almost the end to a great week

Last night was the last night for VBS and 4 kids were saved, was so encouraging to see that... Everyone pitched in after to set up for Sunday services. Than I think everyone is taking next week to vacation/stay-cation... That means vacationing right here at home.. so if you try to reach us and don't,, we are on vacation and leave a message and if it is life threatening, you are bleeding, or not breathing we will call you back.. if your dog got hit, your having anxiety, you need towels, soap, babysitter, or just want to chit chat... will have to happen when we get off stay-cation!!! We are shutting all phones off, and going to take time as a family to spend time together with NO interruptions!!! Reason being we need it for one, and two, the next few months.. well until the end of the year and beyond will be solid booked between school, church, family things, DR appointments... ya get the drift...

As soon as I get a chance will be posting pic's from VBS of the girls..

I need coffee, and am so tired think I need sleep more than coffee.. now that is a loaded statement! ha! Hope and trust everyone has a Blessed Weekend!
And I say everyone, I see y'all who lurk without commenting :) Come on don't be shy, its no different than Face book...lol

For Our Good

by Paul Chappell

Perhaps the most difficult thing to do in life is to thank God for the trials. Sometimes in life it is hard to balance what we know with how we feel. How do we bridge the gap between heartache and hope? I believe the answer is faith. The only way to resolve what I know from the Scriptures with what I feel in my heart is to put my faith in the Word of God. The Bible says in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith is getting a word from God and believing it.

Romans 8:28 provides some of the greatest truth ever discovered in the Bible when it plainly and emphatically states: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” This verse speaks of the sovereignty of God in the affairs of His people. There are three lessons we can learn from this passage of Scripture.

The Believer’s Confidence
God is always working. Even when we can’t trace His hand, we can trust His heart. Our confidence rests in the unfailing love of God. Romans 8:38–39 reminds us of this truth: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. The providence of God always sees our good.

Joseph suffered, but God used his suffering as a tool to save a nation. The Israelites endured affliction until God used the cry of a little baby in a basket to bring Pharaoh’s mighty kingdom crashing down. Peter denied the Lord, but God arched the rainbow of Romans 8:28 over what he did. And later, God used him on the Day of Pentecost to preach the sermon that was heard around the world.

The Believer’s Calling
One of golf’s immortal moments came when a Scotchman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President’s beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball placidly waited on the tee. Again, the Scotchman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, “There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.”

Man’s plan is temporal, but God’s plan is eternal. It is God who calls us, and it is God who accomplishes His will in us. The believer’s calling is to be conformed to the image of Christ while magnifying Him in the process. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God has a plan. Spiritually, He will one day sanctify us to the image of Christ. Bodily, we will be like Him. First John 3:2 speaks of this: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

A grandpa and granddaughter were sitting and talking when she asked, “Did God make you, Grandpa?” He said, “Yes, God made me.” For a few minutes she examined her grandpa and then she looked at herself in the mirror. At last she spoke up,“You know, Grandpa, God is doing a lot better job lately.”

The Believer’s Culmination
As God’s plan unfolds, we become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. The believer’s culmination is the believer’s glorification. The Bible speaks of this in Romans 8:30: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” As the songwriter wrote so long ago, “One glimpse of His dear face, ALL sorrow will erase…”

The promise of Romans 8:28 is not obvious for everybody. There is a condition to this verse and it is found in the phrase “to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” You cannot put your initials by this promise unless you love God. What encourages me about this conditional promise is that others may be able to give more than I can give. Others may be able to sing, or preach, or serve better than I can. But there is nobody on earth who can love God more than I can or you can. Nobody has a monopoly on loving God. Romans 8:28 works only for those who love God and are called to His glorious purpose. Thank God He is working all things for our good!

Mid week

We are almost to the end of VBS @ church, and it has been a great week... So many great folks working so hard to give our kids the truth and invest in their lives in light of eternity. Steve has really jumped in and helped( even with the crafts) has been nice to have his help this week... He goes back to work tomorrow( or I should say today) so will miss the last two days of VBS. Sunday morning is the wrap up and Dinner on the grounds, will be good fellowship and great food! Pray that the hearts of the children will be changed and will result in the families coming to know Jesus! Also praying for our nephew Ryan who is in TN @ youth camp with the church we attended while we lived in MO( go west wood) Praying his heart is changed this week as well!! ok I better get to bed... morning comes early!!! Have a great rest of the week everyone and weekend, and will post pictures soon as I get a chance!

