thankfulness to God.

Amen!

Other Thanksgiving 2011 Posts:

I'm Thankful for Pastor Jerry (by Stephen Simpson)
Thankful for the Lord's Birds (by Lee Dusing)
Thankful for This Time and Place (by Jonita Barram)
Thankfulness at Thanksgiving (by Lou Gentry)
I'm Thankful For... (by Matthew DelValle)

Sharing God's Love on Free Shopping Day (by Jonita Barram)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Faith Baptist Church’s annual Free Shopping Day will be Sat., Dec. 10. Lil Tolley came up with the idea of FSD. She says the goal is for the church to show our love for the shoppers, and tell them that God loves them more than we do. The desire is to see “many lives turn to Jesus Christ.”

Since the purpose of Free Shopping Day is to see many lives turn to Christ, shoppers who come to FSD will be directed to the chapel to hear about Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. Sean Fielder says:

The main purpose of the gospel presentation is to show the people whom we’re serving the reason that we’re doing the event. To summarize, we are doing something for them that they could not do for themselves because Christ has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves.

Sean makes it clear that the church is here on FSD to help with gifts because times are hard right now and a lot of people can’t buy gifts as they would want to. “So,” he says, “‘we are doing this for you when you are not able to do it. But the reason we’re doing this is because Christ did something for us that we were not able to do, which was save us.’ So we try to draw a parallel.” He says that the gospel presentation sets the Free Shopping Day apart as a church doing something, not as another community event. He says FSD is more than a charity event, that we are “drawing a picture.”

Gospel Presentation
The gospel presentation takes place in the chapel before shoppers are ushered into the shopping area, 100 at a time. The gospel presentation starts with a 5-minute video, narrated by Jerry Smith. It tells the story from creation and the fall of man and the promise of the Savior to the nativity—how Jesus came to save us and restore our relationship with God. Sean says, “That is where the video ends; then we pick it up from that point on live.”

That “live” portion includes two special music numbers: “What Child Is This?” and “He Looked beyond My Faults.” Sean says, “We’ll do a song, and then we’ll talk about part of the message of the song.” One message is that Jesus was not just a man, but the King. “The big theme at the end,” says Sean, “is that there is nobody good enough to make it to Heaven without salvation. And there’s nobody who has been bad enough to be exempt from salvation.”

Sean and those ministering with him will formally present the gospel seven times that day. Contact Sean if you are interested in helping, and definitely pray for him, those ministering with him, and all who will hear the gospel.

Moving On
As you can imagine, some people will be eager to get on with their reason for being at Faith on FSD: shopping! Sean says,

We realize that people are there to shop—get their presents and go. So we have a card that they fill out, with their name, phone, address, and all that. There are three boxes that they can check. The first one is “I know I’m not saved, and I want to talk to you about salvation.” “I am saved, but I’m looking for a church home.” Or, “My family and I are in need of prayer.”

Sean says: “People are more apt to check the box. And it’s easier to get a one-on-one follow-up with them than it is trying to do it right on that day because again, that day, they came here to shop. And this gives us a reason to follow up.” That follow-up gives people at Faith another opportunity to minister to people in the community. If you are interested in following up, contact Sean Fielder. And pray for this follow-up ministry.

A Testimonial
Jodi Murdoch’s family was one of those who shopped at FSD last year. She says FSD

was really a blessing. The boys—at the time, they were 11 and 9—seemed to really get a lot out of the salvation message and were excited about getting a New Testament. The parents were really relieved to have access to gifts for their children, because they absolutely couldn’t have afforded to give them anything for Christmas. So it was a real blessing.

She says the children enjoyed playing on the inflatables and the parents saw that they are “not in this boat by themselves, there are other people who are struggling.” Jodi says they really appreciated what they got.

Jodi herself was impressed by how well FSD was organized. She says:

They saved back nice gifts for each group so everything didn’t get picked over by the first group. I think everybody did such a great job, especially Lil. This has just been a real blessing that she has brought to the community.

Jodi plans to shop again this year and then join with other workers in providing a loving, serving environment for the shoppers. If you would like to be one of those workers, contact Lil Tolley. You can usually find her by the FSD table in the foyer.

The FSD Schedule
Lorrie Gnann is one of the workers who have been helping Lil Tolley from year to year in every stage of planning and carrying out Free Shopping Day. Lorrie describes the FSD schedule for shoppers.

Registration
The shoppers will gather at the front of Fellowship Hall, where Lorrie and her helpers will greet them and explain how the traffic will flow through the whole process. She will give each shopper an envelope with two tickets for each child that the shopper/shopping couple is shopping for. They will later exchange those tickets for gifts. At the registration table, shoppers will also receive a gift bag with brochures from the church, tracts, a church bulletin, and little toys for the kids.

Gospel Presentation
After registering, the shoppers—who have been assigned times for shopping so they will arrive in groups of 100 at a time—will move into the chapel, where they will hear a gospel presentation. After the gospel presentation, each shopper will receive a free Bible.

From the chapel, the shoppers will go into Fellowship Hall for a time of fellowship with people from our church. This is the opportunity for the members of Faith to get to know the shoppers and perhaps even share the gospel with them personally and informally. Lorrie says she thinks this is a great idea. “Before, they were hearing the gospel and then going straight in to do their shopping. This is going to give them the opportunity so that the people who have questions don’t feel pressured that they’ve got to leave to go shop.”

