WORSHIP THE LORD

I tremendously admire this man named Steve Edwards. A normal guy, from Houston, decides to take a mission trip to Costa Rica. And just monts later, he found himself as a wonderful minister of the gospel in the ghetto of La Carpio. Times have been hard but he has done wonderful works of God through the Holy Spirit in this place. The picture above are souls saved because of Steve's willingness to be a vessel. Praise be to God!

SPONSOR A CHILD WITH COMPASSION

Tomara Brown Sponsor a Child with Compassion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW0uTKblmN4&feature=player_embedded#

Last October I had the privilege of attending the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. I saw this video clip featured above LIVE and it was really cool!

A LIFE LIVED FOR GOD WILL NEVER STOP PRODUCING FRUIT

MacKenzie is pictured top row far right.

Last year Mackenzie Farris went on our mission trip - "Voices in the Ville." She was a friend of many of our high school students at Louisville Male. On the trip, our group was inspired as we learned of her mother's battle with cancer. Martha, MacKenzie's mom, was determined to give God glory through her struggle with this thing called cancer. Within the last couple of weeks, hospice has been called to the Farris's home. I have been inspired through the emails from Kevin, Martha's husband. His emails have explained how Martha is continuing to give God praise; even in her last days.

As I have been praying for the Farris family, God has brought to my mind Jeremiah 17:7-8 which reads as follows:

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit

I am so thankful that Martha has put her trust in the Lord. Her roots go deep and her life will never stop producing fruit! Praise be to God.

JESUS GREW IN FAVOR WITH GOD

Luke 2:52 - And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God.

Don't you find it very interesting that Jesus, a perfect man, grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God?

If you are a parent then you probably understand the roller coaster of emotions that can come upon you when your child does something that really makes you proud or when your child does something that really disappoints you. Yes, we have all made others proud and we all have disappointed someone - except for Jesus. Jesus never disappoints! God must have smiled so many times as he saw Jesus treating women with respect; when he saw Jesus heal the sick and when he saw Jesus love children.

May each of us grow in wisdom and in favor with God!

WORSHIP

1 Chronicles 16:29 - Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness!

I must say that I don't like to hear people say, "I didn't get anything out of that worship service." Worship is the acknowledgment and response to that which is worthy. Right? So, why do people worship "worship?" I understand that lighting and the setting help us focus in worship and I'm ok with that. But, our worship should not be defined by music or the setting/location of the worship service.

Consider these Bible Verses on Worship:

Psalm 19:1 - All creation declares God's glory
Psalm 95:6-7 - Come worship and bow down
Matthew 25:45 - Caring for the needy
Romans 15:16 - Proclaiming God
2 Corinthians 9:12 - Charitable giving
Philippians 2:17 - Dedicating lives
Philippians 2:25 - Sharing fellowship
Hebrews 13:15 - Praising God
James 1:27 - Acting justly
Revelation 22:6-9 - God alone deserves our worship

Think and comment please....What is the purpose of corporate worship?

OFFICIALLY REGISTERED FOR THE RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER

It was a cold morning. My brother and I were snuggled in my mom and dad's bed. Brother Boyd, my pastor, knelt beside the bed and tried to awake my brother and me. My mom was standing by his side as he told us that my father had gone to be with the Lord. My dad fought pancreatic cancer a few months before dying. This September, I will enter The Ride To Conquer Cancer in honor of my dad.

OVER $9000.00 WAS RAISED FOR YOUTH MISSIONS TO THE NAVAJO NATION

As folks started coming into the Fellowship Hall on Sunday after Celebration Worship at St. Matthews Baptist Church, I started to get a little nervous about where everyone would sit. I grabbed a few of the sophomore guys and asked them to locate tables and chairs to accommodate our large crowd. After a great lunch prepared by Bobbie Whitten and crew, people started placing their silent auction bids on over 100 items. Steve Kirkland and Tim Galyon encouraged everyone to keep raising their bids. At the close of the silent auction we were proud to announce that over $9000.00 was raised. Our buyers stood patiently in line as we prepared for check-out.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped make this Auction 4 Missions be successful. Our goal was $8000.00 and we raised over $9000.00. A special “thank you” is extended to our donors, our cooks, the Sunday School classes for donating some great baskets, our youth and parents for donating desserts & doing set up/clean up, our emcees and to Suzette Johnson for organizing this event.

