From:                                          Kara Morrison [kara@fbcws.org]

Sent:                                            Friday, May 16, 2008 9:17 AM

To:                                                Kara Morrison

Subject:                                       First Forward FBCWS Newsletter

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Friday, May 16, 2008

News Spotlight

Young Adult Retreat Be in prayer as the young adults get a way, May 23-25, for a time of fun, fellowship, and Bible study at Riverbend Retreat Center Donations Needed The Children’s Ministry is having a Garage Sale and they need stuff to sell. If you have any thing you’d like to get rid of, donate it to the Children’s Ministry for the Garage Sale. For more information see Gene Moren.

I feel like a horrible father… well, not really. Let me explain. Kaleb will not stop climbing. Chairs, beds, tables. Anything he can get up on – he’ll find a way to climb it. I think I said literally a hundred times this weekend, “get down from there! You’re going to fall.” He’s just doing what’s natural to him. He’s curious, adventurous, and risky. I know that I’m trying to protect him and keep him safe when I call him down from the patio table… but sometimes it feels like I’m stifling his adventurous spirit… like I’m taming him. The reason I feel this way is at least in part because of two men, Mike Yaconelli and John Eldredge. Eldredge is the author of the book, Wild at Heart as well as many others which speak to the same kind of concepts –men in today’s world (especially the church) are tamed and un-wild, while God has designed us for adventure. Yaconelli, authored Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith. In that book, he relates our faith to childhood. He tells the story of when he was six years old playing Superman with his parents’ nice towels as capes. All of a sudden, he grew up and realized he couldn’t fly… the adventure was over. There is adventure and danger waiting for us. But we’ve been tamed by our parents, the church, and society to be good little boys and girls, who don’t run in church, play with our food, or get our nice clothes dirty. The gist of what both of these men and myself are getting at is this: our lives are not something to be tamed and broken, subdued in a cage or on a leash. We are to live life wildly and passionately as the dangerous adventure it is, in particular our relationship with Christ. God doesn’t call us down off the patio table… he calls us to climb higher with Him. If we are passively postured in a pew, rather than passionately pursuing the presence of God, we are missing something terribly wonderful.

I feel like a horrible father… well, not really. Let me explain. Kaleb will not stop climbing. Chairs, beds, tables. Anything he can get up on – he’ll find a way to climb it. I think I said literally a hundred times this weekend, “get down from there! You’re going to fall.” He’s just doing what’s natural to him. He’s curious, adventurous, and risky. I know that I’m trying to protect him and keep him safe when I call him down from the patio table… but sometimes it feels like I’m stifling his adventurous spirit… like I’m taming him. The reason I feel this way is at least in part because of two men, Mike Yaconelli and John Eldredge. Eldredge is the author of the book, Wild at Heart as well as many others which speak to the same kind of concepts –men in today’s world (especially the church) are tamed and un-wild, while God has designed us for adventure. Yaconelli, authored Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith. In that book, he relates our faith to childhood. He tells the story of when he was six years old playing Superman with his parents’ nice towels as capes. All of a sudden, he grew up and realized he couldn’t fly… the adventure was over. There is adventure and danger waiting for us. But we’ve been tamed by our parents, the church, and society to be good little boys and girls, who don’t run in church, play with our food, or get our nice clothes dirty. The gist of what both of these men and myself are getting at is this: our lives are not something to be tamed and broken, subdued in a cage or on a leash. We are to live life wildly and passionately as the dangerous adventure it is, in particular our relationship with Christ. God doesn’t call us down off the patio table… he calls us to climb higher with Him. If we are passively postured in a pew, rather than passionately pursuing the presence of God, we are missing something terribly wonderful.

I feel like a horrible father… well, not really. Let me explain. Kaleb will not stop climbing. Chairs, beds, tables. Anything he can get up on – he’ll find a way to climb it. I think I said literally a hundred times this weekend, “get down from there! You’re going to fall.” He’s just doing what’s natural to him. He’s curious, adventurous, and risky. I know that I’m trying to protect him and keep him safe when I call him down from the patio table… but sometimes it feels like I’m stifling his adventurous spirit… like I’m taming him. The reason I feel this way is at least in part because of two men, Mike Yaconelli and John Eldredge. Eldredge is the author of the book, Wild at Heart as well as many others which speak to the same kind of concepts –men in today’s world (especially the church) are tamed and un-wild, while God has designed us for adventure. Yaconelli, authored Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith. In that book, he relates our faith to childhood. He tells the story of when he was six years old playing Superman with his parents’ nice towels as capes. All of a sudden, he grew up and realized he couldn’t fly… the adventure was over. There is adventure and danger waiting for us. But we’ve been tamed by our parents, the church, and society to be good little boys and girls, who don’t run in church, play with our food, or get our nice clothes dirty. The gist of what both of these men and myself are getting at is this: our lives are not something to be tamed and broken, subdued in a cage or on a leash. We are to live life wildly and passionately as the dangerous adventure it is, in particular our relationship with Christ. God doesn’t call us down off the patio table… he calls us to climb higher with Him. If we are passively postured in a pew, rather than passionately pursuing the presence of God, we are missing something terribly wonderful.

