Psalms 100

Through the years I have put lots of scripture to memory.  I still remember one that I learned for a VBS contest when I was about 8 years old at Central Baptist Church Oak Ridge, Tenn.    Psalms 100!

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name. For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations.

VBS is a great time to teach and influence our children.  Please pray for our kids and workers next week.  Come and be a part of something in the future, our kids!      Bro Frank

Covenant Membership

When I was a boy I participated in a club in our neighborhood which involved cutting yourself with a piece of broken pop bottle and knowing where the secret hideout was located.  For boys about 9 or 10 this was serious business.  No girls, no crying and certainly no disloyalty to the club!

In my life today I belong to an organization that still requires the same devotion and commitment that I experienced as a boy.  The Church!  While my motives  and reasons my be different, my level of commitment exceeds the commitment even of my youth.  It is because of my covenant relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ that I have this level of commitment.  You see the Bible says we the Church are His bride.  With that comes responsibility and commitment.

For the next four weeks Iwill be preaching a series of four messages on the covenant membership of the local church.  We will explore what God’s word says about being a faithful church member.  I hope you will enjoy and be enriched by these messages.

Bro  Frank

Giving Heart

The greatest single factor in the success or failure of stewardship in any church is the leadership.  Members grow in their stewardship as their pastor and church lead them.  When church leadership neglects the performing of this stewardship ministry, it leaves the shaping of the members in the hands of secular society, which constantly urges it’s secular objectives on them.

Preaching and teaching biblical stewardship in the church can produce positive results such as changed lives, reordered priorities, and a fresh commitment to put God first in all areas of life (Matthew 6:33).

Clarence E. Hackett from  Pastor’s Stewardship Handbook

Vacation

Vacation has always been about family in my life.  When I was boy we would travel to Oklahoma to see my mother’s family. This year had a lot of family once again.  On Saturday June 16th all my kids and spouses met me in St.Louis for a Father’s day celebration at the Cards game (which they won).  Then all but Robert got to come to church on Father’s Day, which is always a treat!  Then it was off to the SBC in New Orleans where we met up with our good friends from Hannibal Jeff and Betty Anderson, also we met some old friends from Shawnee David and Kathy Jett.  David is the pastor of the largest SBC church in Mississippi, and went to church with us in Shawnee when Matt was a little boy and Tamara was only an “in the future” event!

We shared lots of meals and fun with our friends in New Orleans and then left on Friday to go to Houston to visit with our son Matt.  It was nice to see his new home and his girlfriend (potential mother of Grandchildren).  We got to go to Galveston and sightsee and of course eat wonderful food!!!!  It was wonderful to be with him and in his home with his friends and see his life up close.  We were able to go to 2nd Baptist Church in Houston on Sunday.  Their attendance was 21,000 for Sunday and their receipts were over $900,000.00 for the week.  That’s big church!!  They had 130 additions in the last 30 days!  God is still alive and working!!

We then left on Sunday afternoon and traveled to Dallas for dinner with Dr Paul and Barbara Stutz and Mike and Mary Davis,  all of us knew each other in Shawnee also.  It was great to see them all again.  Mike and Mary have a little girl named Anna so I got to practice my grandfathering skills (I must admit I’m pretty good).  We spent the night with Mike and Mary then headed to Shawnee on Monday and lunch with our good friends the Webbs before traveling home that afternoon.

Friends and family are wonderful.  Truly the blessings in life often come in the form of people!               Bro Frank

Convention News

Shelly and I attended the SBC in New Orleans.  While it is a very energy packed city it is not my ideal environment.  The food was marvelous and the convention was enjoyable but the city is not my flavor.

We saw and heard some good preaching and enjoyed the reports and business news from the seminaries and agencies, but the thrill of the convention was to see Dr. Fred Luter elected president and see our convention continue to move away from our prejudice history.  No matter where you stand on SBC history, Bro Fred is as fine a choice for president as is out there.  He is a pastor, preacher, builder, discipler, servant of God.  I am proud to call him our president.  I also pray that this will continue to make in-roads to the African-American congregations as well as all other ethnic groups.  I believe it was a day we got to shine as a denomination.