Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Get Shaped!

Several years ago, I wrote a Disciple Now curriculum called "Get Shaped!" It's purpose was to challenge teenagers to "work out spiritually" so that they might grow to maturity in Christ. It's funny, and sad, how we many times relegate spiritual growth as applying only to young people or new believers, but neglect the disciplines of growth for ourselves.

This past Sunday we began a new message series called "SHAPED". Over the next five weeks we will be looking at what it means to grow toward maturity in Christ through the Spiritual Disciplines. We defined a Spiritual Discipline as, "an intentionally directed action by which we do what we can do in order to receive from God the ability (or power) to do what we cannot do by direct effort.”- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p. 36. We began with the Discipline of Study. If you missed last Sunday, let me encourage you to go to www.fayettevillefbc.org or to Fayetteville First Baptist on iTunes to watch or listen to this message. 


Also, we have provided several resources for you to grow as you read and study God's Word. You can access these resources at www.fayettevillefbc.org. Just click on the SHAPED message series logo on the front page. For quicker access to the BibleX study plan go to the following link. 


www.biblex.com

This Sunday we will continue our series in the Spiritual Disciplines by looking at the Discipline of Prayer.  See you then.

Blessings.

In Him,
Pastor Jim

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Happy Independence Day!

I'll never forget July 1976. I had just turned 7 years old. My family lived in Westerville, Ohio. It was the year of our country's bicentennial and the town was decked out with all the Americana you could handle. I remember attending BBQ's and block parties. I remember fireworks and hot dogs.


I can't believe it has been 36 years since that experience. This year my family and I will travel to NC to visit family, partake in BBQ, and watch fireworks. Though our world has come so far since 1976, it is amazing how some things stay the same. My prayer for this week is that we would not take for granted the freedom we have to celebrate the incredible country in which we live, to spend time with our families, and to worship our God without fear of retribution. 


I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July week! May God bless you and may we be thankful! 


Pastor Jim