A Brand New Week

Good afternoon...

It is hard to believe how quickly this year is going by and it seems like only yesterday we were sitting around the Christmas tree. I hope and pray that this week for you holds many opportunities to share the love of Christ with those around you. I am looking forward to next Sunday morning's worship time as we take an opportunity to publicly thank our leaders in our community for their acts of service for the betterment of our lives. I hope that each of you can join us as we gather to say Thanks to the men and women who make Gunter, Texas, all that it can be. Have a great week and remember to thank God for the many blessings in your life...

Bruce

What a Finish

This week we will be finishing up our study of Nehemiah and my prayer continues to be that this will be more than just a series of messages and that it will be a road map that will forever change the way we do church. God has blessed so tremendously during this time and I cannot wait to see what happens this Sunday. I do ask each of you to be in prayer for this Sunday and don't forge that we also have GBF 101 for those signed up, baptism services at 3:00 p.m. @ the Scales' and then we will come together at the church campus at 5:00 p.m. to observe a time of communion together. Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you all...

Bruce

Sons of Thunder

As most of you know, the Nehemiah series will be coming to an end this Sunday, along with our discussion of the completion of the wall.

Raising our children is a work that never really has a "last brick" to put in place.

Children are works in progress. Life brings many situations to help us teach them. Mistakes are part of growing up. Since our children are in process, all judgments are provisional. Their story isn’t over yet. They are constantly growing, being challenged beyond their current weaknesses and limitations. Does this sound familiar to you?

But it occurred to me that it really isn’t fair to judge something until it is finished. And then it’s probably best to leave that job to the ONE who canceled all judgments held against us, once and for all, at the cross.

Jesus called John "Son of Thunder" when he met him on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in Mark 3:17. However, over 40 years later we see John is known as the Apostle of Love. If he can change through his relationship with Christ, then so can we.

Just something to think about……..

Rediscovery

As we conclude our God of the City series this Sunday, I hope that you have been motivated to rediscover your place on the wall. Rebuilding the walls doesn't just happen. Generally speaking- we can pray about it...but it's sort of one of those things that doesn't require a lot of prayer...God says do it! The tough thing is finding out WHAT God wants us to do. Now that requires a great deal of prayer.

One thing I remember from reading Experiencing God years ago, is that the author says that if you want to get excited about God, then be where He is. The whole point of this concept is that yes, God is everywhere, but we all know that there are a host of dead congregations out there that aren't doing a whole lot to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I don't know about you, but I want to be someplace where God is working, people are excited, the spirit of God is flowing, the Word of God is being preached, lived and shared. I want to live in that same sort of community. How do we get a community like that? The church begins living it outside of the walls of our building on Sunday morning.

Rediscovering gets the attention off you and onto a lost world..a lost country, a lost state, a lost community. If you are facing loneliness, depression, jealousy, anger, a complaining spirit, critical attitude or anything less that excitement for what God is doing in your life, then take a look around your community and get involved in something bigger than yourself. I promise when you get focused on someone else, you'll feel better!

Check out these verses today: Romans 12:10, Hebrews 13:1, Eph. 4:2, 5:21

Have a great day!
Bruce

What a Week!

I pray that each of you have had a great week of building and yes even battling! I have found that over the course of the past few weeks one thing is very clear, that not only does God call upon us to build walls but also spend time protecting what is inside those walls. I encourage you to take a moment and think about what all is contained within your walls...The wall that has been erected around your family, is it strong? Is it secure? or does it need attention? Take the time to observe and carefully check the footings, the foundation, etc. I am praying for another great day this coming Sunday and am looking forward to celebrating with each of you as we gather to Worship. I also want to just take a minute and ask that each one who reads this update to begin praying right now for God to prepare your heart for Worship. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Sunday...

Bruce

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov 22:6

I’ve been thinking about my father-in-law’s funeral. I wasn’t too long ago…June 2007. Jonathan’s mom asked him to say a few words at the service. The night before Jonathan and I started talking about all the things he had learned from his dad. I got a pen and took notes.

The next day, Jonathan got up in front of a full house and listed off “Things My Dad Taught Me.” The scribbled notes from that day are long gone, written on the back of a spare piece of paper and lost somewhere between the church and the cemetery. I’ve pieced together the list as best I can from our memories and the memories of a few close friends in attendance. Here it is:

Things My Dad Taught Me

1. How to drive a nail, use a T-square, change the oil, and mow a lawn.

2. The importance of keeping your workbench and your desk neat, clean, and organized.

3. The value of saving every nut, nail, bolt, or scrap of wood you find. Most will find a use down the road. Of course, they should all be kept neatly and in their rightful places (see #2).

