tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234713972009-11-09T08:58:48.617-05:00Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Heath, Ohio.Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-21831275764598468062009-10-13T09:32:00.000-04:002009-10-13T09:32:25.314-04:00Each week in our Connect Ministry (small groups), our leaders spend some time focusing on encouraging people to be involved in ministry and service. I just had a meeting this morning where we reviewed some of the new sign-ups. It is so encouraging to see so many of our people getting involved!<br /><br />As an example, in my Tuesday Morning Men's Group, we had eleven in attendance today. Of those eleven men, three signed up to come listen to boys say their AWANA verses on Wednesday nights, two signed up for our weekly soul winning class, and one signed up to serve in our Food Pantry Ministry.<br /><br />Our leaders are doing such a great job encouraging people to serve... Disciples are being made!<br /><br />Thankful to Pastor such a Wonderful Church,<br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-2183127576459846806?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-9271870910548031762009-10-06T12:13:00.001-04:002009-10-06T12:13:38.969-04:00Below is an email I sent to our church members for whom we have an email address on record...<br /><br />--------------<br /><br />Dear Church Family,<br /><br />I'm in my church study preparing for our weekly staff meeting, and I thought I would send out a quick email to the church and share some good news...<br /><br />First, I just received an email from a lady in our church that felt convicted to go and share Christ with her 95-year-old, Jehovah's Witness aunt.&nbsp; She took her notes from my sermon on the myth "Dead People Go To A Better Place".&nbsp; Her aunt repented of her sins and professed her faith in Christ.&nbsp; Wow!<br /><br />Some more good news...<br /><br />Sunday, September 27, was the first day in our new Connect Ministry semester.&nbsp; We had a record attendance of 419 people for the first week!&nbsp; We were up in every age category we measure.&nbsp; We were very grateful for that incredible number but had braced for the number to drop for week two.&nbsp; Guess what... it didn't drop... it went up!&nbsp; When all of the numbers are in, it looks like the total will be between 440 and 450 in small group attendance.<br /><br />Tomorrow (10/7) I will begin to focus on 1 &amp; 2 Timothy in my daily quiet time videos.&nbsp; If you would like a little help and accountability with your quiet times, check out <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a> to see my daily videos.&nbsp; There is an introductory video you can view <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/2009/08/quiet-time-introduction-monday-august.html">here</a> and then just join in with the others who are <i><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">sharing together in our devotions each morning</span></i>.<br /><br />This coming Sunday morning I will be continuing my series on "Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe."&nbsp; We will be focusing on the myth: God Forgets All Our Sins.&nbsp; I am looking forward to the day of worship.&nbsp; I hope you will be here with us.<br /><br />Pastor Wally, Pastor Shawn, Scott, and I will be meeting early tomorrow morning, as we do each Wednesday, to specifically pray for our church members and our community.&nbsp; If you send an email to <a href="mailto:info@fbcho.com?subject=Special%20Prayer">info@fbcho.com</a> before 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, I promise we will pray especially for you and your need when we gather together.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-927187091054803176?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-27436375593145926012009-09-22T10:10:00.003-04:002009-09-22T10:31:08.427-04:00This past Sunday was a great Sunday of worship...<br /><ul><li>We had a great crowd... both on the main floor and in the balcony! (In fact we had some families that had a difficult time finding seats together. I want to remind our regular worship attenders to sit as close to the front as you can get and to scoot to the center of the row you are sitting on. That will help us make things easier and more comfortable for our guests each week.)</li></ul><ul><li>We began the service with baptisms which has become an almost weekly occurrence. I pray this will always be true, and I pray that we never get 'used to it'. We should always marvel at the grace of God that changes lives.</li></ul><ul><li>We had a very good response during our invitation... a number of people and families praying at the altar. We had one young adult lady make a profession of faith and three youth make public that they had made professions of faith over the weekend.</li></ul><ul><li>Sunday night was a blast. We had a real wedding in our evening worship service... Sound strange? It was great! We had a young couple come into our church a few weeks ago. They made a profession of faith and began to allow the grace of God to change their lives. One of the things they wanted to do was to get married and re-start their family the right way. They didn't have the resources to have a wedding so we decided we would just make it a part of our worship service and celebrate the grace of God... How God's grace was changing them and how God's grace is changing all of us. So we had a wedding, a sermon, and a couple of baptisms... Then we had a giant reception. I was so proud of how our church came out to celebrate with the young couple and how they blessed them with money and gifts at the reception... Wow! What a great example of the love of Christ.</li></ul>This next Sunday is going to be fun as well...