EMILY MIZE IS THE BEST!

Getting ready for the Youth Auction has been so much easier this year because of my great assistant - Emily Mize! She is efficient and friendly! Don't you love those people who will do what it takes to make your life a little easier! :)

MONEY FOR HAITI

Today I had the privilege to deliver a check to my good friend Mark Hogg at EDGE MINISTRIES. St. Matthews Baptist collected $1500.00 to give to EDGE for water purification in Haiti. Wally, my husband, is pictured above partnering with EDGE in Costa Rica.

PASSPORT CAMP

PASSPORT CAMP FOR YOUTH IN GRADES 7-12 COMING JULY 24-30! Registration is past due but we can take you for the waiting list!

A Beautiful Day

I enjoyed the day with my boys. We spent nearly 4 hours at the Louisville Zoo today! We saw the baby gorilla!

YOUTH AUCTION & LUNCHEON

YOUTH AUCTION & LUNCHEON
SUNDAY, MARCH 14th immediately following Celebration Worship
MENU: BAKED SPAGHETTI, SALAD, ROLLS & ASSORTED DESSERTS
Our SMBC students need your support at the annual Youth Auction & Luncheon. Your financial support and your prayer support will make their mission trip to the Navajo Nation this summer a success. All proceeds from the youth auction will benefit our students and adults as they minister in Joseph City, Arizona. Some of the mission projects on the Navajo reservation will include home repair, leading Vacation Bible Schools & participating in evangelism. Donations will be accepted for lunch.
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (NRSV)
I don’t know about you, but this verse has always challenged me in my faith journey. Perhaps you’re like me. When I read this statement by Jesus, I keep coming back to the same questions, “Is He really saying what it appears He is saying? Are we really going to participate in doing greater works than Jesus did while He was on earth? It just seems impossible, doesn’t it? Are we supposed to heal all kinds of sickness, cast out demons and raise people from the dead? Is Jesus really serious?”
Yes. Jesus is serious. These greater works are really possible through our belief and obedience to Jesus. What Jesus proclaims in John 14:12 is not that the disciples would do something better or more meaningful than Jesus did but he was inviting them to be involved in something “greater,” more expansive. The disciples’ work will therefore be greater because they will reveal the completed story of the Word made flesh and the fullness of God’s love.
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus was opening the door wide for the kingdom to invade earth. The kingdom was breaking into the disciple’s midst. Jesus was and is still inviting people to get involved in this unshakeable kingdom kind of life. Jesus came proclaiming that a new and different kind of kingdom was here. The kingdom He was proclaiming was foundationally different than the Roman Empire which was the dominant kingdom of the day. Rather than a kingdom built with power and oppression, this new kingdom was built upon love, grace, generosity, compassion and peace.
This was the kingdom of God. The disciples were being invited to be a part of nothing less than a movement. And so are we.
In your life, do you have a sense that you are a part of something “greater”? The invitation was not merely for the disciples; it is for you. Help our students continue the greater works!

How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

The problem of tragedy, suffering and injustice is a big hindrance for belief in God. Many people, however, have admitted to me that most of what they really needed for success in life came to them through their most difficult and painful experiences. Though none of the people that I know who have suffered are grateful for the tragedies themselves, they would not trade the insight, character, and strength they had received from them for anything. With time and perspective, most of us can see good s for at least some of the tragedy and pain that occurs in life.

Why couldn't it be possible that, from God's vantage point, there are good reasons for all of them?

Thoughts from Rob Bell in Drops Like Stars...We are all going to suffer. And the suffering will shape us. We have the potential to become better people because of suffering. Suffering compels us to eliminate the unnecessary, the trivial and the superficial.