Shopping
From Fellowship Hall, the shoppers will go to the Family Life Center gymnasium to do their free shopping. After they’ve chosen their gifts, they will go to a gift-wrapping area to get their gifts wrapped. Lil Tolley says, “The reason we offer gift wrap is it completes the process and gives some of that wow factor. When the adults walk out of the building and they have beautifully wrapped gifts, people are going to remember ‘beautiful—that church’; ‘beautiful—God.’ It helps the people, and it also keeps the gift a secret.”

Weary shoppers will then be able to sit down for a meal provided and served by the people of Faith Baptist.

A Word to the People of Faith
Lorrie says that those who work on FSD show God’s love, show that we’re a caring group, that we’re there to help the shoppers, we’re there to bring the message to them to lead them to salvation.”

If you are thinking of participating, Lorrie would tell you, “It’s just an awesome experience.”

What would God have you do on Free Shopping Day?

I'm Thankful For... (by Matthew DelValle)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

I am a sinner overwhelmed by the mercy of God. He never ceases to do me good. How could I ever return back to my old nature, when I “did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Romans 1:21)? I can do no such thing. It is my heart’s desire to give thanks and honor to my ever-faithful God. And what else can I say but echo the words of Scripture in giving thanks for all the Lord’s manifold blessings:

I am thankful for the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:1; 107:8).
I am thankful for the Lord’s righteousness (Psalm 7:17).
I am thankful because God chose me to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
I am thankful that God answered me and has become my salvation (Psalm 118:21).
I am thankful for the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, who has delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to his kingdom, and thus qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12-14).
I am thankful that I, who was once a slave of sin, have been set free from sin and become a slave of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18).
I am thankful for victory over death through the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
I am thankful that in everything by prayer and supplication I can make known my requests to God (Philippians 4:6).
I am thankful for the Church, because its faith is proclaimed in all the world, spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere (Romans 1:8; 2 Corinthians 2:14).
I am thankful for Faith Baptist Church, because of our partnership in the gospel from the first day I joined until now (Philippians 1:3).
I am thankful for the generosity of God’s people, for giving me scholarships to attend seminary (2 Corinthians 9:11).
I am thankful for Bible-saturated hymns and gospel songs to sing to God with my brothers and sisters in Christ (Colossians 3:16; Psalm 35:18).
I am thankful for the people God has placed in my life: for my wonderful parents who raised me to love God and His Word and to follow Christ; for my brother and sister-in-law who model godliness to me and encourage me to pursue ministry; for my many friends and relatives for their constant love and support throughout all the years—thank you, thank you, thank you for investing in me, praying for me, supporting me, and for your faithfulness. Words are inadequate to describe my gratitude to God for all of you. I would not be who I am without God providentially placing you in my life. I cannot wait to spend eternity with you as we worship our triune God together. I love you with all my heart (1 Timothy 2:1).

Other Thanksgiving 2011 Posts:

I'm Thankful for Pastor Jerry (by Stephen Simpson)
Thankful for the Lord's Birds (by Lee Dusing)
Thankful for This Time and Place (by Jonita Barram)
Thankfulness at Thanksgiving (by Lou Gentry)

A Specific Vision for Faith (by Pastor Osborne)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

In my last article, we looked at Church Growth and God-Honoring Vision. Today, I want to pick up where we left off.

So, what then is the vision for FBC? What do we pray about and seek God's direction for in the next 10 years?

We seek to glorify God by building His church through preaching, teaching and exhorting the blood-bought devoted followers of Jesus Christ to passionately obey God's Word in every area of their lives. We must be consciously aware that we are always in the presence of Holy God. Every thought, word, action, attitude, and motive is open before God and will be judged by Him. Living like that will cause both spiritual and numerical growth and God's church will be built according to His plan.

Faith's 100 & Faith Baptist Mission (FBM)
Under God's plan of the local church we believe God wants His church to impact even the remotest regions of the planet. Faith Baptist Church attempts to follow that mandate through its Faith's 100 Mission Program and Faith Baptist Mission. Faith Baptist Church will continue to send missionaries 100% supported all over the world. We will also assist other churches in sending missionaries through FBM. As FBM grows it will require a President, a financial administrator, an administrative assistant, and a mission secretary. The Mission accepts the responsibility of teaching churches how to be a genuine sending agent of the Gospel.

Christian Education
Every set of parents has to make a choice before God of how their children are to receive an education. Some parents choose to homeschool and some choose to send their children to a Christian school. I believe Faith Baptist Church can assist both groups by providing a Christian school from Pre-K through 12th grade which will challenge every student to reach for their intellectual potential while developing Godly character. I believe God will give us the ability to put together a school that has the potential of hundreds of full-time campus students and thousands of homeschoolers and on-line students. I believe we can put together a school that will compete with secular schools academically, artistically, and athletically. With a strong financial foundation we can offer this service to families at affordable tuition rates and fees while at the same time paying our teachers well. In order for us to stay focused we will not open the school without a financial foundation of at least one million dollars.

Seminary
The deepest form of discipleship is being trained in the Word of God at the highest levels. I believe Faith Baptist Church can create a seminary with the brightest minds and deepest thinkers as its lead professors. This seminary will have two tracks which include both academics and practical living. The seminary will offer both higher degrees and certificates so any adult can strengthen themselves in God's Word.

Faith Village Tower
God has given us a property that will allow us to build an independent living facility for senior citizens. We would offer a safe and beautiful place to live overlooking both Spirit Lake and Lake Sears. The tower would offer seniors a church campus, Bible studies, fellowships, and a place to live out their retirement years. They could continue to serve God and could create new friendships that in Christ will last forever. The tower would be a non-profit organization under the ministry of Faith Baptist Church that would produce revenues for future ministries all over the world.