<br /><ul><li>Our new semester of Connect Groups begins Sunday. We are hoping for a record attendance and involvement in our Connect Ministry beginning this week. If you haven't signed up for a group, there is still a few days left. Go to our website, fill out the form, and choose your group. Some of the groups are closed now, but we will do our best to get you in the group you choose.</li></ul><ul><li>This week we will be continuing our series of messages on 'Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.' This weeks myth is... God Helps Those Who Help Themselves. We will be in Genesis 16.</li></ul><ul><li>Pastor Wally just let me know we have two more baptisms schedule for this Sunday morning!<br /></li></ul>A quick note on our daily Quiet Time encouragements. If you sometimes struggle with having a daily devotional time, take a look at our daily QT Encouragement blog... <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a>.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-2743637559314592601?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-54113421796766781032009-09-18T10:02:00.003-04:002009-09-18T10:04:09.970-04:00Pastor Wally, Pastor Shawn, and Church Administrator Scott are working on doing this little number in an upcoming service...<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PwfMMN71xUw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PwfMMN71xUw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-5411342179676678103?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-61569236487246962262009-09-07T12:45:00.002-04:002009-09-07T12:55:35.908-04:00There are two things on my mind this morning as I do a little studying and praying about what is on the horizon at First Baptist Church of Heath…<br /><br />First, I am looking forward to our new message series that begins this Sunday. After spending six weeks focusing on just two chapters in the Book of Revelation, now we are going to skip around the Bible for the next six weeks. I am borrowing this series title from a Larry Osborne book I read a while back. As soon as I saw the book title, I thought this would make a great message series if the Lord gave me liberty to preach it. So the title of our upcoming series is “Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe”. Larry, in his book, identifies ten of these dumb things. In my message series, I plan to address six. Three of mine are similar to his; three are different. Here is my list…<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Myth #1: Your Conscience Should Be Your Guide (9/13)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Myth #2: Dead People Go To A Better Place (9/20)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Myth #3: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (9/27)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Myth #4: God Forgets All Our Sins (10/4)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Myth #5: God Has A Blueprint For My Life (10/11)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Myth #6: All Things Work Together For Your Good (10/18)</span><br /><br />Invite your friends, family, and co-workers. Let’s see how God’s Word can encourage us as we learn the truth about these myths.<br /><br />Second, I have received much positive feedback from our on-line quiet time encouragement videos. Tomorrow (9/8) I will begin to focus on the Gospel of John. If you would like to join me for these quiet times for a few weeks, this would be a good place to start.<br /><br />The best way to begin is to watch the <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/2009/08/quiet-time-introduction-monday-august.html">video</a> I made on how to have a quiet time. Then just jump in with the rest of us tomorrow morning!<br /><br />For the introduction video, click <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/2009/08/quiet-time-introduction-monday-august.html">here</a>.<br /><br />For the daily quiet time videos, click <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Invite your friends, family, and co-workers to join in. The website is <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/">MyMornings.Blogspot.com</a>.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-6156923648724696226?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-4068525190390851202009-09-06T04:28:00.000-04:002009-09-06T04:28:00.360-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://MYMORNINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/"><br /></a><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-406852519039085120?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-76444882051341052082009-09-05T05:43:00.001-04:002009-09-05T05:43:00.459-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://MYMORNINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/"><br /></a><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-7644488205134105208?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-61616729315920147382009-09-04T04:40:00.000-04:002009-09-04T04:40:00.068-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://MYMORNINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/"><br /></a><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-6161672931592014738?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-34050765436926743322009-09-03T04:06:00.001-04:002009-09-03T04:06:00.065-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://MYMORNINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/"><br /></a><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-3405076543692674332?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-54894772737453223732009-09-02T04:15:00.001-04:002009-09-02T04:15:00.759-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com"><br /></a><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-5489477273745322373?