Good follow up!

7 Ways to be a Godly Friend

by Paul Chappell

The close friendships I have shared with men like Dr. David Gibbs, Dr. Don Sisk, Dr. R.B. Ouellette, and others have taught me what an incredible treasure godly friends are. The Lord has often used them to encourage, strengthen, inspire, challenge, and sometimes convict me. Their role in my life causes me to want, not only to have godly friends, but also to be a godly friend! Following are some observations of the role of a godly friend:

1. Godly friends sharpen each other.
Proverbs 27:17 teaches us that “iron sharpeneth iron.” A godly friend will “sharpen” you, and you will “sharpen” him.

2. Godly friends assure each other through adversity. Godly friends love each other. Proverbs 17:17 teaches that friends love at all times—especially in adversity. Do you have the kind of friendship that unashamedly could declare love? The old saying is true, “Prosperity begets friendship; adversity reveals them.”

3. Godly friends participate with each other. Proverbs 18:24 teaches that friends show themselves friendly. I believe this is a picture of action. Godly friends are eager to cooperate, encourage, and help each other.

4. Godly friends rejoice for one another. A Swedish proverb states, “Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.” Godly friends rejoice in the blessings of a friend. This kind of relationship is no place for jealousy, comparison, or envy.

5. Godly friends forgive one another. Friends will eventually hurt each other—and usually unintentionally. Yet, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace. Godly friends resolve tension and quickly forgive.

6. Godly friends do not share or harbor anger. Proverbs 22:24 teaches that we should avoid friendship with an angry or furious man. Yes, there are some men the Bible simply teaches us to avoid or break from. A godly friendship will not be characterized by shared anger or bitterness.

7. Godly friends spark the truth in each other. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend….” Godly friends are not afraid to lovingly and appropriately speak the truth to one another. In fact, they long to hear the truth from each other. They recognize that everybody has “blind spots,” and they rejoice that God has given them “another set of spiritual eyes” to help guide, guard, and protect. Beyond that, godly friends rejoice in truth. They discover truth together. They talk about truth. They encourage each other in it and through it. Truth is the common bond of their hearts—a love for God’s Word and a love for communicating His truth to people.

Great Biblical advice on friendships/relationships

Thoughts about Friendship

September 25, 2009 by Paul Chappell

Many Christians are not prayerful and intentional about the friendships in their lives. Some just “happen” into “fun” relationships without considering the great potential for good or bad in every relationship. This is a dangerous way to approach something so vital.

The book of Proverbs teaches that friends will come from 4 spiritual gene pools:

• The Wise—Proverbs 1:5, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”
• The Simple—Proverbs 14:15, “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”
• The Foolish—Proverbs 1:7, “…fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
• The Scornful—Proverbs 15:12, “A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.

From which spiritual gene pool are you drawing your friends? The desire of a wise Christian is to find spiritual and wise friends—friends who walk in the Spirit. These are friends whose primary interests are things other than the latest YouTube video or funny joke. They actually add to your life in maturing and fun ways.

When you find godly friends, the contribute to your life in three wonderful ways:

1. A Spiritual Friend Is Honest When You Are Not Glorifying God.—Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
2. A Faithful Friend Sharpens You as A Christian—Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
   (Note—If you are prone to carnal speech, a good friend is someone whose presence reminds you that such behavior is not becoming of godliness. For instance, if you are a loud and cutting young person, a good friend will not draw you into boisterous behavior and talk.)
3. A Helpful Friend Is Encouraging in Spirit—Proverbs 18:24, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

It is often said we will become like the books we read, the media we watch and the friends we keep. Indeed, “Nearness is likeness.” Do your friends sharpen you spiritually or do they dull you? A Christian leader’s closest influences should not be the unsaved or carnal Christians. Make good friends today—your future walk and testimony depend upon today’s decisions!