Faith Coffee Shop (FCS)
At the front of the campus on the corner of Crystal Beach Road and Highway 540 would be the Faith Coffee Shop. It would offer quick and easy drive-through service. FCS would serve the entire community, hire FBC people, and help fund Faith's 100 for years to come. You can drive through or come inside and read your Bible, a book, the paper, or visit with a friend. It would also house a large conference room for private meeting.

What does all of this look like? On the 23 acre site across Crystal Beach Road on Spirit Lake we would see four buildings: a new church auditorium, Faith Village Tower, the high school and seminary building, and the coffee shop. Around the whole property is a walking path which would take you by the lake and through a quiet garden where anyone can come and commune with God.

If you want to hear more about this vision and see what it may look like in the years ahead then come to a vision service on Sunday night, January 8, 2012. Pray, believing that God can do the impossible.

The Ox & His Dirty Stall (by Pastor Osborne)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Solomon wrote "Where there is no ox, the stall is clean." Clean stalls are great. They look good. They smell good. They can even become the pride of the builder and the envy of stall spectators. However, without the ox, not much work is going to be accomplished. There lies the problem. An ox in the stall is going to get messy and those messes have to be cleaned up. We cannot expect the ox to do it.

Church Growth
Church growth is measured in two areas. First, there is spiritual growth. As God's Word is preached, taught, and modeled to God's people and as God's people apply and practice what they are seeing and hearing from God's Word, spiritual growth is the result. Second, there is numerical growth. As God's people grow and become genuinely excited and passionate about their God and what they see Him doing in and through their lives - they cannot help but be attractive to many others who want God to do the same thing in their own lives. Numerical growth is the result.

People Make Messes
Everyone wants spiritual and numerical growth. But, when it happens, just like the ox in the stall, pastors in pulpits and people in pews make messes. All those messes have to be cleaned up and that takes time, effort, energy and a strong faith in our all-knowing God.

There are some in the church who say "I'm out of energy. We don't need anymore growth and we surely do not need anymore messes to clean up. Let's accept things as they are and settle down." There are others who simply 'like the way things are now,' and would say "we do not need any more changes." There are still others who are afraid of more people and the cost involved of facilitating those people and their spiritual growth. There are also those who want to move forward, reach as many people as they possibly can, and trust God for the wisdom and energy to clean up the messes.

Pastors and Churches
This is one reason why God gave Pastors to Churches. Pastors are to lead God's flock with biblical wisdom and articulate a vision that will guide the church to both spiritual and numerical growth. Pastors clean up the messes. They do all of this so that both the church and the community know that God is alive, working in the lives of people, and receiving all the credit for His work.

The central theme of the Bible is "God receives all the glory." Therefore, articulated and excited vision for the church is ultimately for God's glory. If it is for any other reason, then eventually it will be exposed as worthless human reasoning and that vision will collapse. That is not to say that God-honoring vision isn't redirected as time passes. Of course it is. That does not mean that God has changed, but our knowledge of what God is doing over a period of time does change, and we need to respond to that knowledge.

God-Honoring Vision
The question then becomes, "What is God-Honoring Vision?" To answer that question we will start with what it is not. God-honoring vision never emulates a man or a group of men. When an individual or group want to promote themselves or in some subtle way give themselves the credit for what God is doing - they must get ready for an eventual collapse. The greatest thing in all the world is to be a tool in the hand of God. However, we must consciously be aware that God does not need us to carry out His plan. His plan will be carried out with us or without us. I simply desire to be one of His sharp tools that He can use to do whatever He want - whether I like it or not. That is why God wants obedience to His word more than personal sacrifice. He receives all the glory.

So what then is the vision for Faith Baptist Church? What do we pray about and seek God's direction for in the next 10 years? Come back to the blog on Monday. I will try to break it down in bite-sized chunks.

Thankfulness at Thanksgiving (by Lou Gentry)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, it is a time to pause and reflect upon our blessings. Like most Christians, the blessing I am most thankful for is my salvation through the redemptive blood of Jesus. But beyond my salvation, what is it for which I am most thankful? For me, it is the Bible and its preservation by the hand of the Lord down through the ages. Just as Jesus came to earth to be the living revelation of God, I believe the Bible serves as God's written revelation of Himself.

I do not worship the Bible. Jesus the Christ, and He alone, is the only One worthy of my worship; but I revere God's Word. When you consider the many heresies which exist today, just think about what kind of religion Christianity would be without the Bible. The many factions which now exist even though we have the written Word would pale in comparison with the number we would have without it--and many of these factions would probably be extreme.

The Bible has been under attack since the early centuries of the church. Yet, under God's providence, it has been protected and still stands. Perhaps A. Z. Conrad in a piece entitled, "There It Stands," best sums up the survival of the Bible:

Century follows century---There it stands.
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten---There it stands.
Dynasty succeeds dynasty---There it stands.
Kings are crowned and uncrowned---There it stands.
Despised and torn to pieces---There it stands.
Storms of hate swirl about it---There it stands.
Agnostics smile cynically---There it stands.
Profane, prayerless punsters caricature it---There it stands.
Unbelief abandons it---There it stands.
Thunderbolts of wrath smite it---There it stands.
The flames are kindled about it---There it stands.
The arrows of hate are discharged against it---There it stands.
Radicalism rants and raves against it---There it stands.
Fogs of sophistry conceal it temporarily---There it stands.
The tooth of time gnaws, but makes no dent---There it stands.
Modernism tries to explain it away---There it stands.
An anvil that has broken a million hammers---There it stands.