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-35608953082601679022009-09-01T04:55:00.000-04:002009-09-01T04:55:00.148-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-3560895308260167902?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-13778204998805018222009-08-31T04:25:00.001-04:002009-08-31T04:25:00.171-04:00Check out my new post at my other blog... <a href="http://mymornings.blogspot.com/">MyMornings.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-1377820499880501822?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-62347210590457048992009-08-05T10:06:00.002-04:002009-08-05T10:11:45.151-04:00My blog posts seem to be getting less and less frequent. I have begun using Twitter and Facebook to stay in touch with the online church community more than my blog. Some people don't use those tools and consequently don't see those posts. So I will occasionally just list those in this space in addition to the occasional blog post.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<br /><br />--------------------------<br /><br />Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it ... will do no good. Ps 127 ~ 5:55 AM Aug 5th<br /> <br />Same Scripture but different emphasis for Sunday message... New title: Final Warning: You Will Be Tested, I Will Help You... Rev 2:8-11 ~ 1:00 PM Aug 4th<br /> <br />Working on our prospect database.... noticed we have five people requesting to be baptized this Sunday.... Wow! ~ 12:50 AM Aug 4th<br /> <br />Good service and fellowship tonight with our team home from Kenya... ~ 8:30 PM Aug 2nd<br /> <br />Looking forward to being back in worship with my faith family... ~ 6:09 PM Aug 1st<br /> <br />Upcoming Message Series... http://bit.ly/bw5M9 ~ 9:15 AM Jul 31st<br /> <br />My 'son' in Kenya (Noel Junior) sent these keekoy's (sp?) to his 'sisters'... http://twitpic.com/c7iee ~ 10:35 PM Jul 30th<br /> <br />I'm home... Long day, but good day... ~ 10:29 PM Jul 30th<br /> <br />About to leave church to make a visit, then go to a meeting, then if time, another visit, then back to study... is vacation really worth it? ~ 4:48 PM Jul 30th<br /> <br />Good news... Revelation 1:3 promises that that Lord will bless the person who reads the book of Revelation... ~ 7:48 AM Jul 30th<br /> <br />An early start... Trying to pack a week's worth of work into two days... ~ 3:42 AM Jul 30th<br /> <br />Just finished the book, Eat This Book, by Eugene Peterson... Didn't agree w/ everything but I learned much... I will read this book again... ~ 1:02 PM Jul 29th<br /> <br />Looking forward to tomorrow, my 14th Wedding Anniversary. My wife is the 2nd biggest blessing in my life and a daily source of joy to me! ~ 11:30 PM Jul 28th<br /> <br />Just finished the book, 'The Purity Principle' by Randy Alcorn... Every married couple should read this book twice a year! ~ 6:31 PM Jul 27th<br /> <br />Preparing a four week series from the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation... I'm looking forward to preaching again... ~ 3:11 PM Jul 27th<br /> <br />Back in the saddle this morning... ~ 6:36 AM Jul 27th<br /> <br />Is praying for a great, God honoring worship service this morning... ~ 5:40 AM Jul 26th<br /> <br />Sitting by the pool working on an outline on my laptop... http://twitpic.com/bl7bv ~ 1:38 PM Jul 25th<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-6234721059045704899?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-449062393161314922009-07-31T09:07:00.004-04:002009-07-31T09:13:38.776-04:00Beginning this Sunday I will preach a series of messages through the seven letters Jesus gave to the churches in the book of the Revelation. This is Christ's final warning to the church and to believers living in our day. I am looking forward to diving into this and seeing the changes God will bring in our lives and our church...<br /><br />8/02 --- Final Warning: Don't Neglect the Passion (Rev 2:1-7)<br />8/09 --- Final Warning: Persevere through Persecution (Rev 2:8-11)<br />8/16 --- Final Warning: Don't Believe the Lies (Rev 2:12-29)<br />8/23 --- Final Warning: Hypocrisy is Poison (Rev 3:1-6)<br />8/30 --- Final Warning: Seize the Day (Rev 3:7-13)<br />9/06 --- Final Warning: The Final Warning (Rev 3:14-22)<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-44906239316131492?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-10013056131265323362009-07-22T08:18:00.001-04:002009-07-22T08:20:01.038-04:00I just finished the book, Columbine, by Dave Cullen. It tells the story of what really happened at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, when two students, Eric Harris and Dylan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kiebold</span> killed twelve students and one teacher and injured many more before committing suicide.<br /><br />It was a very interesting book… more than you would think, though it is difficult to read because of the very offensive language.<br /><br />There are many lessons to be learned from this tragic event. People involved in law enforcement, school administration, media, and those responsible for emergency response or security for a large facility should definitely read this book.<br /><br />I’m not involved in any of those fields, so I read the book as a father of two <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre</span>-teens and as a pastor. Here are some of the lessons I learned and a few truths that I was reminded of…<br /><br />• Media reports of anything beyond the basic facts of a news event are mostly wrong! Most of what you know about the Columbine event is wrong: the background of the killers, the kind of people who were targeted, the motives, the events of the stand-off… With the Columbine tragedy certain wrong information was given by the media in the beginning and even when it was clearly shown to be wrong, the media stuck with it because it was more ‘interesting’ than the truth. It seems every time I am involved in a news event or have some knowledge of what really happened, I am amazed and surprised at how the newspaper reports differ from what really happened.