Baptist Messenger Article

     Week of November 5, 2009

    October was Minister Appreciation Month. Once again the members of our church have truly blessed all of us as staff members with the beautiful cards and gifts.

      As I took time on Sunday evening to read through all the cards and letters that filled my basket, I was blessed and encouraged by all the comments, words of praise, and expressions of love. For nearly twenty five years our church has made Sandy and I (and our grown children) feel extremely fortunate to have been called to Northeast Baptist Church as your pastor.  

     Much has happened through the years. God continues to bless, and each day our church is strengthened through a genuine love for the brethren. It is an honor and privilege to serve as your pastor. Please continue to pray for me and all our staff as we press on in the job that God has given us to do. It is my goal to honor God and give Him the glory in all that we do for the kingdom. Thanks again.

                                                  Bro. Larry    

 

 Welcome Our New Staff Member

     As of Monday, November 2, Angie Walters has joined our church staff as our new full-time church receptionist. Angie and her family were former members of our church back in 2000 and they have returned attending now for the past year. She is married to Troy, who is employed at the State Employment Office. They have two children, Ashley who is a senior at O.S.U., and Jordan who is in the eighth grade.

     Please stop by the church office and get acquainted with Angie in the coming days. She is excited about serving our church family and looking forward in getting to know you and helping to meet your needs.  

Observance of the Lord’s Supper

This coming Sunday, November 8^th our church will observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper in our morning worship.

Operation Christmas Child

    Shoe boxes will need to be filled and brought to the church no later than Sunday, November 15 along with $7 to help cover shipping cost. We have purchased several plastic containers with lids available for you to use, or you can use a shoe box you already have. A “How to pack your shoe box” brochure has been put in each box. There are only 10 days left to get your box filled.   

Baptist Messenger Article

         Week of October 22, 2009

      The headline said it all: Balloon Boy Story a Big Hoax. If you were like me and the rest of the nation, we were all glued to our television sets last Thursday afternoon for two hours watching the strange events unfold over the skies of Colorado. Supposedly little six-year-old Falcon Heene was inside the canopy of the hot air balloon that mysteriously became untethered and floated away from the backyard of his parent’s home.

     The frantic parents called the authorities for help. Quickly law enforcement officials from several counties, six news helicopters, the FAA and anyone else who could help spent hundreds of hours of manpower, used an untold number of emergency vehicles, and spent a great deal of money to try and rescue the boy. Every major television news network and cable station carried the drama live and uninterrupted without commercials.

     But when the silver helium balloon finally floated safely to the ground two hours later little Falcon was nowhere to be found. Within the hour the little boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in the attic of the family garage. It was all a hoax. The boy was never in danger. The nation was fooled. The parents just wanted their 15 minutes of fame. And now with charges pending against them they will pay a great price for the hoax.

     What do we think when a hoax is played on us? We don’t like it, do we? We get angry and want someone to pay the price for all the trouble. Right? When we find out something isn’t real we are disappointed and turned off by it.

     What happens when those who claim to be Christians are not real and genuine? Lost people who are looking for something that is real are greatly disappointed and turned off by us. Instead of pointing them to Jesus we push them away. When our walk doesn’t match our talk we are simply playing a game – fabricating a hoax. And one day there will be a great price to pay as well.

     The challenge is for all of us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1). What does that mean? It means to walk like Jesus walked. Model the life of righteousness at all times. Be genuine. When it comes to matters of eternity never play a hoax. Be the real deal!

                                                  Bro. Larry

Baptist Messenger Article

       Week of October 15, 2009

     Life is full of disappointments. We all have them. For example, your favorite college football team loses a big game; your favorite politician loses the election, or you fail to get the big promotion at work. How disappointing.  

      Life’s disappointments happen all the time. I read just last week that the Shroud of Turin (the burial cloth of Jesus) has been debunked – that it is nothing more than a hoax. I bet the monks at Turin who are keepers of the shroud were greatly disappointed. Yes, life is full of disappointments.

      When life’s disappointments come how do you handle them? Give up and quit? Sulk and grow depressed? Or do you get back up and work even harder to overcome.

      As most of you know I am a die-hard Sooner football fan. This year’s team has been full of a lot of disappointments. Goals and dreams of a national championship faded with the shoulder injury and early loss of quarterback Sam Bradford. But after five weeks of recovery Sam was back and led his Sooners to an easy victory over the Baylor Bears. The good news is that Sam is back in form and there is hope for the remaining part of the season (lookout Texas).

      Sam Bradford is a Christian and has shared his testimony with the media before. What I like about Sam is his never give up, never quit attitude. It was his goal to come back and play out the rest of the season. Yes, suffering another injury could jeopardize his NFL draft status and cost him millions of dollars, but none of that mattered for him. He is a team player. He wanted to give his best effort to play again and try to help his team win a Big 12 Championship. What determination! What a testimony of never allowing the hardship and defeats of life to keep you down. Who knows, the Sooners may still be Big 12 champions in the end.

      We must have the same kind of determination in the Christian life. Life’s disappointments in the area of our Christian walk come all the time. Satan does all he can to buffet us, to get us to stumble and fall, and eventually give up. In spite of the setbacks, defeats, and failures along the way we must keep looking upward and keep our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

      Like Sam Bradford, we must keep working as a team and for the team. As the Church, we must have a strong determination to be faithful all the way to the end. Why? Because at the end of the way there awaits a prize. No, it’s not a fleeting football championship, but the reward of heaven itself. Our goal is to get there and to do so with all our team intact.

                                                   Bro. Larry