I praise God frequently for the preservation of His Word throughout the ages. I hope you do as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Other Thanksgiving 2011 Posts:

I'm Thankful for Pastor Jerry (by Stephen Simpson)
Thankful for the Lord's Birds (by Lee Dusing)
Thankful for This Time and Place (by Jonita Barram)
I'm Thankful For... (by Matthew DelValle)

Thankful for This Time and Place (by Jonita Barram)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

When I think of the lives of the majority of women who have lived or ever will live, I am thankful to have been born in the last half of the twentieth century and to be living in the first half of the twenty-first century. I am especially thankful to live in the United States of America.

My father’s generation was the first in his extended family to attend college. While I was growing up, my dad talked to me as though going to college was a foregone conclusion. I lived in a family that valued higher education and could afford to provide it for me. I lived in a culture that encouraged higher education and careers for women. In previous generations, that opportunity would not have been open to me. It may not be available to future generations.

I have never been married. But my college education has equipped me to support myself through full-time employment. In previous generations, had I been unmarried, my employment opportunities and living arrangements would have been limited. I am thankful, too, that today, never-married women are considered “single,” not “unclaimed jewels” or “old maids.”

Jonita with her brother and a sister after graduating Bob Jones
University with an EdS in English education.

I am especially thankful to be part of the Baby Boomer generation in America, because, for the most part, females are valued. This is largely because of the influence of Biblical Christianity. Past generations sometimes viewed women with less balance than what I have experienced. Women of future generations may not be as valued as women of my day have been, because our culture is losing the influence that held women in such high regard, protected us, and cared for us.

While I am not married, I think I have benefited from the Bible’s teaching on how men ought to treat their wives. The Bible’s teaching has influenced how all women are treated where Christ has transformed hearts. So I am cared for with respect by the men in my life. Universally, however, the majority of women have not had that respect. They have not been protected and cared for.

I am especially thankful that I do not live in a time or culture that considers women a disappointment or burden, disposable, and unimportant. I am thankful that our culture does not consider it justice for a woman to be abused as a way to shame her family because of what male family members did. I am thankful that our society does not yet encourage violence against women who “shame” their families.

I am thankful to have lived in wealthy, free America. I’m thankful to have lived in Christian America. I have truly been blessed!

Other Thanksgiving 2011 Posts:

I'm Thankful for Pastor Jerry (by Stephen Simpson)
Thankful for the Lord's Birds (by Lee Dusing)

I'm Thankful for Pastor Jerry (by Stephen Simpson)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

This Thanksgiving season, I am thankful for Pastor Jerry Smith. He is our Associate Pastor for Music and Visitation. My experience with Pastor Jerry began in 1990 when my family began attending FBC. At that time, FBC was without a Senior Pastor and Pastor Jerry was 'holding down the fort.' When I first met Pastor Jerry, I was probably 9 years old. In the 21 years that I have know him, my respect and appreciation for him has only grown.

When I think of Pastor Jerry, I am especially thankful for:

His Faithfulness - Pastor Jerry has served at FBC for over 27 years. It is increasingly rare for an individual to stay at the same job for this length of time. It is even more rare for a man to be an Associate Pastor at the same church for 27 years. During his time at FBC, he has seen Senior Pastors come and go. He has seen Youth Pastors come and go. Yet through it all, Pastor Jerry has faithfully continued to serve God and Faith Baptist Church
His Steadiness - Pastor Jerry is steady. When things get tough, he remains steady. If no one shows up for choir practice, he remains steady. When a dress rehearsal goes terribly, he remains steady. In situations where others might be susceptible to emotional highs and lows, Pastor Jerry remains steady. When our church went a few years with no Senior Pastor, Pastor Jerry remained steady and kept on serving. I am thankful for his steady demeanor.
His Perspective - Pastor Jerry keeps things in perspective. He excels at seeing the bigger picture. The big picture is that souls are lost and need Jesus. He understands that the Music Ministry is simply a tool to help people find Jesus. He understands that the preaching of God's Word is primary in the worship service. Music is secondary. I am thankful that Pastor Jerry keeps things in perspective.
His Kindness - Pastor Jerry is kind. He demonstrates kindness to his wife and family. I have seen him demonstrate kindness to complete strangers. I have seen him show kindness in even the most difficult of situations. Kindness is not easy. I am thankful for the kindness that Pastor Jerry consistently shows to those around.
His Humor - Pastor Jerry is very funny. I appreciate his sense of humor. He makes me laugh all the time.

Wagon Wheel Willy from VBS 2003

Above all, I am thankful for the example that Pastor Jerry is to me. He is not perfect. But, he is an excellent example of a man who has faithfully served his wife, his family, and his church for many years. May God bless Faith Baptist Church with many more men like Pastor Jerry Smith.

Other Thanksgiving 2011 Posts:

Thankful for the Lord's Birds (by Lee Dusing)
Thankful for This Time and Place (by Jonita Barram)

The Beatitudes - Are You Satisfied? (by Stephen Simpson)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

There is within every man and woman a deep longing for satisfaction. No one is born completely satisfied. There is an emptiness in the soul. There is a void that longs to be filled. Men try to fill that void with various pursuits and ‘things.’ Ultimately, they find that nothing brings lasting satisfaction. They echo Solomon, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

The message Jesus preaches is that satisfaction is only found in the righteousness of God. A hunger and thirst for righteousness will result in satisfaction.

