Pakistan 2010

I leave for Pakistan later this afternoon. It is tough leaving my family! I don't look forward to not laying down in a bed again until Tuesday night! BUT...

We will get to preach Jesus to the people of Pakistan!

Here is a link to the Operation World Prayer Information for Pakistan.

1 Thessalonians 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.

The Fishless Fishermen

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Year after year these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing.

Continually they searched for new and better definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called "Fishing Headquarters." The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn't do, however; they didn't fish.

They organized a board to send out fishermen to where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived.

Also the board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Expensive training centers were built to teach fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year, graduates were sent to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters filled with fish.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. A speaker's bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded, and were sent to fish. But like the fishermen back home, they never fished.

Some also said they wanted to be part of the fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen.

After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity for Fishing," a young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it.

So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fishermen's General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it's true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen's clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished.

They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend the weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men?"

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who didn't catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?

New Bible Study

Here is a link to a new Bible Study. Actually it is a walk through the Scriptures to discover what the Bible means when it says that God repented.

The Repentance of God

You can also find a link on the Bible Studies page on the website.

Help & Hope for Haiti

Here is an opportunity to help people in Haiti in a real and tangible way. The NAMB Disaster Relief teams will be taking "Buckets of Hope" to Haiti to feed the hungry. You can pick up a bucket, a lid, and a list of foodstuffs at church Wednesday night or Sunday morning. Go to the grocery store and buy the things to go in the bucket and then drop them off by March 3rd at our local disaster relief team headquarters at 34 North Chadbourne from 3 - 6 PM, Monday through Friday.



Download a pdf of the packing instructions here: INSTRUCTIONS

Armenia and the Ark

As a church, we are praying for the country of Armenia this week. We are also going through the book of Genesis as a church and we are going to be in chapter 7 this next week. The Bible says that Noah's ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat which is in the country of Armenia!

Thought that was interesting!

Here is a link to a website with lots of information on the search for Noah's Ark:

Noah's Ark Search

Encouraging Conversation

I had a really encouraging conversation this week. A gentleman read the article in the paper about Open Door Family Fellowship and gave me a call. He was raised in a church that did not practice age segregation. He is now in his late seventies and he said that his father led them in family worship almost every night.

Once he attended a church that his grandparents went to and was invited to go to a children's Sunday School class. He went and the teacher was asking questions of the children from their Bible lessons. No one was answering the questions, so he answered them for the teacher. This was when he was 9 or 10 years old. The pastor was very impressed and announced that he had studied his Sunday School lesson well. This gentleman's father stood and let the church know that his boy had not been to Sunday School before.

His discipleship consisted of gathering with the whole church for Bible Study and worship and family worship at home. He was taught it was the parent's responsibility to disciple the children and the church taught the parents how to do this.

I was encouraged as I talked with him and I want to encourage you. You can make a life-long impact in the lives of your children as you sit down with them and open up God's Word and teach them the TRUTH. Please, please - don't delegate this important task.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

San Angelo Standard Times Article

The San Angelo Standard Times ran an article about the church on Saturday, February 6.

Forming faithful families