News Spotlight

The “nitty gritty” of life is getting pretty personal this time. How do I respond? Same as you that’s how. How should we respond in a lifestyle of worship? Let’s take a quick look. Cut out the distractions. Turn off the tube (Phil. 4:8) This is radical. Turn off the TV! Instead of tuning in to the show, tune in with what the Lord is saying in your life. See if you find more time to meditate on God’s Word and serve Him better. Think on those things that are excellent. Give up the gossip. (Prov 18:8) What might go down smooth and tasty at first will later promote dissension and do you and others no good. The next time you encounter a gossip circle or situation, try saying something nice instead. Or better yet, be drastic and just walk away. Drive the speed limit (Romans 13:1-5) My mother asked me while on our road trip if I had a need for speed like my sister. Can you believe that? How does one worship the Lord by keeping the speedometer in check? By submitting to an earthly authority and obeying its rules and regulations, we are submitting to God, our heavenly ruler who has established this system. Remember this the next time you are passing through a speed zone and late for work. So lets help each other. When you see me ask me “Are you managing your distractions within the speed limit and saying something nice?” I need the reminder.

What do you think of when you’re asked to work in the nursery? Do you think that it’s an opportunity to minister or do you think it’s a drudgery that you want no part of? It’s an age old question that needs an answer so; let’s look at some pros and cons of working in the nursery: Cons: Have to miss church, Crying kids, Have to change diapers Pros: Get to miss church occasionally, Get to make a child feel better by changing a diaper, Comforting a crying child, A giggling child, Picking up kids, The joy of hugging a child, Allowing workers and parents a chance to attend church, The joy of watching a child learn and grow, Having fun watching kids having fun, Showing our visitors that we care about their child, Serving God by serving others As you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons. For those of you who like to see a cost/benefit analysis, here it is: Cost: One hour of your time every now and then Benefit: Making an eternal difference in the life of a child and his or her parents Based on the pros/cons and the cost/benefit analysis, I can say without hesitation that working in the nursery is a joyful, fun and rewarding ministry. So, what’s stopping you from volunteering to work with our preschoolers? Think about it; everyone has been called to serve God and this is your opportunity. God must really love children, He made so many of them!

The “nitty gritty” of life is getting pretty personal this time. How do I respond? Same as you that’s how. How should we respond in a lifestyle of worship? Let’s take a quick look. Cut out the distractions. Turn off the tube (Phil. 4:8) This is radical. Turn off the TV! Instead of tuning in to the show, tune in with what the Lord is saying in your life. See if you find more time to meditate on God’s Word and serve Him better. Think on those things that are excellent. Give up the gossip. (Prov 18:8) What might go down smooth and tasty at first will later promote dissension and do you and others no good. The next time you encounter a gossip circle or situation, try saying something nice instead. Or better yet, be drastic and just walk away. Drive the speed limit (Romans 13:1-5) My mother asked me while on our road trip if I had a need for speed like my sister. Can you believe that? How does one worship the Lord by keeping the speedometer in check? By submitting to an earthly authority and obeying its rules and regulations, we are submitting to God, our heavenly ruler who has established this system. Remember this the next time you are passing through a speed zone and late for work. So lets help each other. When you see me ask me “Are you managing your distractions within the speed limit and saying something nice?” I need the reminder.

If you would like to order a DVD of the 140th Anniversary Sunday, contact Sam Akers, Paxton Hutchison, Mike Allen, or Larry Ferguson. They are $10 each. Church-Wide Pot-luck Dinner Saturday, May 24 6:00 p.m. In the Fellowship Hall In honor of Chris Ortego, former Minister of Education and his wife Brenda. Please bring meat, salad, vegetable, or dessert. Questions? Ask Gloria Hutchison or Phyllis Hill.

What do you think of when you’re asked to work in the nursery? Do you think that it’s an opportunity to minister or do you think it’s a drudgery that you want no part of? It’s an age old question that needs an answer so; let’s look at some pros and cons of working in the nursery: Cons: Have to miss church, Crying kids, Have to change diapers Pros: Get to miss church occasionally, Get to make a child feel better by changing a diaper, Comforting a crying child, A giggling child, Picking up kids, The joy of hugging a child, Allowing workers and parents a chance to attend church, The joy of watching a child learn and grow, Having fun watching kids having fun, Showing our visitors that we care about their child, Serving God by serving others As you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons. For those of you who like to see a cost/benefit analysis, here it is: Cost: One hour of your time every now and then Benefit: Making an eternal difference in the life of a child and his or her parents Based on the pros/cons and the cost/benefit analysis, I can say without hesitation that working in the nursery is a joyful, fun and rewarding ministry. So, what’s stopping you from volunteering to work with our preschoolers? Think about it; everyone has been called to serve God and this is your opportunity. God must really love children, He made so many of them!