This fourth Beatitude marks a culmination of the first four. The one who recognizes the poverty of his spirit, is filled with Godly sorrow over his sin, and responds with a submissive spirit that is yielded to the authority of God, will have an intense hunger and thirst for righteousness. And ultimately, they will be satisfied. They will desire the things of the Lord.

So, the question for you is simple: Are you satisfied? Where do you seek satisfaction?

Other Posts in 'The Beatitudes' series:

Thankful For The Lord's Birds (by Lee Dusing)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

In view of the Thanksgiving season, I have asked our blog authors to write about one thing they are thankful for. Lee is up first.

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. (1 Chronicles 16:8 KJV)

One thing is all Stephen will let us be thankful for. So I won't mention the other 9,000 things I am thankful for.

The Lord has given me an interest in our avian friends, the birds, and it has brought so many blessings from it. When observing them, their colors, behavior, the variety, and just the wonder of them, I can't help but be THANKFUL!

The Lord and I have a running conversation when birdwatching or looking for photos of birds for my blog. Here are some of my thought and talks with Him:

"Wow! Look at you! Lord you really created them neat"

"Lord, what an amazing coloring."

"Amazing! How did you think of so many different designs and colors?"

"(Chuckle) Lord you sure have a sense of humor on some of these birds!"

"Lord, you caused the donkey to talk, could you bring that bird out where I can see it.?" (Thankfully, it has worked several times. Thank You Lord.)

On and on the conversations go. I love the Lord and I am so thankful to Him for that interest and the love He has put in me for His Creation, especially the birds.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:20 KJV)

Other Thanksgiving 2011 Posts:

I'm Thankful for Pastor Jerry (by Stephen Simpson)
Thankful for this Time and Place (by Jonita Barram)

Other Posts by Lee:

Steve Jobs and FBC (by Stephen Simpson)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Steve Jobs has died. If you don't know who he was, just google his name. Personally, I have read probably 15-20 different articles all reflecting on his life and influence. It is staggering to consider his life and what he accomplished.

But, today I want us to think about the relationship between Steve Jobs and our church. In reality, there is no relationship apart from those of us who have an iPod, iPad, or iPhone. Steve Jobs never visited our church. It is safe to assume that he never even visited our website or our blog. And yet, I think there are some important lessons that we, Faith Baptist Church, can learn from the life and death of Steve Jobs.

Remember the source of all talent. There is no denying that Jobs was uniquely talented. One article I read compared him to Leonardo da Vinci. When we see someone with the talents and abilities that Jobs had, we need to remember the source those talents.
Be Creative. Nothing about Steve Jobs was boring. The products he helped to create are far from boring. As you and I travel through life, let us work to be creative. Being boring is easy.
"The most sobering reality in the world is that people are dying and going to hell today." Bob Jones, III made this statement often during my four years at BJU. To my knowledge, Jobs never claimed to be a follower of Jesus Christ. If Jobs died without Christ, then he is in hell. This is a sobering thought. No amount of talent or creative genius will get a person to heaven. We will all be judged the same. Only the work of Jesus, on our behalf, will be counted as righteousness by God.

Other Posts:

LEGOLAND® Florida and FBC - What Does it Mean? (by Stephen Simpson)
Napoleon & Christ (by Lou Gentry)

October Recap

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:59:00 +0000

God Gives Good Gifts: A Ladies' Retreat ~ The Women's Ministries of Faith Baptist sponsored a Ladies' Retreat October 14 and 15. Find out more about the retreat and specific workshops by reading the following articles by Jonita Barram

Michael & Mary Meehan are members of our church. Mary shared her testimony - an amazing story of the grace of God

Eight Analogies of Grace from 2 Samuel 9 (by Pastor Osborne) ~Recently, Pastor Osborne preached a message entitled Eight Analogies of Grace. In that message, from 2 Samuel 9, Pastor looked at the kindness David showed to the last member of Saul's family - Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. Pastor highlighted Eight Analogies of Grace that we can see from that story.
What is Faith's 100? ~ You've heard about Faith's 100, but do you know what it really is? Read this article to find out the vision behind Faith's 100.
Faith Baptist Mission & EBM ~ Learn how Faith Baptist Mission came to be.
Broken & Spilled Out - Thoughts on the Ladies' Retreat (by Lee Dusing) ~ Lee Dusing, event coordinator, gives a glimpse of the time spent at Camp Gilead.
God's Gifts to Me through the Ladies' Retreat (by Jill Osborne) ~ Jill Osborne shares some of what God did at the Ladies' Retreat.
Free Shopping Day 2011 - It's Right Around the Corner ~ Lil Tolley, event coordinator shares the reasons we do the Free Shopping Day and what it is all about.
A Rolex or a Diamond Ring? ~ Norm Hammond is a member of Faith Baptist with a unique story. This tale is of a Rolex watch and the trouble that it caused.

Previous Monthly Recaps:

A Rolex or a Diamond Ring? - conclusion (by Norm Hammond)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Norm Hammond is a member of FBC. Today, Norm finishes his tale about a Rolex. Make sure you read Part 1 and Part 2 before reading the conclusion.