<br /><br />• Having a two parent home with a stay-at-home mother <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">doesn</span>’t guarantee your kids will turn out great. Parents need to be committed to being involved in their kid’s lives beyond just providing a stable home. Parenting must always be active; never passive.<br /><br />• Parents should take seriously the warning signs of aberrant behavior. While much of the time there may not be reason for alarm, we should not operate from that assumption. I know from the few suicide cases I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span> been involved with that this truth is too often ignored.<br /><br />• Having a relationship with Christ really does make a difference in the way we are able to handle tragedy. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">There really is a peace that passes understanding!</span> The author, while definitely not writing from a Christian perspective, remarked at how very different the reactions were between the Christian parents and the non-Christian parents when the bad news started pouring in.<br /><br />• In a tragedy, churches should focus on caring for and loving people not on aggressive outreach. The Holy Spirit will draw people to Christ. In the midst of a tragedy, our first response should be love in deed and in word. I believe in evangelism, but the message from the church to the world should be that we love you and Christ loves you, not that we want to take advantage of a difficult situation to ‘sign you up’. If a church <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">doesn</span>’t have a stronger witness and testimony in the community a year after the tragedy, then the church <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">didn</span>’t respond in the right way.<br /><br />• It is never right to exaggerate or embellish a story to accomplish a good and noble purpose. Some of the great stories of Christian faith that could have come from this event have been lost because well meaning Christians encouraged or embraced known exaggerations, and when the embellishments were proved inaccurate, the whole story lost credibility. God will never bless an untruth, no matter our good intentions.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-1001305613126532336?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-14147756683663664562009-07-13T08:58:00.002-04:002009-07-13T09:07:51.080-04:00We had a great day of worship yesterday!<br /><br />First, what a great morning of singing... the choir really showed out... the worship music was wonderful... <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">In the last three weeks, Pastor Shawn has taken our worship time to a new level.</span> I appreciate his hard work. I believe the Lord was truly honored yesterday morning in our service.<br /><br />Our Patriotic Celebration last night was a big success. Good food... Great crowd... Super service! It was encouraging to see so many people come from our community join us for the celebration. Our choir did an exceptional job. I heard many good comments from a ton of visitors following the service.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-1414775668366366456?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-41587268192342991442009-07-06T06:31:00.003-04:002009-07-06T06:44:43.571-04:00Well, we had another early morning Kenya meeting today... nobody should have to have a meeting at 5:00 a.m. The next time we partner with an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">international</span> mission effort, we will partner with one west of us so that the meetings can be later in the day ;)...<br /><br />So everyone wants to know... how are things going?<br /><br />Good news! We have 42 orphans who all have uniforms, shoes, food, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">transportation</span>, and paid tuition to school! We received a good report this morning concerning this ministry. I am thankful for all of you who make this ministry possible by your sacrificial giving, and I am thankful for the work of our four church members who have been in Kenya the past six months helping to facilitate this ministry. (By the way, if you would like to help us maintain this ministry or even help us minister to more orphans, contact the church and ask to speak with Carla. It costs us about $40 per month per orphan to provide this ministry. When you contact us, we can give you further details.)<br /><br />The second piece of news is... our team in Kenya will be returning to Heath on July 22. They are coming back for a breather and to make <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">preparations</span> for a probable return in December. Pray for them as they travel and as they seek to get re-adjusted to living here.<br /><br />Stay tuned for more updates in the days to come...<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-4158726819234299144?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-21876978197225261362009-06-02T06:44:00.001-04:002009-06-02T06:45:44.170-04:00I received an email a little after midnight last night that said pastor Fredrick had surgery at 10:00 pm Kenya time and is doing well. It didn't give any further details. I'm guessing that is good news.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-2187697819722526136?