The “nitty gritty” of life is getting pretty personal this time. How do I respond? Same as you that’s how. How should we respond in a lifestyle of worship? Let’s take a quick look. Cut out the distractions. Turn off the tube (Phil. 4:8) This is radical. Turn off the TV! Instead of tuning in to the show, tune in with what the Lord is saying in your life. See if you find more time to meditate on God’s Word and serve Him better. Think on those things that are excellent. Give up the gossip. (Prov 18:8) What might go down smooth and tasty at first will later promote dissension and do you and others no good. The next time you encounter a gossip circle or situation, try saying something nice instead. Or better yet, be drastic and just walk away. Drive the speed limit (Romans 13:1-5) My mother asked me while on our road trip if I had a need for speed like my sister. Can you believe that? How does one worship the Lord by keeping the speedometer in check? By submitting to an earthly authority and obeying its rules and regulations, we are submitting to God, our heavenly ruler who has established this system. Remember this the next time you are passing through a speed zone and late for work. So lets help each other. When you see me ask me “Are you managing your distractions within the speed limit and saying something nice?” I need the reminder.

The “nitty gritty” of life is getting pretty personal this time. How do I respond? Same as you that’s how. How should we respond in a lifestyle of worship? Let’s take a quick look. Cut out the distractions. Turn off the tube (Phil. 4:8) This is radical. Turn off the TV! Instead of tuning in to the show, tune in with what the Lord is saying in your life. See if you find more time to meditate on God’s Word and serve Him better. Think on those things that are excellent. Give up the gossip. (Prov 18:8) What might go down smooth and tasty at first will later promote dissension and do you and others no good. The next time you encounter a gossip circle or situation, try saying something nice instead. Or better yet, be drastic and just walk away. Drive the speed limit (Romans 13:1-5) My mother asked me while on our road trip if I had a need for speed like my sister. Can you believe that? How does one worship the Lord by keeping the speedometer in check? By submitting to an earthly authority and obeying its rules and regulations, we are submitting to God, our heavenly ruler who has established this system. Remember this the next time you are passing through a speed zone and late for work. So lets help each other. When you see me ask me “Are you managing your distractions within the speed limit and saying something nice?” I need the reminder.

What’s your speed?

News Spotlight

God rewards our WORK! What we are doing on Monday nights is Work. Make no mistake about it. But God does indeed reward those efforts. I hope that if you are not involved in our Monday night outreach effort that you will sign up now. This is one of those things that you don’t really have to stop and pray about. God wants all of us to be involved in sharing the Good News. This is the easiest way for you to do that. 12 Hours a year. That’s the commitment level. You choose: writing letters, making phone calls, or visiting someone in their home. Let me ask one final thing…if you miss your once-a-month night…and we all do….then do your best to make it up by just coming down one other Monday night. Remember, the reward for your work is God’s blessings! Thanks for allowing God to use YOU!

God rewards our WORK! What we are doing on Monday nights is Work. Make no mistake about it. But God does indeed reward those efforts. I hope that if you are not involved in our Monday night outreach effort that you will sign up now. This is one of those things that you don’t really have to stop and pray about. God wants all of us to be involved in sharing the Good News. This is the easiest way for you to do that. 12 Hours a year. That’s the commitment level. You choose: writing letters, making phone calls, or visiting someone in their home. Let me ask one final thing…if you miss your once-a-month night…and we all do….then do your best to make it up by just coming down one other Monday night. Remember, the reward for your work is God’s blessings! Thanks for allowing God to use YOU!

No Evening Services Sunday, May 25 Church-wide Game night Thursday, June 5 6:00 p.m. Child care will be provided.

God rewards our WORK! What we are doing on Monday nights is Work. Make no mistake about it. But God does indeed reward those efforts. I hope that if you are not involved in our Monday night outreach effort that you will sign up now. This is one of those things that you don’t really have to stop and pray about. God wants all of us to be involved in sharing the Good News. This is the easiest way for you to do that. 12 Hours a year. That’s the commitment level. You choose: writing letters, making phone calls, or visiting someone in their home. Let me ask one final thing…if you miss your once-a-month night…and we all do….then do your best to make it up by just coming down one other Monday night. Remember, the reward for your work is God’s blessings! Thanks for allowing God to use YOU!

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Questions or comments? E-mail us at kara@fbcws.org or call 817-246-2171.