I was very proud of my new watch. I could not wait to find out how much my watch was worth. I visited some jewelry stores and discovered that the price for an Oyster Day Date Rolex was $14,750.00. Not many people in my circles wore Rolex watches, so people notice the distinctive look and ask about your watch. Then I could say, yes, it was free. I won it by making a hole-in-one at a golf outing. Well August and the rest of the year went fine with many people wanting to hear about my new watch. A few accounting types asked if I had to pay taxes on it. I said it was a gift and gifts under $10,000.00 did not have to be reported to the IRS. I was whistling in the dark. The accounting types who asked about paying taxes turned out to be right. In January, I received a 1099 with $10,000.00 on it with no withholding! I had to pay income taxes on it at my high rate, ouch! At least the 1099 was for the wholesale price. The Rolex I won became the most expensive watch I had ever owned.

I had to have two links of the watch band removed at a jewelry store to make the band fit my wrist. The jeweler included the removed links in the package when I picked up the watch. I told him I guess I wouldn't have any use for the spare links, but changed my minds when he said it was worth $250.00 for the gold alone. I also learned that Rolex chronometer watched should be serviced once a year. The service is provided by local jewelry stores who sell Rolex watches. When I took my Rolex in for its first service I was told that the service fee would be $250.00. The lump in my throat was so high I could hardly speak. I mumbled something about it wasn't quite time for the service yet, I was just inquiring. Then I began to think about insurance for my watch. After inquiries to several insurance companies, I thought their quotations were exorbitant, so forget that!

I continued to wear my Rolex for almost 10 years. I was older and my forgetfulness was beginning to be a frequent reality. When I went to play golf I put my Rolex into my golf bag pocket. Several times I would go to the bathroom or otherwise be separated from my golf bag and watch. On several occasions it would be dark when we arrived at the golf course. Those times when I would be separated from my watch and golf bag, I began to worry. How many men knew about my Rolex and might have seen my put it into my golf bad pocket? To protect against this eventuality I stopped putting the watch in my golf bag to play golf. I left it in the car locked for safekeeping when I drove to the golf course. But I didn't always drive and when I rode with someone else I continued to put the watch in my golf bag.

One morning, I drove to the course and put my watch in my locked car for safekeeping. When I returned to the car after golf, I searched my golf bag for my watch forgetting that I had left it in the car. It wasn't there! I thought about the times I had been separated from my bag that day and they were numerous. I continued my search my bag where I was sure I had put it before playing and finally had to conclude it was not in my golf bag. Therefore it was lost or stolen. There was a feeling of terror that came over me, that is hard to describe. What and how would I tell my friends about the expensive watch I had lost? How could I be so careless? I put my clubs in the back of the car and walked to the front door and got in to drive home, wondering how I could explain the loss of such a valuable watch. When I sat behind the wheel I noticed a small part of a Rolex watch almost under the seat. I had looked there many times before but could not see it until I sat in the drivers seat. I was relieved that I really had not lost it at all. I hadn't put it in my golf bag that morning because I drove to the course alone. Did this incident happen for the Lord to show my what could happen to a forgetful old man?

I had been shopping for a diamond ring for Doris and the more I looked, the more I realized that this was going to be a very expensive idea. In a conversation with the jeweler, he noticed my Rolex watch. A sudden brilliant idea flashed across my mind, "Would he buy my Rolex or trade it in for a diamond?" To my complete amazement, he said yes! I timidly asked him how much my watch was worth and after examining it, he said $7,000.00. It was less than half the price of a new one, but I had worn it almost 10 years and Doris needed a ring and I wouldn't have to worry about loosing this expensive watch. When people would ask, "Hey Norm, where's your Rolex?" I could say, "I bought my wife a diamond ring." It was such a brilliant idea, I couldn't resist.

Now when people ask, "Hey Norm, where's your Rolex?" Doris can show them her ring. Doris wears the ring at all times. It is sized properly so she won't loose it. The heirloom that was a watch to be inherited by a son; suddenly became a diamond ring the daughters can fight for. It is better to give a ring than to wear a Rolex watch.

Wealth and possessions always create responsibilities we may not be prepared or willing to assume. I am relieved of the responsibility of owning and caring for such an expensive watch. I am now wearing an attractive "gold" watch purchased at the Winter Haven Flea Market for $19.99.. If I lose it, so what!

Related Posts:

A Rolex or a Diamond Ring? - part 2 (by Norm Hammond)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Norm Hammond is a member of FBC. Today he continues with part 2 of his story. In case you missed it, read part 1 first.

Hole number 12 on Sultan's Run is a 140 yard par three downhill. The pin was placed about six feet from the front edge of the green. Two players in my foursome teed off in front of me on this hole and both were on the green, but just past the hole. I selected an 8 iron to hit my shot and stepped up to the tee. I teed up a Titleist 6 ball on the tee, looked down at the green 140 yards away, took my stance and struck the ball. I felt as though it was a good stroke and might be good enough to get inside the other balls on the green for a "closest to the pin" prize. I watched my ball fall just short of the green on the apron, bounce up on the green once and fall directly into the cup on the next bounce. Wow! Wow! Wow! I ran around in circles with my arms high in the air. Wow! I hugged the young girls and shook hands with the other in my foursome. Wow! When the celebration calmed down, the young girls took my name as the winner of the Rolex, Wow! When we finished our round of golf on the 17th hole and carted through the 18th hole we passed the leader board. There posted for the entire world to see was: Norm Hammond hole-in-one on number 12, everyone at the golf outing wanted to shake my hand. I felt a little guilty because I was probably the least known individual on the course and was playing that day as a substitute for Jim Williams. God does some incredible things for us sometimes.