4. The danger of procrastination. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can stay up late tonight and finish.

5. To be passionate about your country, your politics, and your family.

6. How to shave that dimple in my chin.

7. That most things in life can be worked out or explained with pen and paper. When you don’t have paper, a napkin or the back of an envelope will do.

8. The dangers of debt. Never owe money to anyone. Ever.

9. Responsibility. Keep your cars and home in top working order.

10.Faithfulness. My dad taught me how to love a woman for 50 years.

Jonathan’s dad was quite a man. Bigger than life, really. He passed down a lot of values that have a huge positive impact on our family even today. I don’t think Bert set out to teach Jonathan these lessons. He didn’t preach them. Most of his wisdom was taught by example (including the dimple shave).

Proverbs tells us that we are to “train up a child in the way he should go.” Since so much of that training comes from example, we have a responsibility to live a life that points them in the right direction.

So that leads to the question, what are our kids learning from my example? What values does my life teach? What do my kids learn from my attitudes about finances, contentment, faith, marriage, and responsibility? There are a few areas that could use adjustment, that’s for sure. And with God’s help, I am going to make changes that will benefit generations to come.

Charlotte, worship leader

Be On Guard - Choose Your Weapon

Every week after service, Todd and I usually have some time to discuss Sunday's worship and EKG hour. This week we sat at the table talking about the significance of weapon choices Nehemiah used for protecting his people on the wall: swords, spears, and bows. Todd brought up a great point that I thought was worth sharing...........

Nehemiah 4; 13-14 “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

When I read these verses Sunday, I began to think of the “enemies’ of our family household. What are they? Who are they? When do they attack?

As parents we are coming to grip with the idea of being “role models” for our kids. Not just telling them to “eat right” but showing them that we eat right. Not saying to “behave certain ways” but showing them that we behave that way also.

Do they see us reading our Bibles, working out, spending down time, putting each other’s needs before our hobbies, helping our neighbors, etc. If they don’t, then telling them to behave that way is almost pointless. They will see the hypocrisy immediately, or soon enough.


Nehemiah said that he put his workers on the wall with the following weapons: Swords, Spears, and Bows. Each had a different purpose and a distinct range.... Up close combat, mid-range, and distant warfare.

As parents, we have to look for enemies of our households in different areas; Up-Close (Internal Enemies), Mid-Range (Friends and Extended Families), and Distant (The World).

I challenge you to look for the enemies that attack your family. What habits does your family have that add un-needed stress to your week? What commitments do you have that take away from exercising your minds and bodies? Do you have unhealthy relationships? Does TV or movie watching take the place of time better spent elsewhere? Does your love of materials/status/self outweigh your commitment to teach your kids about God’s Love and Commandments? Are you an enemy of your own family?

Like in Nehemiah, you, parents, are responsible for building the wall around your home and defending it. Use your tools and weapons accordingly to defend your territory!

Romans 6:13 says: "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments (weapons) of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments (weapons) of righteousness." There is no sitting on the fence (or wall for this reference). You are to use your time and efforts for righteousness. Be on guard!

Todd and Mandy Turner

Ministry of Reconciliation- A call to all...

...entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ...2 Corinthians 5:19-20 ESV
Did you know that God has entrusted every Christian with a ministry? He has! His Word tells us that we have been reconciled to God through Christ, and after that we become "ambassadors for Christ" and God makes "his appeal through us".
So what does all that REALLY mean? It means that every single one of us are called to represent Christ to the people around us so that they may be reconciled to God as we were. I hear a lot of people say "I'd like to get involved in ministry, I just don't know where". I think the answer to the "where?" is RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.
Don't make the tragic mistake of compartmentalizing your life with Christ. Don't wait on the right "program'' to come along to minister. Think about how you can represent Christ to the people around you. How can you be an ambassador of Christ to those in your work place, your home, and in your community? Don't think that because the preacher's not watching or because your Sunday School class isn't there, that the ministry of reconciliation is on vacation. It should always be at work no ice days, no time off. Representing Christ has no "time clock".
For extra reading check out 2 Corinthians 5: 11-21
Have a great day. -roy

Building and Battling

What a weekend...from learning to Build and Battle for our families to watching the Steelers and Cardinals battle it out on the gridiron. Congratulations to all of you Steeler Fans out there who read this blog! I want to encourage each of you to take time this week to spend time with your families and work on building on the five building blocks we discussed yesterday...

a. The Block of Commitment
b. The Block of Communion
c. The Block of Communication
d. The Block of Conflict Resolutuion Skills
e. The Block of Consecration

Create memories this week with your families that will never be forgotten. Have a great day and an even more wonderful week...

Bruce