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-23809439712176934022009-06-01T16:20:00.002-04:002009-06-01T16:22:58.047-04:00There has been a lot of confusion today about Pastor Fredrick's situation. He waited all day and they were unable to operate. It isn't clear why. Continue to pray...<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-2380943971217693402?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-43229485952519963052009-06-01T07:02:00.000-04:002009-06-01T07:03:31.542-04:00Here is an email I received early this morning from our team on the ground in Kenya...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pastor Fredrick is in surgery for appendix @ Kalifi Hop. @ 8 AM this morning. He was taken to Kalifi (was taken to Mombasa first for a good ct scan, then they sent him to Kalifi) the trip to Mombasa started between 10 and 11 pm last night, it was late before they got to Kalifi Hospital.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mombasa is about one and half hours from here and Kalifi is 45 minutes from here. Mwatete said he will be in the hospital for five days. We will send updates.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you for your prayers.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Your in Christ</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">John, Sandy, Lisa, and Greg</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-4322948595251996305?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-28631051387367616352009-05-18T17:31:00.002-04:002009-05-18T17:51:55.990-04:00In my previous blog, I noted that Congressman Space had agreed to meet with me for prayer in Washington this week. I also want to let you know that Congressman Pat <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tiberi</span> has agreed to meet with me this week for a time of prayer as well. I will be meeting with Congressman <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tiberi</span> this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. I am very much looking forward to meeting Congressman <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tiberi</span>. I am very thankful that he is the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Representative</span> from my district!<br /><br />These two Congressmen, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tiberi</span> and Space, lead the districts that include most of our church members. I submitted requests to our two Senators, and while initially I received confirmations from both of their offices, they have now informed me that they will be unable to meet with me due to scheduling difficulties.<br /><br />The reason I am traveling to DC is to attend a special briefing for pastors where we will be informed about the behind the scenes status of issues and legislation that our church family and Christians everywhere are most concerned about.<br /><br />This is a critical time in the history of our nation. This is a critical time for issues such as the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, and the rights of parents. These are not merely political issues, these are spiritual issues... and biblical issues. Pray that our voice can be heard on these issues. Pray that our political leaders will have the godly wisdom necessary to make the right decisions concerning these issues.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-2863105138736761635?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-2807791600351465062009-05-12T14:04:00.003-04:002009-05-12T14:20:20.101-04:00I want to give credit where credit is due...<br /><br />Congressman Zack Space's office just called to confirm that I could come by his office in D.C. next week to pray with him.*<br /><br />I appreciate the opportunity. I believe we should all pray for all of our political leaders and I am thankful for those who will take time out of their busy schedules for something like this.<br /><br />I look forward to praying the that the Lord add daily to the Congressman's wisdom, discernment, and courage. I look forward to praying for him personally, his health and his family. I look forward to praying that the Lord will always reveal Himself to the Congressman such that the Congressman will having a growing knowledge and appreciation of God's goodness and grace.<br /><br />I ask that you pray for me as I pray for him on Thursday, May 21 at 4:15 p.m..<br /><br />Pastor Noel<br /><br /><br />*...although they did also want to confirm that I just wanted to pray with him and not advocate any issues :). I wonder what would make them think I would have any policy issues to debate with the Congressman? Nonetheless, I will honor their request and his time.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-280779160035146506?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-34473703598072027512009-04-18T21:53:00.002-04:002009-04-18T21:56:21.328-04:00If you want to see live FBC Heath prayer updates you can follow the twitter account 'noeldearprayer' or you can go to the website: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/noeldearprayer">www.twitter.com/noeldearprayer</a>.<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-3447370359807202751?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-17239756407767048052009-04-17T08:41:00.002-04:002009-04-17T09:09:06.993-04:00I am looking forward to this Sunday. We had such a good day of Worship last week... I'm praying this week will be the same.<br /><br />I've had a good week of studying for my upcoming messages. In the 10:45 AM and the 6:30 PM services I will be continuing my series on the five most important days in history. We will be looking this week at the resurrection, which is by the way, the most important day.