After the golf playing was over George and I drove back to the Holiday Inn to clean up and get ready for dinner at 6:30pm, Jasper Country Club. I called Doris to give her the good news and she already knew it. Good news travels fast! George had called his office in Indianapolis when he finished playing and told them about my hole-in-one. The secretary called the Ft. Wayne secretary to tell them about my good fortune. The Ft. Wayne secretary called Doris and told her about my lucky hole-in-one. Someone called Jim Williams in Grand Rapids and told him what he had missed by not being able to attend the golf outing.

At the reception that evening I was an instant celebrity. Everyone, it seemed wanted to shake my hand and congratulate me, maybe to rub off some of my good fortune. The reception blended into a delicious dinner. After the dinner there was a presentation of the prizes. There were prizes for the longest drive, straightest drive, closest to the pin on par 3's plus prizes for foursomes who scored well in the afternoon, after all this, the final presentation of the evening, the Hole-In-One prize.

I was called to the podium to receive the hole-in-one prize. I was sitting at a table in the rear of the room and as soon as I stood up there was a generous amount of applause from those present. I continued until I reached the podium and was greeted by the president of Jasper Rubber Company. From the time I stood up to walk to the podium, terror began to grip my emotions. Our host was very gracious and congratulated my for my accomplishment. Then continued saying that JARCO had had this annual golf outing for 30 years and no one had ever been able to hit a hole-in-one on the designated hole until now. He continued with a few more maudlin comments, but by this time my heart was beating fast and I could feel my face flushing with heat. The terror continued to escalate, after what seemed like an eternity he handed me the watch and asked me to say a few words. I really didn't expect to be asked to do that. Everyone else who had won a prize just came to the front and took their prize back to their table. By this time terror had my emotions in a tighter grasp than before.

I was not very coherent but managed to mumble something that I had used an 8 iron and the ball bounced twice and went directly into the cup. This was my first hole-in-one, ever. I appreciated being asked to attend the golf outing and hoped they would ask me to come again next year, but they didn't.

Come back on Monday to read the conclusion of Norm's story.

Related Posts:

A Rolex or a Diamond Ring? - part 1 (by Norm Hammond)

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Norm Hammond is a member of FBC with a unique story. Today he begins a three-part tale of a Rolex watch and the trouble that it caused.

Some telephone calls we receive are telemarketers to solicit money for charity of for some commercial purpose. Most telephone calls are for routine information and are soon forgotten. Others, however, can be welcomed because of some significant information received. There are still others which are welcomed for the information which is communicated and have ramifications for the rest of your life.

Such was a phone call Doris received at home from George Kriel at the Indianapolis Chemcentral office the week of August 11, 1992. George needed a golfing buddy to attend the Jarco Supplier Outing on Wednesday, August 19, 1992 in Jasper, Indiana. Since I was playing golf with friends at the time of the phone call, Doris said yes without consulting me! It was very presumptuous of her to say yes without consulting me even though I was retired. But under the circumstances I was not really angry. Doris had made a commitment for me and I was obligated to fulfill that commitment. I called George to confirm his request and thank him for it, turns out that George, the manager of Indianapolis was going to accompany Jim Williams to the Jarco Golf Outing in Jasper, Indiana on Tuesday, August 19th. Jim Williams, one of George's salesmen had been selected to attend management training in Grand Rapids, Michigan which meant George would have had to go alone unless I filled in for Jim. I realized that it would be a great sacrifice for me but one must not let down a friend when asked to help them in a time of real need.

So George asked if I could drive down to the Indianapolis plant on Tuesday morning. We would make a leisurely trip with some sales calls on the way down to Jasper. I left home early Tuesday morning and arrived at the Indianapolis plant about 9:00am. After some coffee and conversation with George we traveled to Terre Haute and made a sales call at MAB Paints with a luncheon. MAB Paints used to be Smith-Alsop in my Terre Haute days. After lunch we drove to Bloomington, made another call, and then finished the day driving to the Holiday Inn in Jasper to stay there for the night. Jasper is an old town settled primarily by German/Austrian descendants. Looking at some of the buildings and especially at the churches you can easily see this southern German/Austrian influence.

This golf outing was called the Annual Sales and Suppliers Golf Outing. Several companies hold such outings for an opportunity to invite customers and their salesmen, as well as key suppliers and company personnel to socialize and explore opportunities for closer business relationships. Jasper rubber had invited Chemcentral, Indianapolis as a key supplier to the festivities. Although George and I did not attend the cookout on Tuesday evening, we did attend the golf outing on Wednesday.

The gold outing was played on Sultan's Run Golf Course. The name of the gold course came from a very successful show horse named Sultan. Sultan's owner owned the land on which the golf course was built. Before that the golf course area had been Sultan's pasture field, thus the name of Sultan's Run. It was a relatively new course carved from Southern Indiana's rolling hills and creeks. The fairways were sodded with Zoysia so the course, was in excellent shape. George and I arrived early at the course because the format for the outing was a scramble with a shotgun start. Our foursome started on hole number eighteen. George started in a foursome on hole number 16 and so on. It is called a shotgun start because when all golfers are in position on their starting holes the pro fires a shotgun that can be heard over the whole course. In a scramble format each golfer his off the tee in any order.

The foursome moves up to their ball positions and decides which ball is best located to hit and all hit from the same place, this in continued until one of the four balls is in the cup. Score is kept by counting each of the best shots until the ball is in the cup. Jasper Rubber had had their golf outing for 30 years and no one had ever been successful in winning any of the par 3 hole-in-one prizes. There were two high school girls near the tee on number 12. They were observers to confirm any hole-in-one, should one happen that day. There were prizes for whoever was closest to the pin on all par 3's. The special prize on hole number 12 was a Rolex Oyster Day Date model wrist watch. Crafted with solid 18 karat gold and jeweled chronometer workings, it is the epitome of fine wrist watches...