<br /><br />We will focus on a verse in Philippians...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death... -- Philippians 3:10 NKJ</span><br /><br />What is the "Power of the Resurrection"? The answer is exciting! Most people think of the resurrection simply as an historical event that can be believed or disbelieved. I want to show you that the resurrection of the Lord is something that makes a daily difference in life. The resurrection is truly a powerful event, and not in the way you are probably thinking, that should change and impact our lives every day in a couple of ways. Sunday, I will show you a Bible example of how this worked then, give a testimony of how it works today, and show you how to let it work in you. <br /><br />I am more fired up about this truth than last week's truth as we focused on the crucifixion!<br /><br />-----<br /><br />For our 5:00 PM Soma Kristou (family of God) service we will be in 2 Corinthians 1. In verse 3, Paul calls God the Father the God of all comfort. In the next few verses he elaborates on that truth. Many of you will be familiar with those verses, but the question is... what kind of comfort is Paul talking about?<br /><br />When I think of comfort I usually think of a nice, plush recliner... or I think about a Saturday with nothing that has to be done... or I think about vacation at the beach... Most of us use the word 'comfort' to refer to 'ease'. As it turns out, this is not at all what Paul is talking about here.<br /><br />Once we learn what biblical 'comfort' really is, we will see a whole new meaning to this familiar passage of Scripture... and encouraging meaning... a 'comforting' meaning...<br /><br />-----<br /><br />For the Q&amp;A time in the Soma Kristou service, I am going to address what Dave Wilkerson, a noted Christian leader, said when he recently predicted a terrible, violent calamity in America. It seems like more and more Christian leaders are making these kinds of predictions. What are we to think about this? Is this from the Lord or just an over-reaction to the hard times we are living in? What should be our response to these kinds of 'warnings'?<br /><br />I'll attempt to give a thoughtful answer to that during our Q&amp;A time on Sunday evening.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Be in prayer for Sunday... pray that lives will be changed... pray that the Lord will be honored...<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-1723975640776704805?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471397.post-49323152047335796042009-04-14T05:10:00.002-04:002009-04-14T05:47:05.079-04:00A part of my devotional reading this morning was 1 Samuel 15. This chapter talks about how Saul, the king of Israel, defeats his enemy in a decisive battle. But the story doesn't end there. God had given Saul specific instructions about what to do in and after the battle, but Saul decided to do it his own way. He was only partially obedient. Then along comes the prophet Samuel. Samuel confronts Saul about his partial obedience (read: rebellion). Saul then makes some pathetic excuses and put the blame on others. Samuel then gives that famous line... "To obey is better than sacrifice." He goes on to say, "Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft." The peculiar end of that chapter has the prophet Samuel chopping up king Agag (the king of the defeated people) into little pieces. You will just have to read and study for yourself to see the reason and the significance of that unusual act.<br /><br />Altogether the chapter is about the seriousness of being only partially obedient...<br /><br />My first thought as I was reading was, "I should preach on this!"<br /><br />But then the Lord reminded me that my devotional readings were not meant to look for sermon fodder, they are an opportunity for me to hear from the Lord for ME.<br /><br />Then I thought of some partial obedience in my life. I thought of some areas where I have been about 90% obedient and I have been smug about it. I think I have been guilty of using some of the same excuses that Saul used too. I need to be more diligent to obey. I need to 'hack Agag to pieces." (OK, it might take a message to explain that last sentence.)<br /><br />The interesting thing though about king Saul is that while God was condemning him, everyone else was cheering him on. While God was confronting him about his sin, the crowd was complimenting him for his leadership and his skill at war making.<br /><br />Sometimes we can look like heroes to the people around us and at the same time look like zeroes to God.<br /><br />This last Sunday afternoon between church services, I went on a very long walk. As I was walking and praying, I felt like the Lord was impressing something on my heart... (those of you who know me know I hardly ever say something like that). I felt like the Lord was saying, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Be wary when people brag more on your abilities than they do on your character."</span> That will give you pause for thought...<br /><br />I wonder how many times we have been where Saul is? I wonder how many times we have been in a place in life where our abilities have surpassed our character? I wonder how many times we have looked better to people than we have to God? I wonder how many times those around us have been impressed with our partial obedience, while the Lord has been disappointed in our lack of obedience?<br /><br />The Lord woke me up early today to ponder those questions for my life and walk...<br /><br />I'm glad He did...<br /><br />Pastor Noel<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23471397-4932315204733579604?l=pastordear.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17937095915646803913noreply@blogger.com0