Check back on Friday for the second part of Norm's story.

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Free Shopping Day 2011 - It's Right around the Corner

www.faithbaptistwh.org (www.faithbaptistwh.org) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Setup—Thurs. & Fri., Dec. 8, 9 | Shopping Day—Sat., Dec. 10

Three years ago the Lord gave Lil Tolley an idea: provide a free shopping day for those who cannot afford to purchase Christmas gifts for their families, share the good news of Jesus Christ with them, and teach children the true meaning of Christmas and the joy of giving. And that’s how FSD at Faith Baptist was born.

Click HERE to view photos and HERE to read a story from a past Free Shopping Day.

What’s new? During the three years that Faith Baptist has held FSD, Lil and her team of helpers, including Deacon James Barfield, have learned from each FSD and made improvements the following year. This year’s FSD will be different from the others in at least three ways:

We are not giving gifts to the adults; the children will make gifts for them. Lil says:

When God laid this on my heart, it was not just that the children should receive things, but that they should also learn about giving. That was a point of them choosing gifts for their parents. So we have decided that this year they will be making crafts for their parents.

Lil shares how God provided for these crafts: She and James had been talking over the idea of the children making gifts. “The very next Sunday, James came up to me and said, ‘Hey, Lil, have you seen the bulletin?’ He pointed to where Josh Brown had put a notice that there were a lot of boxes in a certain classroom. “I went over there and wrote ‘FSD’ on all but two of them. I think that 90% of our crafts and supplies were presented right there. I think it will be almost cost free for us to do the crafts. God really provided!” says Lil.

We will be using the Family Life Center this year. Lil says: “We’re using the new gymnasium this year, which I believe will make it a lot nicer, since we will be serving the food to our guests.”

We are giving gifts to 500 children.

What can I do? Lil says, “We need more volunteers!” Each member of Faith Baptist can use their spiritual and natural gifts to help. Here’s how:

Food prep and service—We need people to cook, serve the food, or talk to the people.

There are a lot of children who could not tell you the true meaning of Christmas. So that is the first step—to get them to understand what the true meaning is; that in the birth of Jesus Christ, that was the first step in our salvation plan. Eventually they learn the rest—about Him dying for us and taking our sins and that we then can live throughout eternity in peace with our Lord. — Lil Tolley, FSD Coordinator

Evangelism—“We need soul searchers,” says Lil.

We’ll use Fellowship Hall as a transition place. We need soul searchers to talk to them, tell them we love them, tell them Jesus loves them more.” Lil explains: “My real goal is that many lives will turn to Jesus Christ, that Faith Baptist Church will shine out in our community as a safe haven—a place where people can come and hear the truth, learn the truth, be taught the truth, and be supported by the truthful. The world has so many things to offer this year that are so temporal and they look nice and shiny on the outside, but when you get to the depths, they are just fake; they are not true. At Faith Baptist Church, they’re going to find the real truth. So the goal is that people will come to know Christ as their Savior and avoid that eternal separation that would happen if they didn’t know Him as their personal Savior.

Prayer—“We need prayer for this event. God has blessed us in the last two years more than we imagined,” says Lil. Here are eight prayer requests:

Gifts or money to purchase gifts for 500 children
Volunteers to help with FSD
Hearts open to the gospel. Lil says, “The big, big issue of this whole thing is to bring people to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.”
Soul seekers and speakers who will share the good news of Jesus Christ and the real meaning of Christmas
Loving, patient, kind workers on FSD. Lil says that the second goal of FSD is to bring glory to God.
The logistics. Pray for the logistics concerning gifts and numbers of people in any space at a given time. Lil says, “It takes a lot of organization and follow-through and coding things.” Keeping people moving is important. “We have to watch fire laws, so we can have only so many people in the chapel and other places,” says Lil.
The follow-up. Lil says, “We should pray for these families throughout the year—that hands would be stopped before they hit, that little ears would be protected, that the adults would find peace.”
Other aspects of the event

Gift-wrappers—“The reason we offer gift wrap is it completes the process and gives some of that wow factor. When the adults walk out of the building and they have beautifully wrapped gifts, people are going to remember ‘beautiful—that church’; ‘beautiful—God.’ It helps the people, and it also keeps the gift a secret.”

Corporate sponsors—Lil says, “We could use corporate sponsors. Because I’ve allowed myself to get too busy, that’s not something I’ve hit the streets and worked on.”

These are only a few of the areas available for service. Sign-up sheets are available at the FSD table in the foyer. “We’re asking volunteers to put an e-mail address because it takes so much time to sit down to talk (call) individually. So we’ll send one e-mail out to everybody,” says Lil. You can choose your area of interest, or you can indicate you’re willing to serve wherever needed.

Lil understands that times are tough for our church family. She says:

Some of them are probably discouraged—‘I can’t provide for my own family; how am I going to help provide for somebody else?’ My prayer is that God will provide. But the people who can’t give a gift or a financial gift, will be able to help out and have peace about that. Their gift [of service or prayer] is just as important as if they brought a toy or money.

How can I become a shopper?

If you’re interested in being a shopper, or if you know someone who is, pick up an application in the church foyer. Someone will be at the FSD table at least 30 minutes before and after every service, including Sunday School (except not before the 8 a.m. Sunday services). After a person submits the form, or “app,” they receive an orange slip. “That’s the way they get in the door,” says Lil.

All Applications Due by Sunday, November 13.